El Tiradito, The Wishing Shrine

El Tiradito

They come near dawn or just after nightfall, as though the hours of transition between light and dark hold a special power for the granting of wishes. They come, these believers, to the adobe shrine of El Tiradito, "the little castaway," at the edge of downtown Tucson. Here they pray, light candles, and make their wishes before the soot-scarred image of the Virgin of Guadalupe. Spotted with melted wax and ragged wreaths, the rustic memorial is testament to a romantic story passed from generation to generation in Tucson's Barrio Historico. The Wishing Shrine, as it is sometimes called, commemorates a young man who was killed-some say mistakenly-as the result of a love triangle. It is believed to be the only one of its kind in the United States dedicated to a sinner buried in unconsecrated ground. Local historians say that, unlike other such monuments, the location of this one has no particular religious significance. There are several versions of the story that led to the creation of El Tiradito, but only one interpretation of its promise. It is believed that if a candle placed there remains lit throughout the night, the wish of the pilgrim-provided it be pure-will be granted by God. The story has its origins in the 1870s, when a young shepherd named Juan Oliveras was working at the Goodwin Ranch with his wife and father-in-law. Juan was said to have become infatuated with his mother-in-law, who lived in nearby Tucson.

According to the version told to the City Council in 1927, when Tucson was trying to unravel the mystery of the site, Juan left the ranch one day to visit his mother-in-law, whom he saw with some frequency.

Mrs. C. B. Perkins, testifying before the council, said that on the day in question Juan was followed by his father-in-law. The older man surprised the lovers, a struggle ensued, and as Juan fled the house, the enraged husband seized an axe from the woodpile and murdered his son-in-law.

The killer fled to Mexico, and Juan was buried without a coffin where he fell. The murder supposedly occurred about a block from the present shrine, located on South Main Street near Simpson Street and El Minuto Cafe.

The late Bernice Cosulich, a Tucson historian, wrote in the 1940s: "Devout Mexican women felt there should be prayers said for the soul of Juan. They slipped through the spiny shrubs at night to light candles beside the grave. Among them there grew the belief that their own personal wishes, made after prayers were said for Juan, came true."

Several years ago, during a redevelopment project, the bones of the young man reportedly were removed from the spot where he was slain and were reburied at the site of the present shrine.

Arnulfo Trejo, a retired University of Arizona professor and former president of El Tiradito Foundation, says all of the stories of the Wishing Shrine are questionable. "No one really knows what happened, except that there was supposed to be a love triangle and a young man was killed."

Still, the folklore of the site maintains a powerful hold on the community. In 1971, at the culmination of a controversy between barrio residents and the city government over a proposed freeway that would have jeopardized the site, Trejo and others managed to save the memorial and to have it entered on the National Register of Historic Places.

While it is rare to see anyone praying at El Tiradito except at twilight hours, the shrine occupies a persistent place in the minds of many. On August 20, 1975, as part of the bicentennial celebration of Tucson's founding, a procession of pilgrims walked from the Tucson Community Center to the Wishing Shrine, where 200 vigil candles were lighted.

About four years ago, Trejo, his doubts notwithstanding, joined with Marco Antonio Jerez of Tucson to write a plaintive corrido, or ballad, about the misfortunes of the little castaway.