Sanctuary: Who Belongs Here? The Search for Homeland on the U.S.-Mexico Border, 1848-Today

Illustration by Eitan Rosenquist

Origin of the LibGuide 

This LibGuide accompanies the exhibition Sanctuary: Who Belongs Here? The Search for Homeland on the U.S.-Mexico Border, 1848-Today held January 8 to August 9, 2024.

This exhibition looks at the borderlands through the lens of sanctuary. It asks who has historically been included, who has been excluded, and who has fought for their right and the rights of others to be here. With a particular focus on Arizona and Sonora, the exhibit shows how different communities have come together to create a thriving multicultural region that has often been at the forefront of global movements for social, economic and environmental justice.  

The exhibition is organized largely chronologically and addresses each of the topics listed to the left.

Note: The subtitle for the exhibit was inspired by Li Yang’s "In Search of a Homeland: Lai Ngan, a Pioneer Chinese Woman and Her Family on the U.S.-Mexico Border,” Journal of Arizona History 52, no. 4 (Winter 2011): 337-54, cited in the bibliography of Postcards from the Sonora Border, page 266.  

Origen de esta guía

Esta guía acompaña la exposición Santuario: ¿Quiénes pertenecemos? Buscando refugio y patria en la frontera México-Estados Unidos, de 1848-presente y abierta al público del 8 de enero al 9 de agosto, 2024.

Esta exhibición explora las zonas fronterizas a través del concepto del santuario. Invita a considerar el pasado y quienes han sido incluídos, excluídos y quienes han luchado por su derecho y los derechos de otros de pertenecer aquí. El departamento de Colecciones Especiales de la Bibliotecas de la Universidad de Arizona posee amplios fondos que cuentan la historia de las múltiples perspectivas sobre la idea del santuario. Enfocándose en la región de Arizona y Sonora, estas colecciones demuestran como distintas comunidades se han unido sus esfuerzos para crear una  región multicultural próspera que frecuentemente se encuentran a la vanguardia de movimientos sociales, económicos, y ambientales a nivel global.   

La exposición está organizada cronológicamente y aborda cada uno de los temas enumerados a la izquierda.

Nota: El subtítulo de la exposición se inspiró en: Li Yang "In Search of a Homeland: Lai Ngan, a Pioneer Chinese Woman and Her Family on the U.S.-Mexico Border,” Journal of Arizona History 52, no. 4 (invierno de 2011): 337-54, citado en la bibliografía de Postales de la frontera de Sonora, página 266.

The Exhibition/ La Exposición

This exhibition was curated by Miriam Davidson. Davidson is an award-winning, Tucson-based writer and journalist whose work focuses on the border region. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Arizona Republic, The Nation, and many other news outlets. She has published three books with the University of Arizona Press: Convictions of the Heart: Jim Corbett and the Sanctuary Movement (1988), Lives on the Line: Dispatches from the U.S.-Mexico Border (2000), and The Beloved Border: Humanity and Hope in a Contested Land (2021).  

This exhibition was co-curated by Verónica Reyes-Escudero, Katheryne B. Willock Head of Special Collections, and Alba Fernández-Keys, Borderlands Curator.

Curaduría por Miriam Davidson. Davidson es una galardonada escritora y periodista radicada en Tucson y cuyo trabajo se centra en la región fronteriza. Su trabajo ha aparecido en The New York Times, Arizona Republic, The Nation y muchas otras publicaciones. Ha publicado tres libros con University of Arizona Press: Convictions of the Heart: Jim Corbett and the Sanctuary Movement (1988), Lives on the Line: Dispatches from the U.S.-Mexico Border (2000) y The Beloved Border: Humanity and Hope in a Contested Land (2021).

Co-curadoras: Verónica Reyes-Escudero, Katheryne B. Willock Head of Special Collections, y Alba Fernández-Keys, Borderlands Curator.

About University of Arizona Libraries, Special Collections

The materials or collections found in this guide are included in the exhibition or were consulted in its preparation. With the exception of a few borrowed items, these can all be found at UAL Special Collections located in Tucson, AZ. Here you can find congressional records, university materials, photographs, newspaper and journal articles, and scrapbooks that document Mexican and Mexican American life in the U.S./Mexico borderlands. 

Colecciones Especiales, Bibliotecas de la Universidad de Arizona

Los materiales o colecciones incluidos en esta guía forman parte de la exposición o fueron consultados durante su planeación. Con la excepción de algunos artículos en préstamo, todos se pueden encontrar en Colecciones Especiales de UAL en Tucson, AZ. Aquí puede encontrar registros del Congreso, materiales universitarios, fotografías, artículos de periódicos y revistas, y álbumes de recortes que documentan la vida mexicana y mexicoamericana en las zonas fronterizas entre Estados Unidos y México.

This guide was created by Alba Fernandez-Keys and Miriam Davidson.

Guía creada por Alba Fernández-Keys y Miriam Davidson. 

Land Acknowledgement

We respectfully acknowledge the University of Arizona is on the land and territories of Indigenous peoples. Today, Arizona is home to 22 federally recognized tribes, with Tucson being home to the O’odham and the Yaqui. Committed to diversity and inclusion, the University strives to build sustainable relationships with sovereign Native Nations and Indigenous communities through education offerings, partnerships, and community service.