El Tiradito ("the little castaway")[2] is a shrine and popular local spot located at 420 South Main Avenue in the Old Barrio area of Downtown Tucson, Arizona.

[3] The legends surrounding the site center around a broken-hearted man dying and, due to a sin, being unable to be buried on consecrated ground.

[7] The shrine consists of the crumbling remains of a brick building, with a large metal rack for candles and desert plants now occupying the interior.

Large, glass-encased candles, frequently depicting saints of the Roman Catholic Church are lit and left burning at the shrine, both on the stand and along the ledges of the building.

Small slips of paper containing prayers or messages of thanks are also often pressed into cracks in the walls or left elsewhere at the shrine, as are other memorial objects.

In addition to the faithful who leave these religious objects, El Tiradito is frequented and favored by many Tucsonans, including writers, poets, and other members of the town's artistic community.

Because of the Catholic Church's prohibition of suicide victims burial in consecrated ground at the time, he was buried where he died, and his friends and family brought candles and flowers.

Some of the nooks and crannies of El Tiradito even house the notes and letters of the heartbroken, prayers asking for healing of the heart.

"[15] The original shrine was destroyed to build a highway, but was rebuilt in 1927 on land donated for its construction by prominent Tucsan Teófilo Otero.

[3] In 1971, Tucson announced plans a highway that would cut through Barrio Viejo, destroying the shrine and displacing around 1200 residents.

They enlisted Tucson Legal Aid to argue on their behalf and campaigned to get El Tiradito listed on the National Register of Historic Places.