Loretta Alvarez

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

Personal life Loretta Lucero was born in northern Mexico in 1892 or 1894. Lucero migrated from Mexico with a group of refugees when the Mexican government began deporting indigenous members of the Yoeme village In her midwife work she utilized herbs and prenatal massage to deliver breech births. Lucero received payment for her work, including vegetables and food. . This included baptisms, weddings, and funerals. She served as a midwife until the age of 80 and attributed her long life to her Catholic faith. .

Legacy Tucson's Kino Community Hospital named their labor and delivery unit after Lucero.