Current Exhibit:
Past Exhibits:
Trailblazing Women of Mariachi Music, May 5, 2019
The Mexican American Heritage and History Museum at the Sosa Carrillo House is the first museum in Arizona solely dedicated to Mexican American history. This was the museum’s inaugural exhibit. Created and curated by Dr. Leonor Xochitl Perez, the exhibit present the history of women in mariachi through vintage artifacts, mariachi suits, and digital imagery. Perez’s research shows women have performed mariachi professionally as instrumentalists and made other significant contributions to this prized cultural art form for over 100 years, first in Mexico and now around the world.
Dolores Gonzales Resort Wear
Los Descendientes del Presidio de Tucson, Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation and Tucson Modernism Week sponsored the Dresses of Dolores Gonzales at the Mexican American Heritage and History Museum at the Historic Sosa-Carrillo House.
Exhibition Oct. 6 – Nov. 30, 2019: Thur – Sat 10:00AM – 4:00PM
Typifying the entrepreneurial spirit post WWII Tucson, dress designer is Dolores Barcelo Gonzales was true product of the southwest. In the 1950s and 60s Dolores was a name known throughout the U. S. dress manufacturing market. Her dresses, square dance gowns and denim items were sold everywhere from New York City to Los Angeles. Born in Sonora, Mexico, Dolores lived in Douglas for many, years and then moved to Los Angeles working for a dress manufacturing company. Moving to Tucson she and her brother Richard Barcelo brought the dress shop Irene Page on Stone Avenue. In 1941, the store began to make their own dresses and it was renamed the Dolores Shop. Dolores maintained a factory and help lead the creation of a district regional fashion that took the country by storm. Mamie Eisenhower, Pat Nixon and Cyd Charisse were known to have bought and worn Gonzales’ dresses.
The exhibition is a rare opportunity to see original dresses designed by Dolores Gonzales from the 1950 and 1960s.
Ranchos ~ Vaqueros ~ Familias
