part of mexico, the city embraces its hispanic heritage and its dusty, desert character. a little grittier than its cosmopolitan nbaer to the north, tucson is the unphoenix. the owner of downtown's historic hotel congress said there's a word to describe this place. >> being characterized as funky, but funky means real and a real place to live as opposed to some imaginary land where everything looks pretty and may not be. >> reporter: recently the state's politics have been anything but pretty. a hot house of bitter battles. life-long residents like martha vazquez worry. >> it is a different community now. that's for sure. i i'm just hoping that as we grow we can remember to keep some of those good things about tucson. >> reporter: a place not just of heat, but warmth.