INTERACTIVE
GATEWAY​
This gateway connects each chapter of Storied Property with supporting materials, including transcribed newspaper articles, documents, and selected items relevant to each chapter. Click below to explore María Cordova’s casa and its layered history.
Drone footage
captured by
Raul “Netza” Aguirre, Jr., 2025.
María Navarrete Cordova standing beside her painting of the Presidio.
By late 1965, the Cordovas realized that, while their house would not be demolished, city leaders and the TAC had no intention of allowing them to stay. On November 4, 1965, Raul Cordova filed a lawsuit asserting that his family owned much of downtown. Even without key land grant documents, he moved forward. The lawsuit became their only means to challenge the authority of the TAC and the city. After the filing, journalists stopped knocking on María Cordova’s door. Nothing about her had changed, nor had her stories, but once the family took their claim to court, she was no longer seen as quaint or harmless.
Excerpt from Storied Property: María Cordova’s Casa, p. 71
Support and Remembrance
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Funding from the Southwestern Foundation for Education and Historical Preservation made possible the interactive components of Storied Property.
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Dianne Bret Harte, a guiding force within the Southwestern Foundation for many years, passed away recently. Like the organization she shepherded, her dedication helped move local and regional history forward.
You will be so missed, Dianne.
