Cholo Writing: Latino Gang Graffiti in Los Angeles”
Published by Dokument Press (Stockholm, Sweden)
by Francois Chastanet and Howard Gribble

Review written by Luís Torres
luis.r.torres@charter.net
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Chicano Graffiti: Is it Art or is it Vandalism?

It might surprise you to learn that Western Europeans, particularly Scandinavians,  are captivated and intrigued by Mexican American contemporary culture, everything from art to music — and a lot in between. It could be argued that sophisticated Swedes and intellectually inquisitive Frenchmen (and women) know more about Chicano culture than your average American.

Given that, it might not be too surprising to learn that the latest book to investigate a particular aspect of Mexican American gritty urban culture is produced not by an American mainstream publisher, but by a respected publishing house in, of all places, Sweden. Dokument Press has just published a fascinating and beautifully rendered book titled “Cholo Writing: Latino Gang Graffiti in Los Angeles.” And it is worth digging into. For several reasons.

Mention the word “graffiti” and you’re likely to get immediate, strident response to the term. “It’s vandalism, plain and simple,” many will proclaim. Some, with a faint voice, tinged with a bit of awkward rationalization, will offer a strained and tortured explanation that it is somehow rebellious urban art that should be accorded at least a modicum of cultural legitimacy.

Graffiti may be both, however contradictory that may first appear. Those who produced “Cholo Writing: Gang Graffiti in Los Angeles” focus their energies and their analysis on a very specific and particular type of graffiti. And they make no bones about calling it graffiti. Graffiti (the singular form of the word is graffito) is the Latin word that describes any markings on a public wall. Some form of graffiti has been around since the days of ancient Rome. But the authors of the book don’t regard Chicano wall-writing as vandalism nor a public nuisance. They regard it as an expression of cultural identity with deep, deep literary, political, cultural and historical roots. No kidding.

The creators of the book are photographers Francois Chastanet of France and Howard Gribble, a California native son. Their photographs — shot over a 30 year period in Southern California — and their long, detailed narratives about what they shot and what it means are accompanied by an analysis provided by Los Angeles-based Chounard-trained artist Chaz Bojórquez. Bojorquez writes: “Los Angeles may have the longest history of street writing in the world. Before the invention of spray cans, most L.A. graffiti was painted with paint and a brush, and the young men who lived by the Los Angeles River would use sticks and paint with the tar seeping from the ground. Those tar tags still exist today and trace our graffiti history back to the 1940s.”

Chicano graffiti, or placas, have been a mainstay in Southern California, from East L.A. to the San Gabriel Valley, for a long time.

Chastanet and Gribble trace the roots of “cholo” writing back much farther than the post-World War II era. The identity issues revealed in cholo graffiti are linked to Aztec and post-Spanish conquest Mexican imagery, they assert. And they argue that the “black letter” design of the type of calligraphy written on the walls by Los Angeles gang members can be traced to the 17th century “type face” that was prevalent in England and Germany until it was supplanted by what we now regard as “Roman” type. Black letter type, with it’s stark but “fancy” bold lines and sweeping flourishes became the characteristic style of cholo graffiti. (It has now been largely supplanted by  the kind of sweeping, colorful balloon shaped mini murals first developed by New York street artists in the 1970s and 1980s who used the exteriors of subway cars as their canvas and by “taggers” who just use stylized, highly individualized, initials or a street moniker.)

Chastanet and Gribble emphasize that cholo graffiti sprang up in Southern California as a way for street gangs to mark their territory. It was rudimentary at first, but then evolved into a system of refined craftsmanship and a code of rules strictly adhered to. The word “cholo” has evolved over many years. It generally refers to someone who appears to be a street gang member.  The writings of cholos on the walls of East L.A. and other parts of Southern California are captured in both black and white and color photographs.

The photographs that are the core of the book are remarkable. And what is remarkable about the book overall is that the images of graffiti are the catalyst for a sweeping exposition of the social and political history of Mexican Americans. Chastanet and Gribble generally succeed in illuminating these issues through the phenomenon of cholo writing. Yet, the book bogs down when the narrative veers from accessible historiography into a questionable sociology-tinged explication of “what all this means.” A bit too academic.

Yet, on balance, it’s a readable, visually engaging book that will let you know a bit more about urban Chicanos than you probably knew. And, whether you regard it as art of a public nuisance (or perhaps both), it’s worth learning about.

But I can’t help but recall the chuckle-producing graffito I saw spray painted on an L.A. wall back in the 1970s, during the height of the vibrant Chicano movement.  Some poor guy who was either in quite a hurry or who was not the winner of his local spelling bee attempted to write: “Chicano Power.” However, he wrote instead:“Chicano Powre.”

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Luis Torres, a journalist and writer from Pasadena, California, is at work on a book that examines the 1968 East Los Angeles high school student walkouts.

Ruben Guervara is a legendary Chicano rock musician from East Los Angeles who, beside his own music,  collaborated with Frank Zapata in the 1970s, creating the rock group, “Ruben & The Jets.”  He continues to rock out with his current group, “Ruben Guevara and the Eastside Luvers,” whose newest release is the CD  “The Tao of Funkahuatl.” He performs here an original music poem, “Con Safos,” accompanied by John Densmore, the drummer for the rock group “The Doors.” To find out more about Ruben and his music check out: www.tantrikfunk.net

“Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion”

By Gregory Boyle

Published by Free Press, an imprint of Simon and Schuster, Inc.

212 pages

Reviewed by Luis R. Torres

luis.r.torres@charter.net

________

A warning: it will be difficult for you to read this book and keep a dry eye.

In this remarkable book Gregory Boyle, the “barrio priest of East L.A.,” relates the story of a young “homie” who has died on the emergency room operating table. He was caught in the crossfire of perennial street gang warfare. His name was Manny. His body was a virtual mural of gang tattoos. At his bedside, the family has agreed to have the young man’s organs donated.

“As the two nurses wheel Manny to surgery for the harvesting of his organs, one nurse turns to the other and shakes her head in disgust, no doubt eyeing Manny’s tattoos,” Boyle writes. As it happens, days before he was shot, Manny had taken a big step toward a better life. He had enrolled in community college. He was cut down before he ever attended his first class.

Boyle had rushed to his side at the hospital, embracing family members as they wept. He recalls what was said by the nurses. One nurse, evidently disgusted by the tattooed corpse of what she perceived to be a worthless gangbanger, tells the other: “I mean, who would want this monster’s heart?” The other nurse reacts to that angrily. “How dare you call this kid a monster? Didn’t you see his family, his friends? He was 19 years old for God’s sakes. He belonged to somebody. Shame on you.’” He belonged to somebody.

Boyle, a Catholic priest who has been working with street gang members in Los Angeles for more than 20 years, makes it clear that all of the homies he encounters belong to somebody. Indeed, he argues that we all belong to each other. It is, he suggests, how Jesus would view it. Boyle is, after all, a priest.

Early in this narrative Boyle, who established Homeboy Industries and related nonprofit businesses with the motto “Nothing Stops a Bullet Like a Job,” explains what this missal-sized book is NOT. It is not a detailed chronicle of the work he and supporters have done to help gang members turn their lives around and find positive alternatives to drugs and violence. This little book is about Boyle’s personal experiences in becoming one with the gang members, the outcasts of society, those young men and women who are feared and, most of all, misunderstood, by the general community.

It’s not too big a stretch to characterize Greg Boyle among the “vatos” as the equivalent of Mother Teresa among the outcasts of Kolkata (formerly known as Calcutta).

This book is an intimate memoir. It is a collection of stories — homilies, really — about using empathy, compassion and — yes, love — to confront the issue of street gangs and the lives that are affected by the phenomenon. It is a little gem of a book, both heartwarming and heartbreaking.

The title of the book comes from something a homie once said to Boyle after the priest talked to him about honor and bravery . “Damn, I’m gonna tattoo that on my heart,” the young man told him.

For more than 20 years he has lived and worked shoulder-to-shoulder with street gang members. He began his work as a rookie priest at Dolores Mission in “the projects” just east of downtown L.A. He describes it as “the poorest parish in the Los Angeles archdiocese.” Eventually he founded Homeboy Industries. With its bakery, job placement agency and tattoo removal arm, Homeboy tries to help gang members with a job and a chance appreciate their inherent worth as human beings. Boyle suggests a little self esteem goes a long way.

Boyle writes with stark frankness and honesty about his mistakes in initially trying to “serve” the poor. Muddled and ultimately fruitless gestures to negotiate “peace treaties” between rival gangs were ill-conceived and doomed to failure. He learned that you don’t “serve” the down-and-out. You become one with them. This is done, he says, in the spirit of the genuine teachings, and example, of Jesus Christ. He has learned, he writes, about the essential ingredients of compassion, empathy and a transcendent dimension of kinship.

Regarding such kinship, he writes: “We stand there with those whose dignity has been denied. We locate ourselves with the poor and the powerless and the voiceless. At the edges, we join the easily despised and the readily left out. We stand with the demonized so that the demonizing will stop.” Some might say that’s nice and pretty in theory, but not practical in the “real world.” Boyle would disagree.

Boyle’s book is treasure trove of anecdotes and reminiscences about his life among the homies of the Aliso Village and Pico Gardens housing projects of Boyle Heights. We are introduced to a number of memorable characters.

There is the malopropping homie who tells Boyle, “Hey, I hear your cancer is in intermission.” There is Chico who confesses he’s fed up with gang violence and the dead end path he’s on. Chico wants to learn about computers. Boyle gets him a job at a company that patiently teaches Chico about computers and the Internet. He seems on his way, when he is cut down by a driveby bullet. And there’s the story of Speedy.

After years of dodging bullets, Speedy musters the strength and wherewithal to turn his back on the gangs, move away from the projects, get a solid job and get married. He has two kids now and plans for them to go to college. His biggest kick is taking them to Barnes and Noble on Sundays. The word “future” now has genuine meaning.

When he stops in to see Father Boyle, the priest tells him, “You’ve got a good life.” He answers, “Yeah, I do.” And for the two of them, Boyle writes, “The tears arrive now in their fullness, unencumbered and welcome, even.”

Those who have followed Father Greg Boyle’s work over the years won’t be surprised by the warmth, humor and essential humanity of his stories. But readers might be surprised by how artfully written this book happens to be.

He is often asked if he is “successful” in the work he does. Boyle writes: “Naturally, I find myself heartened by Mother Teresa’s take: ‘We are not called to be successful, but faithful.’ This distinction is helpful for me as I barricade myself against the daily dread of setback.”

He has buried nearly 200 homies

A warning. It will be difficult to read this book with dry eyes.

_______________________________________________________________

Luis Torres is a journalist and writer who lives in Pasadena, California. He is the author of a forthcoming book on Chicano educational reformers.

Texas born Chicano author Sergio Troncoso’s autobiographical novel, “From This Wicked Patch of Dust,”  tells the story of a  a multi-generational family from Isleta, Texas that spans decades. The novel begins in the 1950s and traverses four decades of family members struggling to become part of the American experience in spite of setbacks. You’ve seen movie trailers, welcome to this Latinopia first: a Book Trailer!

“Blowout: Sal Castro and the Chicano Struggle for Educational Justice”

By Mario T. Garcia and Sal Castro

University of North Carolina Press

324 pages

By Luis Torres

luis.r.torres@charter.net

Celebrated high school teacher Sal Castro was at the epicenter of the turbulent beginnings of the Chicano Movement for civil rights and social justice. He was the key organizer and provocateur of the now storied East Los Angeles high school walkouts of 1968. And now he tells the inside story of those days and examines what’s wrong with the public schools today in a new book titled “Blowout! Sal Castro and the Chicano Struggle for Educational Justice,” co-written with UC Santa Barbara history professor Mario Garcia. It provides a valuable look at a pivotal chapter of Southern California history, a series of events and attitudes that ultimately reverberated throughout the country.

In the book Castro asserts: “The blowouts… represented the start of the urban Chicano Movement and Los Angeles represented the political capital of the Movement. “

The Chicano walkouts, or “blowouts” as they are also referred to, occurred at a time of tremendous social upheaval and political turbulence. It was a time of grass-roots activism, fueled by opposition to the unpopular war in Vietnam and the aftershocks of the Black civil rights movement.

Students at Lincoln, Garfield, Roosevelt and Wilson brought the schools to a standstill by walking out of the classrooms. The students boldly issued a set of “demands” to the L.A. School Board. Fundamentally, they claimed the schools were failing Mexican American students and they sought comprehensive reform.

The social activism, the galvanized sense of solidarity in the Mexican American community and the changes in public policy that eventually came about marked a significant new direction for Chicanos in Los Angeles and, through a kind of political osmosis, throughout the country.

The events of that fateful March of 1968 were featured in an HBO drama a few years ago. Although produced by individuals quite familiar with those events, the film, unfortunately, bore little resemblance to reality. Compressing time and creating composite characters is clearly necessary in order to tell a story on film. The story has to be told in a manner that’s brief, compact and succinct. Understood. But a film that purports to be drawn from “real events” and is presumably “a true story” shouldn’t veer into a realm of fiction that more resembles fantasy than truth. Castro smiles a Cheshire Cat grin when recalling the liberties the film took with his story.

Today Castro laments the fact that public education for people on the periphery of society hasn’t improved enough since those heady days of the walkouts some 43 years ago.  His reasonable suggestion for improvements in the public schools hinges on having smaller classes. No more than 20 students per teacher. It would make a huge, positive difference he asserts. He writes that California schools attempted that for elementary grades a few years ago, but gave up on the idea because of severe budget cutbacks.

“The concept was good, but to reach this goal you needed to have more teachers, and the state didn’t provide enough money to do this,” he writes. He adds, “Everyone wants positive educational results, but no one wants to pay for this.” Scoffing at critics he regards as shortsighted, Castro writes, “We’re not spending enough for education. All developed countries spend much more per capita for education than we do.” He concedes he’s swimming against the current political tide but he insists, “There must be a gargantuan effort to get taxpayers to accept larger taxes for education.” Tough sell. Ultimately, “Blowout!” provides intriguing insights into the history of L.A.’s public schools and its current problems.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

(Luis Torres, a journalist and writer from Pasadena, California, is at work on a book that examines the 1968 East Los Angeles high school student walkouts.)

Oscar Castillo is an accomplished photo-journalist who has chronicled the events and personalities of the Chicano movement for more than forty years. In 2010, the Latino Museum of Los Angeles mounted an exhibit of more than 400 of Castillo’s original photographs and Latinopia was there to capture the moment.  Watch for Oscar Castillo’s new photo exhibit at the Fowler Museum at UCLA, Los Angeles, beginning on October 16, 2011 and running through February 24, 2012.

LOS ANGELES AREA

LOCAL COLOR
ONGOING THRU JULY 27, 2012
LAC/USC THE MEDICAL VILLAGE
2010 ZONAL AVENUE
LOS ANGELES, CA 90033
INFO:  http://www.avenue50studio.com

The Avenue 50 Studio has curated “Local Color” the first of three scheduled exhibitions for the newly renovated Medical Village located in the VIP clinic. Hanging on the “lobby gallery” walls and hallway are the works of locally-based artists Linda Arreola, Joe Bravo, Dale Davis, Raoul De la Sota, Kikki Eder, Margaret Garcia, Peter Hess, Linsley Lambert, Leo Limon, Pola Lopez, Jose Lozano, Poli Marichal, Brigida Munoz, Stuart Rapeport, Frank Romero, Sonia Romero, CiCi Segura Gonzalez, Richard Valdes, and J. Michael Walker. This Changing Exhibitions Program is a collaborative effort among Dr. Astrid Heger, Gloria Molina’s office, and the Los Angeles County Arts Commission.

LOS DE ABAJO
PRINTMAKING COLLECTIVE
THRU JULY 31, 2012
SPARC
SPARC (SOCIAL & PUBLIC ART
RESOURCE CENTER)
685 VENICE BLVD.
VENICE, CA 90291
INFO: www.sparcmurals.org

The Los de Abajo print making collective comprised of Kay Brown, Nguyen Ly, Poli Marichal, Don Newton and Marianne Sadowski has a showing at SPARC. This group is made up of some of the most gifted printmakers in California. The show is on thru July 31st but they are also offering print-making classes for adults on Thursday nights and Saturdays. For more info about the show and about the classes visit the SPARC website.

MARIACHI  MONUMENTAL
DE AMERICA
JULY 13, 2012
PLAZA DE LA RAZA
3540 NORTH MISSION ROAD
LOS ANGELES, CA 90031
INFO:  http://www.plazadelaraza.org

Plaza de la Raza’s SUMMER Nights Program will features an evening of Mariachi music with  El Mariachi MonumentaL de America and Folklór Pasión Mexicana, as well as performances by Plaza’s own Youth Mariachi Ensemble and Youth Folkorico Ensemble.

EL ULTIMO COLOR DEL SILENCIO
JULY 28 THRU AUGUST 12, 2012
FRIDA KAHLO THEATER
2332 WEST FOURTH STREET
LOS ANGELES, CA 90057
INFO:   http://www.fridakahlotheater.org

This play written and directed by Mario Zapién and performed in Spanish is presented by Teatro Tatalejos

LA START HERE!
ON-GOING THRU DECEMBER 31, 2012
LA PLAZA DE CULTURA
Y ARTES AT OLVERA STREET
501 NORTH MAIN STREET
LOS ANGELES, CA 90012
INFO:  http://www.lapca.org

The first of its kind in approach and scope, LA Plaza’s inaugural exhibition, LA Starts Here!, examines Mexican and Mexican American history and identity in Los Angeles. Iconic artifacts, one-of-a-kind interactive experiences, and captivating films reveal the region’s rich and often unknown history as a multicultural project from its very beginnings. Visitors of all backgrounds are encouraged to think critically about the shaping of cultural and national identity in an increasingly diverse world.

VOCES VIVAS
ON-GOING THRU DECEMBER 31, 2012
LA PLAZA DE CULTURA
Y ARTES AT OLVERA STREET
501 NORTH MAIN STREET
LOS ANGELES, CA 90012
INFO:  http://www.lapca.org

Visitors to both LA Plaza and its website have the opportunity to experience Voces Vivas, an original short-film series featuring interviews with a broad spectrum of Mexican Americans. These films expand on the LA Plaza experience, personalizing Mexican American history through the individual stories of the interview subjects and bringing to light a rich and sometimes controversial history. This series contains 50 films each running 4-5 minutes in length. Approximately half of the films are playing continuously at various kiosks throughout the first floor of the exhibit, LA Starts Here.

LATINO MEDIACON
AND EXPO
JULY 20-21, 2012
PASADENA CONVENTION
CENTER
300 EAST GREEN STREET
PASADENA,CA
INFO:  http:/www.nhmc.org

The National Hispanic Media Coalition announces the 2012 Latino Mediacon & Expo taking place July 20-21 at the Pasadena Convention Center. Mediacon will cover media topics pertaining to Latinos including Latinos and Social Media, Cracking the Code to Success in Tinseltown, Case studies in Successful Cable TV Programming and Filmmaker Creative Series. Scheduled speaker is Haim Saban, Univision Chairman and CEO as well as celebrities such as Cierra Ramirez, Eduardo Yañez, Art Labor and Big Boy.

TIERRA BLANCA ARTS
CENTER “TREE OF LIFE”
AT PLAZA DE LA RAZA
THRU AUGUST 3, 2012
3540 NORTH MISSION ROAD
LOS ANGELES, CA 90031
INFO:  http://www.plazadelaraza.org

This summer camp sponsored by the TierRa Blanca Arts center and Plaza de la Raza offers classes in dance, theater, arts and crafts. This program is still open and extending thru August 3, 2012.

IMAGES OF A
NURTURING CITY
JULY 7-30, 2012
FREMONT GALLERY
812 FREMONT AVE.
SOUTH PASADENA, CA
INFO: http://www.fremontgallery.com

Artist Carlos Molina says, “To me, the city should be intimate, one that embraces its people and makes them feel safe. In my (art) work the predominant element is the street, it is there where we can appreciate the value of the city.” Artist work on display through the month with a reception on Saturday night, July 7th at 6M.

ADVANCE WARNING
CONUNTO JARDIN
AUGUST 4, 2012  6-9PM
EAST L.A. CIVIC CENTER
4801 EAST THIRD STREET
LOS ANGELES, CA 90022
INFO: www.lacountyparks.org

Part of the Arts Fest festival sponsored by the Los Angeles County, this is a concert of Vera Cruz Jarocho music and free of charge!

FRIDA KAHLO
ARTIST EXHIBIT
CALL FOR ENTRIES
THRU AUGUST 25, 2012
PICTURE THIS GALLERY
4130 NORSE WAY
LONG BEACH, CA
INFO: http://www.PictureThisgallery.weebly.com

This is a call for entries to the annual tribute exhibit to renowned Mexican artist Frida Kahlo comprise dof works by various artists dedicated ot Frida.  The exhibit at Picture This Gallery will be from September 1 thru September 29th at the Picture This gallery in Long Beach. For more info visit the website.

NHMC
WRITERS PROGRAM
ADVANCE WARNING
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS
AUGUST 13, 2012
INFO: http://www.nhmc.org

The National Latino Media Council and the National Hispanic Media Coalition Television Writers Program is an intensive scriptwriters workshop to prepare and place Latinos in writing jobs for the major television networks. To find out more information or apply contact the National Hispanic Media Coalition at the website above.

ADVANCE WARNING
THE VAULT: UNLOCKED
SEPTEMBER 15- OCTOBER 8, 2012
LOS ANGELES THEATER CENTER
514 SOUTH SPRING STREET
LOS ANGELES, CA
INFO: http://www.thelatc.org

The fall season of the Los Angeles Theater Center opens on September 15th with The Vault: Unlocked.

ADVANCE WARNING
CARLOS ALMARAZ
A LIFE RECALLED
AUGUST 25 TO DECEMBER 8, 2012
THE LARGE GALLERY
VINCENT PRICE MUSEUM
COMMUNITY FOCUS GALLERY
EAST LOS ANGELES COLLEGE
1301 AVENIDA CESAR CHAVEZ
MONTEREY PARK, CA 91754
INFO:   http://vincentpriceartmuseum.org

Carlos Almaraz: A Life Recalled is a chronological survey of the artist Carlos Almaraz that draws from perspectives of those who cared for and knew him best. The show traces the trajectory of Carlos’s life: earliest years in Mexico; childhood in East LA; travails in New York; an awakening to the Chicano Movement and participation in Los Four collective; domestic bliss as a husband and father; recognition as a rising Los Angeles studio art star; and victim of AIDS. Carlos Almaraz: A Life Recalled is organized by Karen Rapp with Dan Guerrero and Elsa Flores Almaraz.

ADVANCE WARNING
CONJUNTO LOS POCHOS
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2012
PLAZA DE LA RAZA
3540 NORTH MISSION ROAD
LOS ANGELES, CA 90031
INFO:  http://www.plazadelaraza.org & http://ww.lospochos.com

Plaza de la Raza’s SUMMER Nights Program will feature the electrifying Los Pochos conjunto band. Not to be missed!

ADVANCE WARNING
POETS! FIGHT FOR
WRITES!
2012 POETRY CONTEST
BEYOND BAROQUE
681 VENICE BLVD.
VENICE, CA 90291

This poetry contest offers awards at $250, $500 and $1,000 and a reading at Beyond Baroque on October 15, 2012. Deadline for submissions is September 1, 1012.

EMPOWERING IMAGES
ADVANCE WARNING
AUGUST 2, 2012
ONTARIO AIRPORT HILTON
700 NORTH HAVEN AVENUE
ONTARIO , CALIFORNIA
INFO:  http://www.hispaniclifestyle.com

A Latina Conferenec sponsored by Hispanic Lifestyles on the theme of “Empowering Images.”  Check website for details.

VOICES BEHIND THE WALL
PHOTOGRAPHY AND SPOKEN WORD
FROM YOUTH AT CAMP DAVID
GONZALES DETENTION CENTER
ON-GOING THRU AUGUST 3, 2012
SPARC (SOCIAL & PUBLIC ART
RESOURCE CENTER)
685 VENICE BLVD.
VENICE, CA 90291
INFO:  http://www.sparcmurals.org

Photos, artwork and spoken-word from youth at the Camp David Gonzalez Probation Detention Facility compiled by Paul Cummins and Carol Biondi.

MAKE ‘EM ALL MEXICAN
THE ART OF LINDA VALLEJO
THROUGH AUGUST 19,  2012
ARTE AMERICAS
FRESNO, CALIFORNIA
INTO:  http:www.arteamericas.org

Organized by the Central California Museum of Art and curated by George Fugie, this is an exhibit of the recent work of multi-talented and multi-discipline artist Linda Vallejo.

BAKERSFIELD, CA

8th ANNUAL DOLORES
HUERTA GOLF CLASSIC
OCTOBER 5, 2012
RIVERLAKES GOLF CLUB
BAKERSFIELD, CA
INFO: http://www.doloreshuerta.org

The annual golf tournament fundraiser for the Dolores Huerta Foundation which hires organizers from low-income working class communities and trains them using a grassroots organizing models. A worthy cause that brings together activist from throughout the state, so get your tickets early!

OCEANSIDE

CRUSIN’ CALIFAS
ART OF LOWRIDING
THRU SEPT 20, 2012
SING FAMILY GALLERY
OCEANSIDE MUSEUM OF ART
704 PIER VIEW WAY
OCEANSIDE, CA
INFO:    http://www.oma-online.org/

A lowrider art exhibit featuring the works of the late, great Gilbert “Magu” Lujan.

SAN DIEGO

ZOOT SUIT
JULY 14 THRU AUGUST 12, 2012
SAN DIEGO REPERTORY
THEATRE
HORTON PLAZA
SAN DIEGO, CA
INFO:  http://www.sdrep.org/currentSeason.aspx

San Diego REP is proud to open its 37th season with a brand new production of the most significant work of Latino drama in American theatre. Zoot Suit will be produced through the same partnership between San Diego REP and San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts that made “Hairspray” (2010) and The Who’s TOMMY  (2011) mega-hits on the Lyceum Stage. Playwright Luis Valdez is America’s greatest Latino playwright. Zoot Suit is his masterpiece – a muscular mix of historical fact and agitprop fiction. A live orchestra will be cookin’ center stage playing a banquet of smoking hot Latin songs with dances staged by award-winning choreographer Javier Velasco. Filled with swagger and swing, Zoot Suit is a not-to-be missed American classic.

SANTA ANA CONDITION
JOHN VALADEZ
MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY
ART SAN DIEGO
700 PROSPECT STREET
LA JOLLA, CA 92037

A retrospective of more than thirty-five years of photorealistic artwork by celebrated artist and muralist John Valadez. This guy’s art work is truly awesome! Don’t miss it!

LOCAL MOTION
ART EXHIBITION
THRU JULY 7, 2012
CENTER FOR COMMUNITY
AND CULTURAL ARTS
404 EUCLID AVE. SUITE 212
SAN DIEGO, CA 92114
INFO:  http://www.communityandculturalarts.com

An exhibit of art work by various San Diego artist who work and create in San Diego’s southeastern neighborhoods. Opening reception is on Thursday, May 31, 2012.

SUMMER YOUTH
MEDIA AND TECH
CAMP
REGISTRATION
ON-GOING
MEDIA ARTS CENTER
2921 EL CAJON BLVD.
SAN DIEGO, CA 92104

Registration now open for summer youth classes in media beginning June 25th thru August 30.

SAN JOSE

MACARIO
ADVANCE WARNING
OCTOBER 4-21, 2012
TEATRO VISIÓN
365 S.MARKET STREET
SAN JOSE, CA
INFO:  http://www.teatrovision.org

The product of workshops on B.Traven’s classic work involving a humble wood cutter whose pack with the devil brings about unexpected results will be performed at Teatro Visión. Play is developed with the creative team of Elisa Marina Alvarado, playwright Evelina Fernández, musical director Rodrigo García.

SAN FRANCISCO

PHOTOGRAPHY IN MEXICO
THROUGH JULY 8,2012
SAN FRANCISCO MUSEUM
OF MODERN ART
151 THIRD STREET
SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103
INFO:    http://www.sfmoma.org

Mexican photography from the permanent collection of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Daniel Greenberg and Susan Steinhauser.

TEQUILA DON JULIO
ART COLLECTION
THE MEXICAN MUSEUM
THRU AUGUST 5, 2012
FORT MASON CENTER
BUILDING D
SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123
INFO:   http://www.mexicanmuseum.org

Standing exhibit of art work of the Tequila Don Julio collection on view through August 5, 2012.

QUETZAL
IN CONCERT
SATURDAY, JULY 14, 2012
LA PEÑA
3105 SHATTUCK AVE
BERKELEY, CA
INFO: http://www.lapena.org
Inspired by traditional son jarocho music of Veracruz, Mexico, and spiked with urban rhythms, rock and R&B, East LA Chicano group Quetzal rose from the ashes of uprisings in LA in 1992 as a vehicle for social commentary and activism. Called “provocative, heartfelt and strikingly original” by the LA Times and Quetzal was founded in 1992, Chicano rock guitarist Quetzal Flores. Quetzal is an ensemble of highly talented musicians, joined for the goal of creating good music that tells the social, cultural, political, and musical stories of people in struggle.

LOUNGE RUMBA
SUNDAY, JULY 1ST & 15TH, 2012
LA PEÑA
3105 SHATTUCK AVE
BERKELEY, CA
INFO:  http://www.lapena.org
The Afro-Cuban folkloric drums, dances and songs of rumba are featured in performances by Sandy Perez y Su Lade.

NATALIA CONTESSE
IN CONCERT
JULY 17, 2012
LA PEÑA
3105 SHATTUCK AVE
BERKELEY, CA
INFO: http://www.lapena.org

Touring from Chile, vocalist Natalia Contesse in concert with Rafael Manriquez. Natilia mixes Chilean traditions like the Cueca, Tonada and the guitarra campesina.

ORQUESTRA LA
MODERNA TRADICION
SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2012
LA PEÑA
3105 SHATTUCK AVE
BERKELEY, CA
INFO:    http://www.lapena.org

A Cuban dance party with the Orquestra La Moderna Tradicion. Since 1996 this 11-piece group has thrilled audiences with its renderings of traditonal danzones that transport you back to the Havana social clubs of the1950s.

SANDRA CISNEROS
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
ADVANCE WARNING
CHICANA LATINA
FOUNDATION
OCTOBER 12, 2012
WESTIN ST. FRANCIS
HOTEL
335 POWELL STREET
SAN FRANCISCO, CA
INFO:  http://www.chicanalatina.org

Chicana Latina Foundation is proud to announce that noted author Sandra Cisneros will be the keynote speaker at its 35th Anniversary celebration to be held October 12, 2012 at the Westin St. Francis Hotel.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

OEDIPUS EL REY
THRU JULY 29, 2012
VICTORY GARDENS THEATER
2433 NORTH LINCOLN AVE
CHICAGO, ILL
INFO: http://victorygardens.org/onstage
This is NOT your mama’s Oedipus… In Luis Alfaro’s thrilling reboot of the daddy of all tragedies,
a young Chicano ex-con sets out on a journey to be the king of the South Central LA gangland.
Set amid the sizzling rhythms and explosive violence of an inner-city barrio,
the gripping story follows his family of ex-cons through the vicious cycle of fate
and violence in which they find themselves trapped. Oedipus el Rey is a sexy, modern take on a classic.

NOVALIMA  RELEASE
CONCERT
JULY 6, 2012
MAYNE STAGE
1328 WEST MORSE AVE
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
INFO: http://www.arteyvidachicago.com

Since its formation in 2001, Novalima has been breaking down boundaries, uniting seemingly irreconcilable genres, communities and generations to create an inspiring movement that has revolutionized the music scene in their native Peru. Founded by four friends from Lima with a shared passion for both traditional Afro-Peruvian music and modern DJ culture, Novalima searches for the common ground between past and future, between tradition and innovation. Novalima has garnered critical acclaim from mainstream and underground media alike, a Latin Grammy nomination for Best Alternative Album, and a featured spot in cult filmmaker Robert Rodriguez’s hit Mexploitation movie Machete. Novalima’s highly anticipated fourth studio album titled Karimba was release earlier this year on ESL music.

LUIS MALTA
JULY 20, 2012
MAYNE STAGE
1328 WEST MORSE AVE
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
INFO:  http://www.arteyvidachicago.com

Luisa Maita is “The New Voice of Brazil.” Sultry, seductive and infused with that inimitable samba swing, the music of Luísa Maita embodies the modern spirit of Brazil. Inspired by the bustling urban life found in her native city of São Paulo, Lero-Lero has a contemporary vibe with influences from alternative pop and chilled out electronic music, but with an acoustic foundation deeply rooted in local samba, bossa nova and MPB. Luísa Maita, hailed by NPR’s All Things Considered as “The New Voice of Brazil”, makes her return appearance with Sound Culture. Luísa has exploded onto the international music scene since the release of her debut album Lero-Lero, released on Cumbancha Discovery this summer. Within a week of the release, Lero-Lero skyrocketed to #1 on the iTunes Latin charts, and #1 on Amazon’s Latin Bestseller chart. Critics from National Public Radio to Huffington Post and Rolling Stone Brazil and influential tastemaker blogs have welcomed Luísa as a fresh new talent in Brazilian music.

MAREMÁGNUM JORDI SOCÍAS
THRU SEPTEMBER 14, 2012
INSTITUTO CERVANTES
31 WEST OHIO
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
INFO:  http://www.arteyvidachicago.com

An exhibition of images of upheaval and metamorphosis in post-Franco Spain of the 1970s and 80s. Portraits of cultural figures such as Salvador Dali, Jorge Luis Borjes, Pedro Almodóvar, Francis Ford Coppola, Chucho Valdez and Penelope Cruz.

ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO

IN PASSING
JULY 13-15, 2012
ALBUQUERQUE
JOURNAL THEATER
NATIONAL HISPANIC CULTURAL CENTER
ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO
INFO:  http://www.nationalhispaniccenter.org

In Passing, by Kelsey Montoya, tells the story of the TeeBliss High School Chess Team, and their journey through the National Chess Tournament.  As in any good game, the team’s obstacles go beyond the chess board as they are forced to examine previous relationships, current friendships, and the unknown future ahead of all of them after their days at TeeBliss are done.  How do we deal with letting go of the past?  How do we deal with embracing the future, when we don’t even know what it holds? How do we reconcile relationships that will never actually end?

PALOMA
JULY 20 THRU AUGUST 5, 2012
ALBUQUERQUE
JOURNAL THEATER
NATIONAL HISPANIC CULTURAL CENTER
ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO
INFO: http://www.nationalhispaniccenter.org

Camino Real Productions and NHCC are pleased to announce the World Premiere of Paloma by Anne García-Romero, directed by Gil Lazier. Inspired by Ring of the Dove, a remarkable eleventh century Muslim Spanish treatise on love by Ibn Hazm, Paloma is the playwright’s response to the post 9/11 climate in this country. She is intrigued by the notion of convivencia. How did Muslims, Christians and Jews co-exist peacefully in eleventh century Spain when religious intolerance persists in present day U.S. society? Paloma explores the lives of Ibrahim, a Moroccan-American and practicing Muslim, who falls in love with Paloma, a woman of Puerto Rican descent and nominal Catholic, while they study ancient Muslim Spain at New York University in 2003. The couple soon travels to Spain where they grapple with their religious differences and then tragedy strikes. The play also toggles between various months in 2004 as Ibrahim and Jared, his friend and lawyer who practices the Jewish faith, face legal ramifications resulting from Ibrahim and Paloma’s relationship. In a way, the play is a prayer for greater co-existence in our present age.vendini-ticket-button179.jpg

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS

I-DJ
JULY 6 THRU 29, 2012
GREGG BARRIOS THEATER
THE OVERTIME CENTER FOR
THE ARTS
1203 CAMDEN STREET
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS 78215
INFO:  http:www.facebook.com/OTIDJ

In this world premiere play, Gregg Barrios takes us on a journey of one man who searches for validation as a Chicano and as a Dance Club DJ. Both coincide with coming out. Play stars Rick Sanchez and is directed by Mathew Byron Cassi.

AUSTIN

LA RAZA UNIDA
PARTY REUNION
JULY 6TH AND 7TH, 2012
AUSTIN, TEXAS
INFO:  http://www.larazaunidapartyreunion.org

This reunion of ‘60s and ‘70s La Raza Unida party activists will bring people from throughout the United States for two days of reunion. Check out the website for details and to register.

CANTO MUNDO
WITH ARACELIS GIRMAY
SATURDAY, JULY 14. 2012
AUDITORIUM. ROOM 1.402
STUDENT ACTIVITY CENTER
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS
AT AUSTIN

More than 20 nationally recognized Latina/o poets from across the United States will gateh in Austin, Texas for the 2012 Canto Mundo Poetry Workshop & Retreat. These poets, laong with guest poet Aracleis Girmay, will present their work in the auditorium of the Student Activity Center at UT Austin.

ADVANCE WARNING
TEXAS EXES FIESTA
SEPTEMBER 7, 2012
CONNALLY BALLROOM
ETTER-HARBIN ALUMNI CENTER
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS
AUSTIN, TEXAS
INFO: http:www.texasexes.org/fiesta

The Texas Exes Hispanic Alumni Network of the University of Texas at Austin holds its Fiesta at the alma mater. For details check out the website.

HOUSTON, TEXAS

ART INSIDE
THRU JULY 1, 2012
MECA
MECA DOW
SCHOOL CAMPUS
1900 KANE STREET,
HOUSTON, TEXAS 77007
INFO:  http:www.meca-houston.org

Children’S Prison Arts Project is a non-profit arts education program whose mission is to introduce juvenile offenders in correctional facilities and shelters to an innovative educational theater and isual arts forum where they can express their thoughts. Exhibit open to the public.

DALLAS, TEXAS

THE DESERT PRAIRIE
OF TEXAS
JULY & AUGUST 2012
CARA MIA THEATER
COMPANY
P.O. BOX 226144
DALLAS, TX 75222
INFO: http://www.caramiatheatre.com

The Dallas-based Cara Mía Theatre Company and the Laboratorio de la Máscara from Mexico City will present a collaboration titled  The Desert Prairie of Texas; it is a new work based on texts in Memory of Fire by Eduardo Galeono The play to be directed by Alicia Mártinez Álvarez.

REGISTER FOR SUMMER
PROGRAM IN THE ARTS
CARA MIA THEATER
COMPANY
P.O. BOX 226144
DALLAS, TX 75222
INFO:  http://www.caramiatheatre.com

Each year the Latino Cultural Center partners with Big Thought to offer middle school students hte opportunity to learn about themselves and the community through the arts. This year the LCC gives students he opportunity to learn from and work directly professionally trained artists from the Cara Mia Theater Company. For more information and an online application go to: http://lccsummerheroes.wordpress.com

EL PASO, TEXAS

40TH ANNIVERSARY OF
1972  LA RAZA UNIDA
CONVENTION
ADVANCE WARNING
AUGUST 31- SEPTEMBER 2, 2012
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT
EL PASO, TEXAS
INFO: dbixlerm@utep.edu

The University of Texas at El Paso is hosting a reunion of activists who attended the 1972 La Raza Unida National Convention convened in El Paso. Reunion will include panel discussions, film screenings and book signings.

EDINBURG, TEXAS

CALL FOR PROPOSALS
ADVANCE WARNING
FEBRUARY 21-23, 2013
NACCS TEJAS FOCO
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS
PAN AMERICAN
1201 WEST UNIVERSITY DRIVE
EDINBURG, TX 78539

Recent attacks on Chicano@ and Ethnic Studies programs are reminders of the need for more spaces to produce knowledge in and about our communities. This is a call for proposals for a conference to focus on ways in which academic research, creative activities and pedagogy can directly affect and become embedded in these communities. The conference will take place February 21-23, 2013.

BOOK REVIEW

“Randy Lopez Goes Home”

By Rudolfo Anaya

University of Oklahoma Press

157 pages

Reviewed by Luís Torres

luis.r.torres@charter.net

(Eds Note: “Rudolfo” is correct)

Veteran writer Rudolfo Anaya has written a little gem of a novel that takes readers on a magical allegorical journey that artfully explores the Big Questions of who we are, where did we come from, what is our essence as human beings and where are we going. And it’s done in a manner that isn’t at all ponderous, given the weightiness of the issues, but is done with warmth, humor and deliciously bittersweet storytelling. It is his twenty-first book, but it is likely to be regarded as his ultimate, triumphal tour de force.

The just published book is “Randy Lopez Goes Home.” It is a compact, complex and thoroughly engaging treasure of a novel. With eloquent simplicity it tells the tale of a man from a tiny, bucolic village in the mountains of New Mexico who is on a journey, his ultimate quest really. It is part fable, part spiritual meditation, part parable. And a thoroughly enjoyable read throughout. It is a triumph of elegant storytelling. And brimming with wickedly funny plays on words and literary nods to everything from telenovelas to Greek mythology, to the Bible and to today’s headline-screaming tabloids. It is a playful yet thought-provoking mélange of literary tradition and popular politics and culture. It’s an ambitious effort, but Anaya pulls it off seamlessly and to great effect.

It’s a delight.

Anaya, who is perhaps best known for his groundbreaking novel of Chicano life titled “Bless Me Ultima,” has seemingly summoned all of his skill, experience and wit in order to craft this masterfully written little book. “Bless Me Ultima” brought him fame and literary credibility. It has become the Chicano equivalent of Alex Haley’s “Roots” to many Chicanos. But to call Anaya a “Chicano writer” is a bit like calling Faulkner a “white writer.” Anaya’s work, particularly as evidenced in this marvelous new novel, is irrefutably transcendent.

It is the story of Randy, who, despite what Thomas Wolfe warned, is attempting to go home again. But where is home? Is it merely the tiny town of Agua Bendita where he was born and lived with loving parents and compassionate neighbors long ago? Or is “home” something more metaphorically difficult to reach? More difficult to define. Along the way Randy meets quixotic and sometimes-surreal characters who offer veiled directions about how to “get home.” They are fantastical, allegorical figures who sometimes seem ghost-like, but are also very much flesh-and-bones. Randy has a number of head-scratching encounters as he heads toward some sort of destination.

And the reader begins to scratch his or her head as well. Is Randy “real”? Is he alive? Is he in a place between “here” and “there”? What is “here” after all? It’s a metaphysical quest that Anaya invents and probes in the most entertaining and satisfying fashion. Layer–by-layer storytelling at its best.

______________________

Luís Torres, is a journalist and writer in Pasadena, California. He is at work on a biography of educational reformer Vahac Mardirosian.

In 1965, having convinced César Chávez and the board of the United Farm Workers of the viability of a theater company to advance the farm worker’s grape boycott, Luis Valdez, Agustín Lira and Felipe Cantu began to perform under the banner of “El Teatro Campesino,” (The Farm Worker’s Theater). Within a short time they were joined by another important and vital early member of the group, Daniel Valdez.

Raul Callejo and Daniel Alvarado Jr. are two young singer-song writers based in El Paso, Texas. who perform under the name Joey’s Chemistry. They perform here an original composition written by Daniel Alvarado Jr. titled “It’s Been a While.”

Hatch, New Mexico, a small town that lies along the Rio Grande River in southern New Mexico, is known as the  Chile Capital of the world because of the huge Chile production industry there. Latinopia wondered how Hatch got to get its acclaim and why the land there is so rich with Chile production. It asked one of the local Chile vendors, Gilberto “Gilly” Pino.

Paul Espinosa and Mark Day are documentary film makers. Paul’s credits include “The Hunt for Pancho Villa” and “The Lemon Grove Incident.” Mark’s credits include “The San Patricios, ” which is featured as a previous Latinopia Showcase.  They have joined forces to produce a new documentary about the legendary Chicano music group from San Diego, California, “Los Alacranes”  (The Scorpions.)  Latinopia is proud to showcase the trailer for this documentary and to encourage visitors to donate to the film’s success by visiting www.chunkyfilm.com This video is copyrighted by Espinosa/Day Productions and is posted on Latinopia be permission.

The legendary El Teatro Campesino was born out of the struggle of the United Farm Workers Union with which the group was affiliated from 1965 to 1968. The original members of the group included Luis Valdez, Agustín Lira, Felipe Cantú and Daniel Valdez. This is the first of  three videos that chronicle the formation and activities of the early Teatro Campesino.  Latinopia thanks Luis Valdez, Agustin Lira and Daniel Valdez for their interviews and thanks Leroy Chatfield and the Farmworkers Movement Documentation Project for the use of photos of the early Teatro Camepsino.

Luis R. Quintero is a director based in Los Angeles whose projects including major studio productions, independent films, television pilots and web series. His short drama “La Hora del Té” (Tea Time) played at the Arc Light Theater in Hollywood as part of the Los Angels International Shorts Film Festival and earned him an International Filmmaker Award nomination at Sundance in 2008. He is currently directing a webisode series starring Mario Lopez. This video is copyrighted by Luis R. Quintero and is posted by permission on Latinopia.com.

EL TEATRO CAMPESINO/ TEATRO MASCARONES
COLLABORATION

This photo shows Chicano theater director Luis Valdez with a combined acting team of members of the El Teatro Campesino theater company (United States) and Los Mascarones (Mexico City) . This historic meeting was between two group of artists from both sides of the border that shared powerful common roots.

The Chicano theater company El Teatro Campesino (The Farm Worker’s Theater) met members of the Mexico City theater company Los Mascarones (The Masked Ones) at the first Chicano Theater festival convened in Fresno, California in 1969. The two companies discovered they had much in common–not only did they address issues of farm worker exploitation but were both grappling with the best way to reach audiences. Both mounted political works not in traditional theaters but in public places–parks, community centers and schools.

In 1973, Los Mascarones, headed by director Mariano Leyba, returned to the United States for a tour of the United States performing at colleges and universities. They had wanted to work with El Teatro Campesino for some time and, with the encouragement of Los Angeles television producers José Luis Ruiz and Jesús Treviño, agreed to collaborate on a film project to be titled “Somos Uno” (We are One).

The documentary of the collaboration included an “acto” taking place in the United States performed by members of El Teatro Campesino and a skit involving Mexican farm workers performed by members of Los Mascarones. The original third act, improvised during the week-end of filming, brought the two storylines together. The final act showed the common struggle of Mexican and Chicano farm workers. and involved actors from both groups. The film was shot over the week-end of June 16th and 17th, 1973 and was later broadcast on the Los Angeles PBS station KCET.

This photo, taken on the afternoon of Sunday, June 17th, 1973, shows Luis Valdez working to bring the improvised third act together.

Photo Credit: Gayla Treviño.

José Montoya is a renowned poet, artist and activist who has been in the forefront of the Chicano art movement. One of his most celebrated poems is titled “Pachuco Portfolio” which pays homage to the iconic and enduring character of El Pachuco, the 1940s  Mexican American youth who dressed in the stylish Zoot Suit.

Dr. Gilbert González is a Professor Emeritus in Chicano and Latin American Studies at the University of California at Irvine. He has produced a landmark documentary about the Bracero Program which brought Mexican laborers into the United States from 1942 to 1964. Latinopia is proud to showcase “Harvest of Loneliness.” This film excerpt is used by permission of Dr. Gilbert González.  For further information or to purchase a copy of “Harvest of Loneliness” go to www.harvestofloneliness.com

Alejandro Morales is an acclaimed author whose novel “The Brick People” is the story of the Mexicans who worked at the Simons Brick Yard. Their work was crucial to the growth of Los Angeles and Southern California from the 1920s to 1960s. Latinopia is proud to showcase this excerpt from a documentary based on the book by Morales that was directed by Mike Kirsch.

George Rodríguez is a renowned commercial photographer and photo journalist who has photographed such American legends as Marilyn Monroe, Michael Jackson, The Doors, Dr. Dre as well as documenting key moments in the Chicano Civil Rights Movement. He has photographed, extensively,  César Chávez and the United Farm Workers Union.  Latinopia visited George’s exhibit of César Chávez photographs at the Farm Workers Center in Keene, California.

With the founding of  El Teatro Campesino (The Farm Workers Theater) in 1965, the notion of Chicano theater that espoused politics and culture of  La Raza  soon spread through out the United States.   In 1969, with the emergence of  theaters companies in cities throughout the Southwest, El Teatro Campesino convened the first Chicano Theater festival in California.  In 1971, a national organization made up of individual Chicano theater companies in the United States was formed under the name TENAZ ( Teatro Nacional de Aztlán–The National Theater of Aztlán) . The anagram was also the Spanish word for “tenacity.”  By 1974, the umbrella organization representing dozens of theater companies was ready for the international stage.  In 1974,  Chicano theater companies–estimates vary but all concur close to a hundred in number– attended the two-week long international festival of theater companies in Mexico. The crowning event of the festival was performances by Chicano theater companies at the ancient archeological site of Teotihuacan, outside of Mexico City. For Chicanos,  performing theater, dance and song, at the site where thousands of years previously their ancestors had also performed such activities was an enriching and landmark experience. This photo, taken  sometime in late June of 1974, is of Chicano theater companies performing at Teotihuacan,  Mexico.

By 1970, it was clear that Mexican Americans and other Spanish surnamed Americans were dying in the Vietnam War in numbers disproportionate to their population. Activists called for a march to protest the high death rates. On February 28, 1970, in spite of a pounding rain, more than 5,000 people came out to voice their dissent.