Pedro W. Guerrero

Born in Solomonville, Arizona in 1896, Pedro W Guerrero came to Mesa as a young man and impacted this community greatly with his activism and civil contributions.  He was a Mesa pioneer, prominent businessman, and leader in the community. 

In 1916 he founded the oldest sign company in the state of Arizona.  Guerrero-Lindsey Sigh Company continues to exist on Main Street, Mesa.  During the 30s and 40s he made numerous attempts to start a Mexican food company along with his wife, Rosaura Guerrero.  That dream finally came true in the early 1950s when they created Rosarita Foods, inspired by Roraura’s cooking, which later became a national company.  He also wrote a cookbook “Tia Mariana’s Cooking” and co-authored an autobiography caked “La Gloria Escondida” (The Hidden Glory) with Dean Smith.  In 1962 Pedro became the first American of Mexican descent to be the District Governor of the Rotary Club in the State of Arizona.  His position of leadership opened the doors for many other businesses to flourish in the area. 

Pedro along with his wife Rosaura were ahead of their times, when in 1938 they established “La Division Juvenil” (The Juvenile Division), which took Mexican American youth off the street of Mesa to provide them with counseling, mentorship and programs that stressed pride in themselves, in their culture and emphasized citizenship qualities and sportsmanship.

Pedro and Rosaura enjoyed almost 80 years of marriage and set quite an example for his 6 children, 28 grandchildren, and 52 great grandchildren.  As American of Mexican descent Pedro and Rosaura Guerrero overcame prejudice and discrimination to attain their American dream and to this day they continue to be positive role models for people of all ages and across all cultural and racial lines.