Loretta Alvarez

Loretta Lucero Alvarez (nicknamed Mama and Nana;^[2] 1892/1894– 30 December 1996) was a Pascua Yaqui midwife from the 1920s until the 1970s in Tucson, Arizona. Tucson's Kino Community Hospital named their labor and delivery unit after her.^[3]

Loretta Alvarez
Loretta Alvarez in 1994, age 102
Born	Loretta Lucero 1892/1894[1] Mexico
Died	30 December 1996 (aged 101-104) Tucson, Arizona, United States
Nationality	Pascua Yaqui
Occupation	Midwife
Known for	Tucson's Kino Community Hospital named the hospital's labor & delivery unit after her.

Personal life

Loretta Lucero was born in northern Mexico in 1892 or 1894. She married Luis Alvarez, a railroad worker, and moved to Nogales, Arizona. After World War I, the couple moved to Tucson, where they raised their 14 children.^[3]

Midwifery

Nicknamed "Mama" by family and locals alike, she spoke both Yaqui and Spanish and provided her services to women from different ethnic groups, as well as her own Pascua Yaqui community.^[3][4] In her midwife work she utilized herbs and prenatal massage to deliver breech births. Lucero received payment for her work, including vegetables and food.^[3][4] She served as a midwife until the age of 80 and attributed her long life to her Catholic faith.^[3]

Legacy

Tucson's Kino Community Hospital named their labor and delivery unit after Lucero.^[3]