Nana's house, on Samaniego Avenue in the heart of downtown Tucson, was rich with the scents of cinnamon-spiked hot chocolate, and the moyetes, biscochuelos and other baked goodies her grandmother spent two days preparing.

For Elva Flores, the annual Las Posadas at Carrillo Magnet School awakens memories from half a century ago, when her grandmother, Ernestina Urias, would open her home to the children at the end of their journey.

Since 1937, students at Carrillo School, 440 S. Main Ave., have re-enacted the pilgrimage of Mary and Joseph as they sought shelter on the eve of Jesus' birth.

Urias, who died nearly 30 years ago, would offer treats to the children at the end of their procession through the streets of Barrio Viejo.

"I will always have a fondness for Las Posadas," said Flores, 60. "Those were the best times. Las Posadas brought the family together, and my nana was the glue that held everyone together."

Flores recently strolled through the tiny downtown La Pilita Museum, 420 S. Main, just north of Carrillo, where an exhibit of vintage photos of Las Posadas are on display.

Flores peered at old photos and weathered newspaper articles hung on the walls, celebrating Posadas from long ago.

Tomorrow, 67 years after Carrillo's first Posada, alumni of the annual event will meet at La Pilita to share childhood memories at "Recuerdos de las Posadas."

"No one who has ever been involved in Las Posadas will ever forget it," said Joan Daniels, who helped organize the reunion and exhibit.

Daniels, a resource teacher at Carrillo and the education director at La Pilita, collected photos from the archives in the basement of Carrillo and from former participants. She hopes alums who have photos will allow them to be copied and be added to the collection. "They are such a treasure," Daniels said.

Las Posadas started at Carrillo School in 1937, under the direction of Marguerite Collier. Collier was dedicated to understanding and celebrating the Mexican heritage and culture of many of her students, according to Carrillo literature.

Collier retired in 1958, and a Tucson school was named after her. She died in 1976 at the age of 83, but Las Posadas continues today. It is now prepared in an after-school club to avoid violating the separation of church and state.

Betty Segerstrom, a former third-grade teacher at Carrillo, helped Collier with Posadas from 1950 until Collier retired. She then headed them until 1980.

"It is an absolutely fantastic, beautiful thing," Segerstrom said. "The amount of work that went into it, and the discipline on the part of Miss Collier was tremendous."

Segerstrom, 76, occasionally runs into former students. "It's really heartwarming," she said. "The first thing they say is, 'I was in the Posada.' "

Linda Leon, 39, was one of Segerstrom's students, winning the role of a winged angel in 1974, while in the third grade.

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