Centennial Edition English

February 10, 2012 SP1100 years of mexican-american influenceArizonA

The Barrios: a compleTe hisTory

arizona, our hisTory

of mexican-american influence

special cenTennial ediTion 1912-2012

Publication of La Voz Arizona

mexican immigraTion

culTure, religion, Values and TradiTions

SinópSiS de CapítuloS en eSpañol

100 laTinos: Their legacy

our soldiers inwwii

February 10, 2012SP2 100 years of mexican-american influenceArizonA

There are moments in time when communities should pause and reflect on their past history, and celebrate those stories of people who significantly contributed to the

greatness of the State of Arizona. These rich stories of families, culture, sacrifices and successes from our Mexican Arizonans have been captured in this Special

Centennial Edition of La Voz.

Raza Development Fund is deeply grateful to State Farm and Citi Foundation for their generous participation in this important project and for being part of this historical

moment for our Latino Community in Arizona.

Hay momentos en la vida en que las comunidades deberían detenerse a pensar en su pasado histórico y celebrar lo que han hecho las personas que han contribuido

significativamente al engrandecimiento del estado de Arizona. El periódico La Voz capturó las historias de nuestras familias méxico arizonenses y la riqueza de nuestra

cultura, tradiciones, sacrificios y éxitos en esta Edición Especial de Centenario.

Raza Development Fund expresa su profundo agradecimiento a State Farm y la Fundación de Citi Bank por su generosa participación en este importante proyecto y por

estar presentes en este momento histórico de nuestra comunidad latina.

¡Felicidades Arizona!


By Luis Manuel Ortiz

An article that appeared in the first edition of La Voz on January 2000, had the same

headline as the one above. Today, 11 years later, the phrase has the same important meaning. And will continue to do so.

In 1912, Arizona became the 48th state of the Union. And that’s what we’re celebrat-ing this February: a century’s worth of accomplishments and setting up the foundations for a better future.

Its new status gave Arizona a more formal “American” character. But not necessar-ily more Anglo-Saxon. It rath-er made it more diverse in what has characterized and enhanced this great country of immigrants, of ethnic diver-sity and cultural prevalence.

More so than many other entities in the country, Arizona is a diverse state. It has a deep and beautiful Native-American culture and it boasts rich and colorful Hispanic tra-ditions. Both are a fusion of the legacy stemming from the diverse values of the pioneers and European colonizers. Today, it’s a cultural melting pot of languages, history and skin colors.

Today, as we celebrate Arizona’s 100th anniversary, Hispanics have a lot to cele-brate. During this time, we’ve been an integral part of the state. We’ve written many of its history’s pages with our important accomplishments and that makes us proud. We’ve left our footprints in every step of Arizona’s jour-ney.

But it hasn’t been easy to get our accomplishments acknowledged and accepted. Throughout this time, there have been critics who have gone against any logic and rea-son. But justice always pre-

vails and as we all know the birth and growth of a state or a nation is not exempt of great efforts, sacrifice and pain.

Just like Hispanics have contributed to the mosaic that built this state during this first century, we’ll continue to make our contributions. We will do so with the same deter-mination, with our own beliefs, moral and family values. We will do it as a better educated and a politically involved com-munity. We will do it with a greater self-awareness that we’re an integral part of this society.

La Voz wants to give our readers a glimpse of Hispanics’ contributions to our beloved state during this past century. In this special edition of La Voz, “100 years of Mexican-American influence in Arizona,” we offer a review of the most important events and pay tribute to the men and women who made Arizona a vibrant and important state. To all of them, thank you for the efforts, bravery, struggle and heroism!

We recognize that the content of “100 years of Mexican-American influence in Arizona” may have errors and omissions, and for that we apologize. But rest assured that it wasn’t our intention.

Congratulations Arizona on our

first centennial!

CuandO arizOna se COnstituyó COMO estadO, nOsOtrOs ya estáBaMOs aquí

Por Luis Manuel Ortiz

Este encabezado tiene el mismo valor hoy en día que hace 11 años cuando salió la primera edición de La Voz.

En 1912 Arizona se convirtió

en el estado 48 de la Unión Americana y hoy celebramos un siglo de logros.

La incorporación de Arizona a la Unión Americana le otorgó un carácter "americano" más formal, aunque no quiere decir que lo hizo más anglosajón.

Arizona es diverso, más que cualquier otro estado. Tiene una arraigada cultura indígena nativa sumada a las ricas y col-oridas tradiciones hispanas.

Hoy que Arizona cumple 100 años de existencia, los hispanos tenemos mucho que celebrar. Durante todo este tiempo hemos sido una parte inseparable del estado. Hemos escrito muchas páginas de la historia con nuestros impor-tantes logros y hemos dejado huella en cada paso que ha dado Arizona. Pero no ha sido fácil. Durante todo este tiempo también ha habido personas que han criticado nuestros logros. Sin embargo, siempre se impone la justicia y como todos sabemos, el nacimiento y el desarrollo de un estado o nación no están exentos de sacrificio y dolor.

Los hispanos han colocado su granito de arena para la construcción y el actual desar-rollo del estado y lo seguire-mos haciendo con la misma determinación, con las mismas creencias, valores morales y familiares. Pero ahora lo haremos como una comunidad con un mayor nivel de pre-paración y con una mayor par-ticipación política. Y también con una mayor conciencia de que somos una parte indis-pensable de esta sociedad.

En esta edición especial de La Voz, hemos hecho un breve repaso de los hom-bres y las mujeres que lograron que Arizona sea un estado importante y activo. Queremos agradecerles a todos ellos por su esfuerzo, su valentía, su lucha y su heroísmo.

we were already hereWhen Arizona became a state…

5 Message from Raza Development Fund

17 Arizona Symbols

26 For the Love of Our Country

37 Latino Influence in the Arizona Arts

3 Editorial – When Arizona became a state, we were already here

19 Latino Barrios

32 Community Roundtable

28 Mexico Consulates in Arizona

39 Arizona’s Immigration History

4 Arizona, Our Story

21 Guadalupe, a town like no other in Arizona

35 Pope John Paul II and Mother Theresa’s Arizona Visits

42 Contributions of the Catholic Church to the Latino Community

45 Our Latino Stars

48 100 Latinos: Their Legacy

in This ediTion:of mexican-american

influence


By Paul Brinkley-rogers Raza Development Fund

T here has been no shortage of Mexican-American leaders, from the earliest days

of the spectacular territory named by Spanish explorers “Arizuma” after the Aztec word that mean "silver-bear-ing."

Entrepreneurs. Labor organizers. Teachers. Priests. Publishers. Physicians. Lawmen and lawyers. War heroes. Local politicians and state politicians. Civil rights advocates. Miners, labor-ers and farmers. People of Mexican descent have helped make the stark landscape of Arizona a place of incredible

growth.The earliest generations of

Latino leaders have long since passed on. A youthful genera-tion has inherited a birthright of culture and language built by their grandparents and great grandparents. Twenty-eight per cent of the popula-tion of Phoenix is now Latino. At some point in this decade, demographers say, Latinos will be Arizona’s majority pop-ulation.

For those now in their 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s, however, the past is vivid and real. The struggles they fought for qual-ity and recognition are to be savored. Their accomplish-ments are now part of his-tory. Their clubs and organiza-tions live on, evidence of what

it took through the years to organize, assert, and lobby for equal rights as Americans.

There were struggles, but also phenomenal accomplish-ments. Relationships were built with state and local government agencies to cre-ate programs which allowed Chicanos to prosper and become entrepreneurs.

For example, the owner of the El Mesquite Mexican Restaurant in south Phoenix says that because she signed up to attend the Workforce Development Program of Chicanos Por La Causa, she was able to gain the knowledge to become a businesswoman.

There are still good stories to be told of what it meant to be Mexican-American when

Arizona, our history

Soul and Heart of the Chicano

MovementJoe Eddie and Rosie López are, in real life,

husband and wife… and they were the soul and heart of a movement social fight

By Paul Brinkley-rogers Raza Development Fund

They were the heart and the soul of the Chicano move-ment in Phoenix: Joe Eddie

López and Rosemarie “Rosie” López, husband and wife.

They were a one, two, punch in those days in the 1960s when Mexican-Americans were cla-moring for equal treatment and opportunity.

Joe Eddie worked night and day, 7 days a week, on commu-nity organizing and co-founded Chicanos Por La Causa in 1968. There were many, many mee-tings at their home at 32nd Street and Lewis. Rosie made sure the energy level stayed high by always having a pot of steaming menudo ready to serve.

It was a life full of purpose. But it was also a hard life.

Joe Eddie, ever thoughtful, talked about those times in the home he and Rosie share near South Mountain. They are both 72 years old. The bond is strong.

Rosie nodded her head in agree-ment and supplied extra details as her husband told the story.

He was born in December, 1939, in Duran, a hamlet that once was home to 300 people but is now a ghost town, 6,000 feet high, in central New Mexico. He was born into a family of 10. They were farm workers.

He grew up sitting in the back of an old Ford pickup shuttling between cotton and peanut fields in Texas, Colorado, New Mexico and California. He started working full time at the age of 9 and it was often so cold “my grandmother would take me home and feed me hot beans” to help keep him warm.

Rosie, a tall, strong woman, was born in Santa Monica, California. Her father, who worked as a busboy in the resort town of Del Mar, was from Rincon de Romos in Aguascalientes, Mexico, a small town that was once home to a priest named Padre Nieves who people believed made miracles. Rosie’s father met his future wife

Rosie y Joe Eddie López

Members of the Sociedad Mutualista de Obreros Mexicanos or Mexican Mutual Aid Society of Mexican workers, gathered in 1923. CouRTESy oF GINNy JoRDAN

We have gone through good and bad experiences, but all of them have helped to form a strong community that looks

forward for a bright future CARLoS CHAvEz/LA voz


A message from Tommy Espinoza, President and CEO of the Raza

Development Fund:The celebration of our state’s

centennial has made me reflect on the history of our communi-

ty throughout these one hundred years. We definitely have changed socially and politically, but our family values and our love for our country, culture, traditions and faith, have remained the same. our community has endured and prospered in spite of the suffering inflicted by racism, abuse and greed, thanks to the courage of people who have stood up against these injustices. Several organiza-tions and movements have been created to fight for the rights of our people. The most important was the Chicano Movement, a national and coordinated effort during the 60s created out of the fight waged by Chicano leaders against segregation, discrimination and the lack of opportunities for Mexican-Americans trying to get a good education and better jobs.

Arizona played a key role in the movement. The Southwest Council of La Raza now National Council of La Raza was born in Phoenix. Cesar Chavez, Maclovio Barraza, Graciela Gil olivarez, Joe Eddie and Rosie Lopez, Señora Guadalupe Huerta, Ronnie Lopez, Alfredo Gutierrez and the many others who gave their heart and soul, were important and valua-ble examples of the caliber of our state leadership.

Important as well was the pri-celess support we received from people in business, and other com-munities and backgrounds. They included Gene Rice, Bob Mathews, Don Bliss, Congressman Mo udall,

Mark DeMichael, Congressman John Rhodes, Governor Bruce Babbitt, Council Calvin Goode, Pastor Warren H. Stewart, and many others.

The success of the Chicano Movement can be measured in many ways. It organized the lar-gest social movement born in the Barrios. It changed the way the country perceived our community. It led to the formation of labor unions and persuaded legislators to change policy, thus enabling our people to enter labor, govern-ment and academic institutions.

our families now have access to health care, affordable housing, education programs and busi-ness financing, through commu-nity organizations, Community Development Financial Institutions, and various government programs. There are Latinos in powerful posi-tions, including elected officials or those working in major corpo-rations, owning businesses, and working as educators and lawyers. The success of the Chicano Movement was to bring down all the barriers. Today we are woven into the fabric of Arizona and the Nation.

The social challenges we are experiencing in Arizona today are not too different from the ones we have experienced in the past. The attacks on the Latino community, especially on immigrants and our religious values, are sophisticated and fostered within our own legis-lative and judicial system as well as in extremist groups that engender fear and hatred of our community.

But despite these attacks on the

Latino community we will flourish. According to the 2010 u.S.

Census, Arizona’s population has reached 6,392,017 with 1,445,632 residing in Phoenix alone. of the 6 million Arizona residents 29.6 percent are Latino. Data from the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, suggests that between 2000 and 2020, the growth of the Hispanic population in Arizona, is estimated to outpace that of non-Hispanic Whites by nearly 2 to 1. Along with population comes economic growth within our community. Research also shows Arizona as one of the top 10 states with large Hispanic market shares.

Despite markedly lower average income levels, Hispanic households spent more on groceries, telepho-ne services, apparel and footwear. Also, Hispanics spent a higher proportion of their money on dining out, housing, utilities and transportation, according to Shelby Publishing. our contributions help enrich the state of Arizona and WE will continue to be a vital part of this great Nation of immigrants.

We live in the greatest country in the world. yes, Arizona has its faults that with time are corrected through our democratic system. So as Arizonans, let us enter the next 100 years with a new Latino movement which has as its core our experiences, sacrifices and wis-dom in building an Arizona that has all families at its center. We can work for an Arizona that res-pects the human dignity of every person, an Arizona that measu-res economic success by creating opportunities for all families, regardless of their station in life. We can create an Arizona that res-pects the freedom of religion and conscience, an Arizona that edu-cates all our children to lead our state and country based on their love of family.

The late British writer and philosopher G.K. Chesterton once said: “When people begin to igno-re human dignity, it will not be long before they begin to ignore human rights.”

Tommy EspinozaPresident & CEORaza Development Fund


schools were segregated, when medical care was denied to injured miners, when swim-ming pools were off limits, when Latinos were relegated to attending mass in a church basement, when they were “not permitted” to live north of Van Buren Street in Phoenix.

a very distant place

These older leaders say that the many types of overt dis-crimination up to and through the 1960s are rare nowadays. Street protests, lawsuits, sub-tle pressure on civic officials, appeals to reason, brought an imperfect equality. Today, because of the immigration issue, a new type of discrimi-nation is being employed that is causing new protests and new lawsuits.

To go back to the beginning, more than 350 years before statehood, the land was once a remote outpost of Spanish Mexico.

Fray Marcos de Niza – whose name was lent to a “Mexicans only” housing proj-ect in the segregated year of 1941 – wandered north from Mexico in 1539. Coronado probed the Grand Canyon in 1546. A mission was founded on the Santa Cruz River in 1687. A trade route between Tucson and California was established in 1774.

But the United States won sovereignty over much of the Southwest includ-ing parts of Arizona in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo as the result of the Mexican-American War of 1846-48.

Only 6 years later Mexico ceded the southern third of Arizona in the so-called Gadsden Purchase, giving the United States sovereignty over rich mineral resources and farmland already being worked by Mexicans, and a railroad route to southern California. Mexican President Santa Ana, agreed to the $10 million purchase price, saying the land would have been soon lost to the Americans anyway.

Many Mexicans living in Sonora sought refuge in Arizona when the Americans attempted to exterminate the Apaches, and the Apaches

moved south into Mexico. Some of Arizona’s oldest Mexican-American families trace their history to this event.

Other families came north to work Anglo-run mining camps like Clifton and Morenci, working as laborers for one third the daily wages of Anglo workers. In the 1880s, Arizona Anglos outnumbered Mexican-Americans for the first time.

Cries of rebellion

In the decade before state-hood, Mexican-Americans working in the mines and in the railroads staged the first strikes for better wages and improved work and housing opportunities. This was the beginning of decades of Latino organizing. The roots of many key Latino advocacy groups of today can be traced back to these early demands for equality.

Self-help groups were founded to call attention to the plight of miners and to provide financial assistance to injured mine workers and families devastated by fatal accidents. These groups were the forerunners of many con-temporary neighborhood orga-nizations.

The Sociedad Mutualista de los Obreros Mexicanos, found-ed in the border city of Douglas in 1923 where the Phelps Dodge Corporation operated a copper smelter, still exists. Its meet-ing hall at 406 8th Street looks

unchanged from those early days. There are 150 elderly members. Every year, that number shrinks, but the group is attempting to recruit young members who will cherish and safeguard its history.

Lupe Jordan, 86, and her husband, Ramon, 91, have been members since they were young. “The way my dad explained it to me,” Lupe Jordan said, “it got started when one of the workers for the railroad was injured and no clinic wanted to take him because he was Mexican.

“So many of us have died,” she said. “My dad; my hus-band’s father. But we still help. We give scholarships to Cochise College. If someone dies, we try to give the fam-ily $1,000. If a member is in hospital we help, but not very much because we don’t have the resources. So we give $4 per day for 20 days. It is a ges-ture of caring and respect.

“I became a member when I was very young. My dad said, ‘We need help. We Mexican people need to help each other.

“It was a very different world then. If you wanted a soda you might not get it because they didn’t want to serve a Mexican. At gram-mar school there were sepa-rate classes for Mexicans. If we spoke Spanish we were spanked. We were not allowed to go to dances. It was like that until the 1950s. Even now I feel hurt when I think about that. I’ve been carrying a chip on my shoulder about it for so many years.”

She said she finds it hard to forgive when she considers the fact that her husband and 4 of his 6 brothers all served honor-ably in the US Navy aboard the USS Marcasite during World War II. They all survived. Two other brothers served in the Navy after the war. She has a photo of the 7 Jordan brothers that show their faces arranged in a circle like a constellation of stars.

After the war ended, her husband confronted the school principal in Douglas to change the segregation policy. “After I fought for my country, you would do this to my family?”

in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.“I got into organizing by

accident,” Joe Eddie recalled. “I wasn’t one to join a movement of any kind. I was a farm wor-ker who travelled the migrant stream.”

Finally, in 1949, when he was 10, Joe Eddie and his five brothers settled permanently in Arizona. They had an uncle who was a general foreman at Arrowhead Ranch and Joe Eddie lived there for a while. Finally, his family put down roots at 16th Street and Apache in South Phoenix.

He liked to read. Even though he often had to get up at 3 AM to pick oranges, lemons and celery, he found time in the evenings to read something. “I always hoped I could be a philosopher, or psychologist. But people told me, ‘Don’t kid yourself.’”

He graduated from Peoria High School in 1957. In the 1960s he met Ascencion “Sonny” Najera who flew aircraft for the uS Air Force in the vietnam era and who had become involved in organizing young Chicanos in California, and then in Phoenix. Najera “dragged” him to a meeting and he discovered “it was easy for me to understand what they wanted, especially when they were talking about farm workers. He was inspired by a speech he watched Cesar Chavez give at Phoenix College.

Joe Eddie and Rosie met for the first time on the dance floor at the famed Riverside Ballroom, especially popular with young Mexican-Americans on Sunday nights. Soon they were organi-zing students at Arizona State and at other schools. MASo (Mexican-American Student organization) was started at ASu and they poured all their ener-gies into it. “That was fine on a campus,” he said. “But we felt the task of improving (opportu-nities for Chicanos) was going to come through community organizing.

Political rivalries in 1967 slowed down an attempt to establish a major Chicano orga-nization in Phoenix, with the Phoenix-based Southwest Council of La Raza (SCLC) – the forerun-ner of the National Council of La Raza – looking on. But finally in 1968, Joe Eddie emerged as the leader, and Chicanos Por La Causa was founded with the help of seed money from the SCLC.

As CPLC’s Co-Founder and Chairman, he directed the dra-matic 18-month fight to improve conditions and opportunities for Latino students at Phoenix union High School where a walkout had occurred after girl students were molested. But he also was working full time as a refrigera-tion steam fitter.

Joe Eddie was consumed by work. There

A 1971 publica-tion distributed in Hispanic neighborhoods in Phoenix. It referred to the Garcia family.

Ramon Jordan, one of five bro-thers who went to war together. CouRTESy oF GINNy JoRDAN.


she remembers her outraged husband said. As a result, the policy began to change.

Before and after the war

The war gave Mexican-Americans who wore the uni-form an opportunity to see the world outside their neigh-borhoods and barrios. They served with people from other cultures. There was often dis-crimination in the military too, but the experience of fighting for a good cause galvanized many young Latino men. About 450,000 Mexican-Americans from all over the nation served in the military.

Some of them felt this was their moment to show that they were Americans too. When Pearl Harbor was attacked, the Phoenix newspa-per, El Mensajero, declared: “We should show that we are of the same disposition, ready to sacrifice all that we pos-sess, even the precious blood of our sons.” Many of these sons decided that things were going to be different when they returned home.

Phoenix was a relatively small city in 1940. Its popu-lation was 62,414, including 9,740 Hispanics – 15 per cent of the population. At the end of the war the city had nearly 100,000 residents, of whom 16,000 were Latino. The count in the 2010 Census was 1.445 million residents, 40.8 per cent Latino.

The city’s boundaries ran from 24th Street on the east to 25th Avenue on the west, and from Thomas Road in the north to Buckeye Road west of Central Avenue and Buchanan Street east of Central. Latinos lived in five clearly defined barrios in often substandard housing much of which was outside the city limits.

segregated housing

When war started in 1942, one fact of life was that Latinos were relegated to the other side of the railroad tracks in south Phoenix. Movement south and north of Van Buren Street did not occur until the late 1940s and early 1950s when Latino military veterans

began demanding equal hous-ing opportunities, and activ-ist groups and lawyers started hammering at the doors of jus-tice to set things right.

Silvestre Herrera, who was born in Chihuahua, Mexico, was one of many Phoenix Hispanics who earned medals for their service. But in his case he won the ultimate deco-ration: the Medal of Honor, for charging German gun emplacements with a bayonet fixed to his M-1 rifle. His feet were blown off by a mine, but he continued firing.

He survived and returned to Phoenix where he was given American citizenship. Governor Sid Osborn designat-ed Aug. 25, 1945, as Silvestre Herrera Day, officials flocked to Union Station to welcome home the hero, and he was guest of honor at a parade down Central Avenue.

However, only a few days before the honors, Latino com-munity leaders preparing to welcome Herrera noticed that several downtown Phoenix businesses were still posting signs which read, “No Mexican Trade Wanted.” Furious lob-bying convinced the Governor to order the signs removed.

When the war ended, Latinos began pressing for an end to segregation in housing. Even federally-funded hous-ing programs that had built better housing during the war for families working in defense industry plants were segregated.

In 1939 the Phoenix Housing Authority with Father Emmett McLoughlin as chairman, funded several segregated projects built in 1942: one for Anglos, one for African-Americans, and one for Mexican-Americans: the 225 homes of the Marcos de Niza project from Yavapai to Pima streets and First to Fourth avenues.

Many Latinos liked living in the project. But for those who wanted to live elsewhere, the door was barred. David Perez, who fought as a member of the Bushmasters during the war, tried to use the GI Bill to finance a home, but banks redlined him.

Amadeo Suarez, a veteran

who tried to buy a home in Melrose Manor on North 7th Avenue, was turned down because of a restrictive deed that read, “No lot or tract, or any part thereof, shall be leased, let, occupied, sold or transferred to anyone other than to members of the white or Caucasian race except those of Mexican or Spanish ancestry, and this exclusion shall include those having per-ceptible strains of Mexican, Spanish, Asiatic, Negro or Indian blood.”

american Legion Post 41

There were many such examples. They infuriated young veterans who had risked everything fighting for their country.

Many civic organizations were started. One of the most influential was American Legion Post 41, founded in October, 1945, by Ray Martinez and Frank Fuentes.

Martinez said it was not just going to be a social group. “When we got out of the ser-vice, some of us knew we had a mission,” Martinez told one historian. “Because we were not going to go back to the dis-crimination we had suffered before. We knew that was the time, right after the war…and we thought, well this is the time to make the move.”

The Post, which is still going

was the cause. There also was the need for a paycheck. The hours were long. Sacrifices were made that both Joe Eddie and Rosie have not forgotten because they had such an impact on their life as a family, and on their children.

“If I wanted to see Joe Eddie, it usually had to be at a mee-ting,” Rosie said. “It was the sacrifice we made. Lots of us in the movement had to make that sacrifice.

“I got to cook every night for those bearded guys. our kids (Eddie and Debbie) suffered an awful lot. My son Eddie didn’t have a very close relationship with his dad. He (Joe Eddie) spends a lot of time with his son to make up for that.

“Because he was so involved, it affected our family life. I would take the kids to school and then go to CPLC. Then I would go back to school, and then there would be more meetings and I knew in my heart that I would have to be there, like Joe Eddie.

“There were the marches. The boycotts. We would both be there. If I wasn’t doing that I was making big pots of menudo, or making enchiladas, to feed ever-yone” attending the so frequent meetings at the Lopez home.

Rosie said “In those days it was not kosher for a wife to be helping her husband” with leadership and ideology. “It was difficult for her. I was a causista (activist) from day one. I was kind of shy. I was not confident about speaking up. I was not recognized as a person on my own.”

But she did help recruit a group of older women, who were mostly mothers, to the board of CPLC, which gave the organiza-tion huge credibility it would not have had if all its leaders were young people.

“Without that group of women we would not have suc-ceeded,” Joe Eddie said. Without (ASu Professor) Miguel Montiel giving guidance we wouldn’t have made it. you have to have a community organization that is representative of the community, if you are going to succeed.

The presence on the board of women like zobeda Fritz, Hilda valles, Antonia Diaz, Guadalupe Huerta, Carolina “Curly” Rosales and Terri Cruz, who is still with CPLC, created a “la familia” at CPLC.

It helped blunt criticism and suspicion, in both the Anglo and Latino communities, “that

Silvestre Herrera, a Mexican nati-ve and hero of the U.S. war. THE ARIzoNA REPuBLIC.

The López couple on their wedding day. CouRTESy oF RoSIE AND JoE EDDIE LóPEz.


strong at 2nd Avenue at Grant Park, helped end segregation at Tempe Beach swimming pool where Mexican-Americans were allowed one day a week. It halted discrimination by builders in housing develop-ments. It lobbied city council members to allocate funding for elementary schools needed for Latino children, upgraded Grant, Central and Harmon Parks in south Phoenix, and started a baby clinic.

Through the years, younger veterans joined Post 41 and, like their predecessors, often became major successes in life.

Arturo “Art” Othon, whose father Lencho was a World War II vet, enlisted in the Army from 1969 to 1972. “It made me grow up,” he said. “I was a punk before I went in. I matured real quick, and after I came back and saw what was going on (in the commu-nity’s fight for equal rights) I decided I was going to work the system.”

He worked in construction. He was the first Latino to be executive assistant to Mayor Terry Goddard, and he held the same title with Governor Rose Mofford. He worked at the Department of Economic Security. He spent 18 years as director of Community and Economic Development with Arizona Public Service (APS).

He managed the Westside Training Center at 35th Avenue and Thomas for Chicanos Por La Causa, which he served as President from 1980-82. The group, now one of the larg-est Latino advocacy organiza-tions in the nation, was started in 1967 by young Mexican-American men and women determined to improve the quality of life for Arizona’s Latinos.

Low-income student

Othon, 62, is retired. But you would never know that, looking at his daily schedule. He is deeply involved in the running of the family-owned El Bravo restaurants on Seventh Street and also at Terminal 4 of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

He is immediate past chair-

man of Westmarc, a coalition of West Valley government, education and business lead-ers. He is chairman of the Victoria Foundation and a board member of the Valley of the Sun YMCA Hispanic/Latino Advisory Council. He is chief Business Development Officer at Naff & Associates Insurance Services.

He has come a long way since he first left the military and as a young man eager to both learn and change the sys-tem at home, started attend-ing city meetings “to see and understand what was happen-ing.”

Early on, he realized that education officials were not funding predominantly Latino schools so that they were on a par with schools elsewhere. He looked at the 32 schools in the Washington School District, one third of which are in mostly Latino south Phoenix, and learned that schools there were not getting funding for music, art and physical educa-tion which meant that at grad-uation time Latino students were not competitive in access to higher education.

He helped change all of that. He became a major figure in the business community. But he said that given the present climate of discrimination in Phoenix he can’t help feeling that “Those kinds of things are still happening today. In

some ways we have advanced. In some ways we have gone back.”

Othon is highly critical of SB1070. “They created all those lies,” he says of those who lobbied for the bill, includ-ing former State Sen. Russell Pearce, Governor Jan Brewer, former Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas, and Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. The “culture of fear,” he said, “as been ruinous for Arizona’s image.

“What Pearce has done,” Othon said, “has hurt our state. As director of eco-nomic development for APS, I would send teams to other states to recruit businesses. But because of Pearce and the others, we were a laughing stock. Businesses asked why their employees would want to go to a state that doesn’t properly educate children. Why would they want those children exposed to racism?

“Right now, I would say things are worse,” he said, com-pared with what he remembers from his youth. “Our (Latino) kids feel the effects of this racism. Anglo kids are ask-ing our kids, ‘Where are your papers?’

“This is blatantly worse than it was in the 1940s, 50s and 60s. In the 1940s it was “Get off the sidewalk. Our culture then was humble. We respected authority. We didn’t challenge. But we did get a good education.”

sons of the Legion

Phoenix native Pete Garcia succeeded Othon as President and CEO of Chicanos Por La Causa in 1984, but his work with the large social service organization dates all the way back to 1972. He has just stepped down as CPLC’s lead-er. He is 67 now, a big relaxed guy with a baritone’s voice. He also is a veteran. He often played football in Germany in 1962-65 when he was in the Army.

He has clear memories when he was a teenager, Garcia said, of “never going north of Van Buren and staying south of a ‘certain area.’

“It was not allowed,” he

we were radicals,” Joe Eddie said. It helped win the struggle for better medical services in south Phoenix. It helped bring curriculum reforms and better security at Phoenix union. young Mexican-Americans no longer were being steered into vocatio-nal training, They could aspire to become anything they wanted.

CPLC, born to activism, matu-red to become a major communi-ty development organization like unity Council in oakland, and TELACu (The East Los Angeles Community union). They were founded about the same time as CPLC.

Joe Eddie said honors came his way. He was offered fellows-hips or scholarships to yale university and the university of California’s Hastings Law School in San Francisco.

But he was too busy.Later, he served terms in both

the Arizona House and Senate from 1991 to 1996, representing District 22.

“My biggest regret,” he said, “is that perhaps because of our efforts in getting the organization going, we caused a lot of families to split up. I regret that. In talking to some of them, they often say now it wasn’t the best decision. They were sorry

it happened. I sometimes feel a little bad about those things.

“We chose to make the sacri-fice. I see now how I neglected my son and daughter. I just pray that they understand this. My son, Eddie, had a great love for camping. He had to do it alone. I knew then when I was neglecting them, but I couldn’t explain it to them. I couldn’t say it was becau-se we were doing something really important.”

Chicanos Por La Causa is now a large organization with hundreds of employees and massive community development programs affecting whole neigh-borhoods all across Arizona. The days of meeting in a small green building are long gone. The lega-cy and the memories are strong.

Joe Eddie and Rosie López have a great family, though they devoted a lot of their time to activist work. CouRTESy oF RoSIE AND JoE EDDIE LóPEz

Art Othon, former President of Chicanos Por La Causa. CARLoS CHAvEz/LA voz


said.But the military broadened

his exposure to the world out-side of the public housing proj-ect where he grew up in cen-tral Phoenix. One moment he was just a kid from Phoenix. The next moment, as a GI, he was monitoring the location of Soviet nuclear weapons in case the Russians decided to invade West Germany.

Returning to Phoenix, he decided to go to Phoenix College. Later he moved on to Arizona State University, earn-ing a degree in education in 1972. He also was a loyal mem-ber of Post 41, and he helped start Sons of the Legion.

Sons of the Legion included sons and daughters of veter-ans. It gave young Latinos the opportunity to learn about orga-nizing around Robert’s Rules of Order, and to go from being activists to providing opportu-nities for Chicano youth to get scholarships. In a way, mem-bers took the ideals veterans had fought for and began put-ting them into action.

“I did my homework there at the bar of the Legion” he said, laughing. “I am still a member. When I go there, everybody buys me a drink.”

Garcia cracks pretty good jokes.

But, like Othon, and other Arizona Latino leaders who have clear memories of the

injustices of the past, he does not joke about the injustices of the present.

“It’s a cultural shock for Anglos to come here and see the positions they (Latinos) are in, in terms of leadership,” he said. “Arizona is totally dif-ferent from other states. The food. The culture. The religion. They are all different.”

Anglo immigrants are sus-ceptible to input from fear mongers, Garcia said. The rhetoric of fear dominates the moment.

But this also is the time when Latinos have never been more successful: more young people are going to college, even though college is less and less affordable. There are more Latinos in professional and executive positions. Latino representation is growing in local and state politics. Latino organizations are becoming effective.

Rapid demographic chang-es are pointing to a future in Arizona where Hispanics will be the majority population and those who say ‘I want my coun-try back’ will be facing the inevitability of becoming the minority population.

It is a unique moment for the Latino community, Garcia said. It is a time of great opportunity and possibilities in terms of national influence. The immigration debate has intensified as these changes happen, maybe because of these changes.

On the one hand, the Anglo majority “has a fear of the Latino population. They fear the possibilities. There is a phobia about the future. We hear about illegals, drugs, beheadings in the desert.

There is fear that the (Latino) population will

revolt, or do some-thing bad.

a Hispanic governor

“But if you are objective, and you look at improve-ments made

by Latinos, what do you

see? There has

What is the foundation of the Chicano com-munity? It is family,

and the values of that family, and there are many tens of thousands of young Latinos in high school and college who have high ambition because there are generations of suc-cessful role models in those families.

Take the extended family of Phoenix attorney Daniel R. ortega Jr., known to family and friends as Danny. Danny ortega is in his third term as chairman of the board of the National Council of La Raza and he has been a relentless critic of SB1070 and Arizona politicians who backed that legislation. He also is a board member of the Cesar Chavez Foundation and since 1971 he has served 31 organizations in various positions.

ortega, born in El Paso, Texas, comes from a big family. Not so long ago it worked mostly in the fields. He reckons that more than 300 members from his father’s side of the family – uncles, aunts, cousins, brothers, sisters, and “all the children of those children,” plus more than 100 members from his mother’s family, live in the Phoenix area.

His father, Daniel R. ortega, born in Laveen but raised in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, and his mother, Elvira Avila ortega, born in Torreon, Coahuila, Mexico, had 8 children.

“of those 8 kids, 7 have bachelor’s degrees – 6 from ASu and the other from Grand Canyon College. of those 7, four have professional degrees. The remaining child is a com-

munity liaison worker for a Phoenix school district. ortega and his brothers and sisters spent much of their child-hood in both the American Southwest and in Juarez.

ortega has three children, all graduates, like their father, of Arizona State university. Reyna has a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing. Daniel III has a bachelor’s degree in political science and just received his law degree, passing the state bar on the first try. His other son, Miguel, has a degree in Physical Education and wants to be a high school PE teacher.

“If you talk to immigrants today,” said ortega, who is 60 and is a personal injury lawyer, “they are no different from my mom and dad. In the case of dad, he was a farm worker, but he had this dream that he would run a small business.

“It was a case of taking a negative and turning it into a positive. For my dad, salaried jobs were not available. He was Mexican. He didn’t have the education. However, the entrepreneurial spirit in a situation like that comes from opportunities denied in society.

“My dad never thought ‘They are not giving me jobs because I am a Mexican.’ He just said ‘I’m going to get ahead.’ Dad never said ‘Racism is holding me back.’ He always said. If you work hard you’ll be a success.’”

And his father was a suc-cess. He bought an old pickup truck in 1958 and started hau-ling vegetables and produce from the fields to the canne-ries, and he earned more inco-me from that than he would ever earn picking oranges or cotton.”

ortega’s father died 7

DAniEL ORTEgA:

It is up to us to stop the past from repeating again

“I never accepted the word ‘minority.’ It degrades me as a human been. I am with the majority, born and raised

in the United States.”

Daniel “Danny” Ortega Jr., lawyer and president of the board of the directors of the National Council of La Raza. CARLoS CHAvEz/LA voz

Pete Garcia, former presi-dent of CPLC and current president of the Victoria Foundation. CARLoS CHAvEz/LA voz


been a Latino governor. Latino city council members. Latino congressmen. All of us who have been working since the early 70s to improve the avail-ability of jobs and other things have a lot to be proud of.”

Garcia is proud of what he came from, as well as what he has done with his life.

His Victoria Foundation, a Phoenix philanthropic non-profit with offices at 12th Street and Buckeye Road, started up in 2008. It makes grants that impact economic development, education, arts and culture and affordable housing.

The foundation is named after his mother, Victoria. “I gave it her name,” he said, “because she saved me from going to the penitentiary. She was born in Pima, Arizona, near Safford. She got there in a covered wagon all the way from Silver City, New Mexico, where my grandfather owned a farm.

His upbringing was stormy, he said. “My mom was a single mother with severe arthritis. My dad was an alcoholic who torched the house. Out of that, Garcia made a life most people would envy. He even has fans and friends in far away Wales where he visits every now and then to see check on the prog-ress of the credit union he helped get off the ground.

The credit union now has 5,000 members, including many blue collar workers.

It is proof, he said, that expertise gained working for a Chicano social services orga-nization like CPLC is transfer-rable. He got a kick out of the fact that he, a former kid from the barrio, was able to chat with Prince Charles in Wales as a result of his work there. The Prince is better known as the Prince of Wales.

national Council of La raza’s roots

There is a much larger orga-nization than CPLC that works out of offices in Washington DC and lobbies in behalf of the Hispanic community in Congress and among leaders of industry. That organiza-tion is the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest Latino advocacy organization in the United States.

But the organization that gave birth to NCLR – the Southwest Council of La Raza (SCLR) – was founded in February, 1968, in Phoenix with funding from the Ford Foundation, the United Auto Workers, and the National Council of Churches.

Herman Gallegos, SCLR’s first executive director, was an activist who came out of the

wave of community organizing in the Bay Area in the 1950s and 60s, aided by self help mentors like Saul Alinsky and Fred Ross.

The organizing resulted in groups determined to effect social change in urban areas, and labor movements groups like that led by Cesar Chavez working in behalf of farm workers mostly in California and also in the Yuma, Arizona, area where Chavez was born in 1927.

Gallegos, now 81, was work-ing his way through college as a gas station attendant in San Jose when he first became involved with the Community Service Organization (CSO). He has spent a lifetime pursu-ing a commitment to empower Mexican-Americans and other disenfranchised minorities ever since.

In 1960, at the age of 25, Gallegos became president of the National Community Service Organization and then moved from community-based organizing to pioneering work with non-profits. With other visionary Latino leaders, he helped establish SCLR, select-ing Phoenix because it was a neutral ground between rival powerhouses of Hispanic activ-ism in Texas and California, yet Phoenix had a growing Latino population base and emerging Mexican-American leaders of its own.

He displayed an ability to create helpful dialogue both with grass roots activists, and with leaders of government and major companies. As a result, he became the first Latino to serve on the boards of publicly traded corporations, and on the boards of the Rockefeller and Rosenberg foundations, and the California Endowment.

Gallegos has a past rich in experience. But he is looking to the future. Future leader-ship, he said, cannot come about as the result “of one day workshops in leadership train-ing. Leadership happens when the marches are over.

“Also, when it is all said and done,” he said, “old orga-nizational blood should ensure that we invest in training and development of indigenous leadership. If you have an

Raul Castro was born in Sonora, Mexico but became the first Hispanic governor of Arizona and was U.S. ambassador. THE ARIzoNA REPuBLIC

years ago. His mother lives on Baseline Road in South Phoenix.

ortega said many of the estimated 75,000 undocu-mented immigrants and supporters marching on the state capital to protest SB 1070 in May, 2010, soon after Governor Jan Brewer sig-ned it into law, have similar dreams of starting a small business.

In his case, he said, he was working at the age of 5, helping to load and unload trucks coming from the fields. “At 8, I started mowing lawns. Then I got a newspaper route. My parents worked, worked, worked, as if there was nothing else to do. Work was the foundation of our family, the reason for its strength.”

ortega went to Phoenix union High School. He was a high achieving student. He was class president and he excelled at cross country athletics. Anglo kids had no trouble getting into pre-college classes. But ortega’s teachers urged him to take shop classes “good for being an auto mechanic or a sheet metal worker or some other trade that Chicanos did.” He dug in his heels, and got the classes that he wanted.

All around him in Arizona and the Southwest, Mexican-Americans were organizing. ortega did not have much political awareness. He was a high schooler who “was very proud of being of Mexican descent, proud of our music, our food, and our family structure.”

His first exposure to political action came when “ASu students with MASo (Mexican American Student organization organized in 1968) invited me to a LuLAC (League of united Latin American Citizens, founded in 1929 in Texas) meeting. I went, but mostly because I thought it get a scholarship to go to ASu.”

Instead there was a con-frontation between the two groups and ortega discove-

red he had much in common with MASo, founded by stu-dents like him.

He got his early mentoring in political action and aware-ness from activist veterans Joe Eddie Lopez and Rosie Lopez, who helped found Chicanos Por La Causa.

“I was only 17 then. MASo then invited me to a meeting at Joe Eddie’s house at 39th Avenue and Lewis. That house hosted so many meetings! They invited me to speak. It was all new to me, but I was happy to be around Mexican-Americans from the university. … From there, there was no turning back.”

It was an ideal time for a young Chicano to go to colle-ge, he said. The national stru-ggle for civil rights – already in its eighth year – was rallying the Latino, African-American, Native-American, and Asian communities. Congress, universities and foundations were prompted to begin offering scholar-ships. ortega won a Pell Grant. He passed the state bar in 1977.

ortega said Arizona is at a critical point in its destiny.

The worst of the anti-Latino, anti-immigrant, wave of prejudice, may be over, he said. “The pendulum is now swinging the other way. The middle class mainstream is beginning to say ‘This doesn’t feel right.’ States outside Arizona realize that politi-cians can ruin a state’s image – ruin it for business - which has happened here.

“I think we are going to get over this and come to a point where everyone recog-nizes that we (Chicanos) are contributors. We are going to be the majority in the future. It is up to Latinos to behave in a way that does not repeat the recent past. We need to have the vision to unders-tand what it means to be the ‘majority’.

“I never accepted the word ‘minority.’ It demeans me as a human being. I am with the majority, American-born and raised.”


employment program and that person gets a job and becomes a couch potato, that is not good. You have to give back to the community.”

That was a less learned when he was a young organizer.

It was a lesson that served him well in Phoenix when the SCLR first began flexing its muscles. It was one thing for SCLR to give a loan that in theory would help establish Unity Council in Oakland, an investment which upset crit-ics of community organizing in Congress. It took guts to then adapt to the Ford Foundation’s demand that SCLR invest only in “hard projects” which could be monitored and cause pro-ductive changes in troubled communities.

Gallegos left SCLR in 1970 when it moved to Washington DC to be closer to the center of political power and became NCLR. He lives in the San Francisco area today.

African Americans had their National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) which laid out a program of change backed up by the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Economic Opportunity Act that same year.

That legislation, howev-er, did little to help advance Mexican-Americans. There were no Mexican-American colleges. Powerful foundations that were a source of finan-cial grants had only a mini-mal awareness of the Latino community. But with NCLR, Latinos were finally being heard in Congress.

Alex Zermeno, who is now 74, also worked out of the Phoenix headquarters of SCLR. He lives in Woodland, near Sacramento, California.

He graduated from San Jose State University and then received a Masters of Public Administration from Harvard University. Later he was NCLR’s deputy director and was a founding member of Oakland’s Unity Council, serv-ing on that board for 15 years.

From Phoenix to dC

In 1992 Zermeno was appointed to the Human Rights Commission of Contra Costa

County. Skilled organizers were important in the early days of community activism in places like Phoenix and Oakland. But war veterans provided the drive and deter-mination. “Thank God for those vets,” Zermeno said. “That was the purpose of the Southwest Council…to build one voice, to harness all that energy brought home by those veterans, to influence DC to create social services.”

Zermeno chuckled as he recalled the Ford Foundation’s frantic signals to stop “agi-tating” and halt “giving away money with no strings attached.” The Foundation was under pressure from Congress to assist with community development that could be audited and monitored, instead of financing “agitation.” SCLR sent him to Washington to open an office there to better under-stand the mood in Congress.

He said that Phoenix was “a safe place to be” for a Latino organization attempt-ing to confront Congress. “In terms of national politics, the Republicans hated us. But (Barry) Goldwater was pret-ty decent. He had an under-standing of what Latinos in the Southwest were all about. We were learning what the rules were.”

SCLR’s modest offices in a building on Adams in down-town Phoenix were a cockpit to watch what Latino activ-ists were trying to do nation-wide. Cesar Chavez and the United Farmworkers Union were doing their thing. Young leaders in Phoenix were estab-

lishing Chicanos Por La Causa. “Cesar and CPLC were sort of rivals,” he said.

“We were trying to under-stand Chicano politics. California could not deal with Texas. New Mexico had ruth-less politics. Colorado had its problems. There was inter-nal warfare among Chicano leaders. Arizona was middle ground and Phoenix was a safe place for Chicanos. It was a kind of ‘nothing is happening’ place.”

Everyone was on edge. “Eventually we (SCLR) broke up and we gave a $10,000 grant to CPLC. I thought it was a good investment,” he said. “I almost got fired for that. But, the nice thing about CPLC was that it produced good results. They did not abuse the money. They set up good programs. And they knew politics.”

the miners’ struggles

It has been 30 years since the strike by the mostly Mexican-American mine work-ers against the Phelps Dodge Corporation’s open pit copper operation in Clifton/Morenci. The bitter labor struggle lasted from 1983-86. Mexican immigrants built and founded the city of Clifton and they gambled everything – their livelihood, their homes, their small town culture and neigh-borhoods – when they walked out for better wages and work-ing conditions.

They fought and lost. The strike was the last hur-rah for Latino labor organiz-

ers. Phelps Dodge brought in replacements, both Anglo and Latino, to work the mine and break the strike. The strikers confronted the hated “scabs” but Gov. Bruce Babbitt sent in hundreds of state policemen to keep order, which in effect meant blocking the ability of the strikers to shut down the plant.

Out of this white hot battle, two unlikely heroes emerged. Dr. Jorge O’Leary and his wife, Anna Maria Ochoa O’Leary, were heroes as far as the strikers were concerned. The company did not know quite what to make of them when they became, in effect, spiri-tual leaders of the strike even though they were not miners.

Dr. O’Leary had been the company doctor but Phelps Dodge fired him when he sided with the strikers and opened the “People’s Clinic” in a for-mer feed store.

The doctor, born in Hermosillo, Sonora, had a fiery, rebel streak in him which he attributed to his Yaqui and Irish ancestors. Anna O’Leary was born in Clifton into a mining family. While Doctor O’Leary delivered babies, bound up wounds suffered in clashes, and denounced his for-mer employers, his wife began organizing Clifton’s women who became a force to be reck-oned with on the picket line.

The doctor, now 71, retired some years ago. But he got bored and is practicing med-icine again in Tucson. Anna O’Leary, 57, is assistant pro-fessor of Mexican-American Studies at the University of Arizona, examining migration and immigration issues with a focus on gender.

Doctor O’Leary looks back on the strike experience with nostalgia and sadness.

“The unions lost,” he said. “If we had won, it would be history.

“The Democratic Party didn’t help, although the Governor was a Democrat…During those political times Presidents Regan and Bush were against unions. Arizona Governors were anti-union.” The strikers were proud, but that was not enough.

Surprisingly, O’Leary

said the present moment in American history gives him some hope that the labor move-ment, which at times helped Latino workers earn wage par-ity and benefits, may have life in it yet despite decreasing numbers of members.

“In the last couple of years I have seen signs of strength,” he said. “When wallets get thin, people get organized.”

For Mexican-Americans, getting organized means get-ting out the vote, O’Leary said, so that the community can earn meaningful respect at the national level. Voting power, plus more Latino membership in unions, could mean politi-cal power, and not much will change until Latinos see their fast growing strength in num-bers translated into elected officials at all levels of govern-ment.

Anna O’Leary said that her studies are revealing the size and power of the Latino work force across the United States. “Latinos make up the bulk of the working class across this country,” she said. “By and large, Chicano and Mexican-Americans have made up 75 per cent of the working class, and that has not changed in 100 years, with or without immi-gration.”

Globalization vs jobs

Globalization has meant that many Americans have seen their jobs go overseas where wages are lower. But Latinos have shown resiliency. Some work categories are now domi-nated by Hispanics. “You can’t move some jobs overseas,” she said. “Restaurant workers. The hotel industry. Many service jobs…those have to be done here.

“Those are the jobs we are locked into as Mexican-Americans because we are not able to go to college. Because we are locked into being the working class it really keeps our population from nurturing the economy and from having a say in the intellectual direc-tion of the country.”

Arizona’s more recent role as a receiver of large numbers of immigrants, she said, means that eventual the presently

In the 1970’s, the government violently suppressed a strike move-ment in Arizona’s mining towns where most workers were Mexican-American. THE ARIzoNA REPuBLIC


soured political climate will have to change. “Descendents of immigrants – their children – can vote. Their children are going to be the foot soldiers of the Mexican-American people and they won’t stand for their parents receiving abusive treatment.”

In many ways, the Latino experience in the border communities of Arizona has been distinctly different from what has happened in Tucson, Phoenix and other cities that do not have daily contact with Mexico.

A greater percentage of residents in the Somerton and San Luis area, and in Nogales, Naco and Douglas, speak Spanish, although many of them acknowledge that their daily language has become a mix of Spanish and English. They may have frequent con-tact with relatives in Sonora. Latinos are the majority popu-lation in these communities.

But their daily language, more often than not, is a mix of Spanish and English. Their families may have lived in those border towns since the 1880s..

Ray Borane Jr., a Douglas native, served 12 years mayor, stepping down in 2008. He is a former superintendent of schools in Douglas, and taught Spanish in Douglas schools after studying languages at universities in Bogota, Colombia, and Guadalajara, Mexico. He is a former deputy State Superintendent of Public Instruction. In his youth he was an FBI special agent in Washington, DC.

At this time. Borane serves on the Southwest Border Task Force as an advisor to Homeland Security director Janet Napolitano. He is fre-quently interviewed on news programs, he has written Op-Ed pieces on immigration in the New York Times, and he has been an outspoken critic of SB1070, vigilantes, and border fences.

the border’s way

Borane, 73, was born into a Lebanese-Mexican family in one of the poorest neigh-borhoods in Douglas: Barrio

de le Hilacha (hilacha means ‘ragged’).

“I have been bilingual all my life,” he said. “Spanish was my first language. My dad (who was assistant port direc-tor of the border crossing) spoke English. But my mother spoke Spanish at our home.” His maternal grandmother was born in Arizpe, Sonora.

“There is a tremendous difference in growing up in a community away from the border, and what life is like here. Douglas and Agua Prieta (the much larger neighboring Sonora city) were one com-munity as far as Latinos were concerned.

“We went back and forth with ease.” Borane said “mil-itarization of the border” is destroying those connections. “My mother was part-Mexican and constantly going across the border to visit family and friends. We shared the music, the language, the food, the cul-ture.”

Latinos may have been the majority in Douglas. But Anglos often dominated city government, businesses and the school system. The last Census showed that 86 per cent of the 14,500 people living in Douglas are Latino.

“When I coached basketball years ago, all my kids spoke Spanish. A Tucson newspaper covered one of our games and they wrote, ‘If you play basket-ball for Ray Borane you have to speak Spanish.’

“That caused a big negative reaction in Douglas, he said. “The superintendent called me into his office and he said that a board member had objected.

‘Ray,’ he said. ‘You have to speak English.’ I said, ‘I have to speak what the kids are comfortable with.’ He didn’t really take any action. He was just going through the motions of reprimanding me.”

Borane says he remem-bers separate home rooms for Anglo and Latino children in junior high school. “If an Anglo girl dated a Mexican, they talked about her. It wasn’t acceptable. Some Anglo fami-lies they became very upset, very upset by it.” There were separate dressing rooms and showers for workers at the Phelps Dodge smelter, which closed in the early 1980s.

Unlike the big cities, equal-ity demands by Latinos were rare. In a small city, discrimi-nation mostly died a quiet death as Hispanics gained political clout. It still exists, but in Douglas, with old neigh-borhoods where people know each other, such issues rarely create controversy.

Exceptions have been the prosecution in 1980 and in 2009 of Anglo ranchers for alleg-edly assaulting undocumented immigrants they stopped and detained on their property located near Douglas.

Borane said he received death threats in his second term in office as mayor when vigilante groups said they would come to Douglas and he convinced the city council to pass a resolution “saying you are not welcome in our town.”

Borane says that hate rhet-oric has not persuaded him to back down. It also has not caused him to sever his ties with life in neighboring Agua

Prieta. His efforts have been appreciated in that Mexican city of 200,000 people: a neigh-borhood there has been named “Colonia Ray Borane” and the mayor of Agua Prieta, a cattle-man named Vicente Teran, has signed up Borane to be his adviser on border issues.

determination in their dna

Some Arizona Latino fami-lies have had determination and ambition in their DNA for long, long time.

Art Ruiz, for example, who is the new director of State Farm’s Multicultural Business Development Group, has been with the insurance company for 31 years. Recently, the company “lent” him to help start Arizona State University’s Center for Community Development and Civil Rights, which had been founded by Raul Yzaguirre, former CEO of the National Council of La Raza. Ruiz also serves on the board of the Raza Development Fund in Phoenix.

Ruiz, 63, was born in Bisbee. He said his family has lived, and prospered, in Arizona for more than 100 years.

His paternal grandpar-ents came from Bacoachi, Sonora, and Chihuahua. His maternal grandparents were from Alamos and Hermosillo, Sonora. Part of the family was Flemish, originally from Belgium.

Some of those grandpar-ents were ranchers and busi-ness people in Mexico. They came north during the period from 1908 to 1911 to escape unrest, caused by the Mexican Revolution, in Sonora. They went into business or worked in the mines after they relocated to Arizona. His father, Arturo, worked in the copper mine in Bisbee. An uncle, Rafael Ruiz, was the first Hispanic elect-ed to the Bisbee City Council. A cousin was postmaster in Bisbee

Ruiz, who only lived in Bisbee until he was 2, said his family moved out after subtle urging from a Doctor Silva who worked at the Phelps Dodge company hospital.

He said the doctor deliv-ering him asked his mother

if she intended to have 8 chil-dren, like her mother. Then the doctor asked his father, ‘Do you want to get black lung disease (a fatal lung disease caused by dust inside mines)?’ His parents soon moved first to Tucson and then to south-ern California where his father went into sheet metal work.

His parents had only one more child. His dad did not get lung disease. His mother, Bertha Ruiz, went to school after she was widowed. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish at the age of 55. One year later she earned a master’s degree She worked several jobs with the State of California. Bertha will be 85 in May: she is retired and lives in Oro Valley just north of Tucson.

Ruiz said that in discussions with his mother he has learned that some schools attached to mining camps offered a good education.

These schools also were often segregated. “My mom was a straight A student in school,” he said. “Her friend, Pearl Rojo, asked my mom why her name was not on the A list posted at the school. She went looking for her name – Bertha Navarro – and it was true.” Her name was not men-tioned. “Was this because she was Mexican?” Ruiz asked. “It makes you wonder.”

Ruiz said that when he was a youngster, Latino veterans of the World War II had already

Rey Borane, former mayor of Douglas (bottom left) with his bas-ketball team. CouRTESy oF REy BoRANE JR.

Art Ruiz, State Farm Insurance


laid the groundwork to change the discrimination status quo.

The practice of paying Anglos miners much more than Hispanics doing exactly the same work came to an end. Segregated schools merged. “The soldiers came back to the United States having served and they said, ‘We paid our dues. We are Americans. We were born here.’ They took advantage of the GI Bill. There was to be no more nonsense for them.”

democrat and republican

Armando Ruiz (not related to Art Ruiz), who served in the Arizona House and Senate from 1983-93, said that he is a strong believer in the fact that what he calls “The 3 Fs” – Faith, Family, and Food and Fiesta – have sus-tained Mexican-Americans for decades, through times good and bad.

Those qualities, he said, are special and will enable the community to strongly influ-ence the direction of the United States now and in the future. “They (Latinos) will shape the conscience of the country and the future of Arizona,” Ruiz said.

“Neither party – Republican or Democrat – has yet cap-tured the loyalties of this large voting block. Hispanics are in a position to influence the live of this country.”

Ruiz, 55, said he is fortu-nate to have had “a unique life experience” which has enabled him to be optimistic, to view issues from all sides, and not

be haunted or encumbered by injustices of the past.

He was born in Lordsburg, New Mexico. His parents settled in south Phoenix near Central Avenue. He said “they had the foresight to send me” to Brophy High School. “I was from south Phoenix but I was educated with middle class kids. I had the experience of living in both worlds.”

He was a Democrat. But he also went to work for for-mer Republican Gov. Fyfe Symington as executive assis-tant. “I got the perspective of working for both parties.”

After his work in govern-ment, Ruiz went into Catholic lay missionary work. He did a marriage ministry and last year founded Missionaries of Mary.

In addition, he helped estab-lish three “Espiritu” char-ter schools in Phoenix, built around a legacy grant from the National Football League’s pro-ceeds from two Super Bowls.

My experiences have given me a unique perspective,” Ruiz said.

“I have always been aware of the struggles (for equal rights) and the leaders in those struggles. But at the same time I was aware of the fruits of those struggles. Because I was younger, I was able to enjoy being involved in politics and the new media.”

He said he believes Arizona is “in a new time” in its history. It is a pivotal moment, he said, that fills him with hope.

“The sheer numbers of Latinos in Arizona are chang-ing society,” Ruiz said. “Those

numbers will allow Hispanics to mold the conscience of this country.”

He said the 3 Fs are com-mon to both Hispanic Catholics and evangelicals.

“Faith shapes the perspec-tives of life,” he said, “and desires of what that life should look like.

“The extended family expe-rience – the grandparents, the uncles, the aunts, the cousins, the children and grandchildren – is very different from most other communities. Food and fiesta: that is all about the idea that life should be celebrated. We celebrate the hard times: the funerals. We celebrate the good things: births and birth-days.”

Miguel Montiel, Southwest Borderlands Scholar and Professor Emeritus in the School of Transborder Studies of Chicano Studies at Arizona State University, was born in Nogales, Arizona. He received his doctorate at the University of California, Berkeley. Montiel’s father, born in Phoenix, was from a family of “great landowners and ranch-ers” from Magdalena, Sonora, who were “castaways,” he said, “because they backed the wrong side” in the Mexican Revolution. His mother is from Tepic, Nayarit, in Mexico.“I am different” said the 70-year-old Montiel, who during the early years of Chicano activism was both academic and activist, a voice that lent good counsel, and ardent and familiar advo-cate for Mexican-Americans both in the universities and in the streets. “My perspective is both” Mexican-American and college professor. “As a kid I used to go to the village in Mexico” where his father’s people were from.

Montiel first came to ASU in 1974 and held assignments in social work, at the Hispanic Research Center and in public affairs. In the 1980's, he served as assistant vice president for academic affairs. It was dur-ing this period that he attend-ed the Institute of Educational Management at Harvard University. He worked for the City of Phoenix as a loaned executive, chaired the city’s Human Services Commission,

and served on the Board of the Arizona Center for Public Policy and as a member of the Arizona Judicial Council. His most recent book is Resolana: Emerging Chicano Dialogues in Community and Globalization, published in 2009, a study of how Latinos gather, talk and decide on a course of action.

Observer of the Chicano struggle

Over the years, Montiel has become both an astute observer of efforts by Arizona Chicanos to organize their community, and he also has lent advice from the Academic sidelines to those organizing many of the pioneer Latino community groups. He said he believes the Mexican-American communi-ty as, “no different from any group” of people in Arizona. “The Mormons, settlers, Native Americans … all these groups have melded together, some better than others.”But Latinos, he said, “blended into the fabric” of the founding and making of Arizona from its earliest days as a territory and then as a state. Mexican-American “made great contri-butions to the defense of this country in World War II and in Iraq, although I don’t know how much of a contribution they made when they went to Vietnam. They have been a very brave people. You can’t point to their great wealth, but you have to recognize their industry and the personal sacrifices.“Their ‘rich’ part is their history,” Montiel said. However, their accomplish-ments are often lost or ignored by other Arizonans because “we are the people who lost (as a result of the Mexican-American War and the Gadsden Purchase). The people who won get to write our history.”

But what about future histo-ry? Will the inevi-table Latino major-ity in the state result in Latino power in government, in com-merce and industry, in access

to the kind of housing and neighborhoods that are home to so many Anglos? “Numbers and birthrate are not the best indicator of what is going to happen in the future,” he said. Birthrate will remain high. “Immigration is strictly a func-tion of economics. It happens where there are good opportu-nities. If things improve eco-nomically in Arizona, there will be a pickup in immigration.”

Looming ahead, he said, is “a generational gap.” That gap – a difference in how things will be done in Latino organiza-tions and even in Latino fami-lies – is probably already here. He quoted Spanish philosopher Jose Ortega y Gasset (author of Revolt of the Masses, 1930) as saying “what propels history if generations are in accord with each other.” The generation of Mexican-Americans who won their leadership and organiz-ing spurs in the 1960s and 1970s “is not in accord with young people.” That fact, like the demographic change and getting out the Chicano vote, is going to affect what happens in the next century.

sitting next to Jan Brewer

Mexican-Americans in Arizona are increasingly earn-ing recognition in the arts: painting, ceramics, crafts,

Bertha Navarro

Armando Ruiz, former State Senator. CARLoS CHAvEz/LA voz

Stella Pope Duarte, well-known Latina writer. CARLoS CHAvEz/LA voz


sculpture, music and litera-ture.

Stella Pope Duarte, who was raised in the Sonorita barrio in south Phoenix, did not start writing until 1995.

But she has already received national recognition for her two novels and two collections of stories, all of which deal with the experiences of Latinas.

Her most recent novel, the American Book Award-winning If I Die In Juarez, focuses on the wave of mur-ders of young women, most of whom are maquiladora work-ers, in Ciudad Juarez, which shares the border with El Paso, Texas. Her most recent pub-lished work is Women Who Live In Coffee Shops and Other Stories, published in 2010.

The current climate of hos-tility on some parts of Arizona toward Latinos has historical

roots in Anglo attitudes toward Mexico and Chicanos, Duarte said.

“I call it backlash and scapegoating,” she said. “When things are bad, blame it on drugs.

If it is unemployment, it is caused by these Mexicans here. It’s all about ‘We are going to

find ways to get them out of here.’

“This is not new. A backlash is nothing new. I didn’t know this kind of thing would come

back. It’s sad they would use it again, that they would say.’ The reason why we are in this

bad economic situation is that these people are taking

our jobs.’ Duarte said that at a recent

ceremony at Phoenix College celebrating the 90th anniver-sary

of the founding of the school, she was invited to take a seat on the stage along with

Governor Brewer. “I said, ‘This governor has done noth-ing but come after the Latino

population and I won’t sit on stage with her.’”

She said she has had posi-tive dialogues with Anglo audi-ences when she talks about her

books and her view of con-temporary Arizona. At a recent speech she gave before 800

people from the mostly Anglo retiree community of Green Valley south of Tucson, “I

told them I am from the Mexican nation, the nation of the Aztecs and the Mayas. They

didn’t know that. But it’s not their fault they didn’t know.”

Duarte sees a very positive force in the next 25 years. She says “we know what we need

to do. So let’s get it done.” In addition, organized vot-

ing by Latinos “will change the ability of Anglos to persecute

us. The voting we see now is already showing that. Instead of saying ‘We hope, we

hope,’ and crossing our fin-gers, we are not doing that anymore. We are learning how

to use organized power. (Senator Russell) Pearce is ousted. (Maricopa County

Sheriff Joe) Arpaio is next.“The truth about Anglos is

that once the fear is gone, they are not afraid of Latinos. And

that fear of us is definitely dissipated among young peo-ple.”

a basketball referee

Tommy Nunez, 73, of Phoenix was the first Latino referee in the National Basketball

Association. He is an opti-mistic, high energy, former Marine Corps corporal who grew up at 9th Street and Washington and whose life continues to be packed with acclaim and accomplishments.

He is self-effacing too. His colorful life with the NBA, he said, “is no big deal.” Prejudice and discrimination exist, but he does not let it get to him. There is too much to enjoy, he said.

Nunez played some basket-ball. “But I was more of a bench warmer,” he said. “The thing about bench warmers is that they can make good refer-ees because they become good observers. That was me. That’s how I got into refereeing.”

When the Phoenix Suns franchise was started in 1968, Nunez said, he went to work for the team. By 1970 he was refereeing the occasional “rookie game” for the Suns. In 1971 there were many more rookie games. In 1972, he was

invited to referee some pre-season games. And in 1973 he signed on full time with the NBA, spending “30 years on the floor” and 5 years with NBA administration.

“I don’t make any big deal out of all of this,” Nunez said. He was lucky he was a kid from Phoenix and the Suns started playing here. No one selected him to be “the first Latino” referee. He got that job because he was good at it, that’s all, he said.

There is another side to Nunez: his deep connections with the Phoenix Chicano com-munity and his willingness to work with Latino youth.

He became involved with the birth of a summer youth program in 1974 at the urging of Chicanos Por La Causa. He worked with state officials for 20 summers to put on sports programs for disadvantaged youngsters.

For 31 years he has been running a Labor Day Weekend basketball extravaganza – The

National Hispanic Basketball Classic – which has grown to include 72 teams playing 167 games in 6 gym-nasiums.

Nunez said he is too busy to worry much about anti-Latino sentiments.

“It’s about 10 per cent – that’s about it – of people who don’t like us. Most of them are from out of town. Most of

them haven’t spent much time around Mexicans.

“We get a lot of bad public-ity be cause of what is happen-ing on the border. Yes, there are people who are anti-Latino. But as far as I am concerned, this is not about a struggle for acceptance. There will always be racists and racism.

“The good thing is that there are more and more intelligent, well-educated Latinos. When I was a young man I didn’t go to college. Most of us didn’t go to college. We had to go to work. It was the sons and daughters of miners who led the way, who started going to college because their parents raised them to do that. I think that was just great.”

Fiestas Patrias for everybody

Doctor Mary Jo Franco French, a dynamic woman whose energies have touched and improved lives in both the United States and Mexico, was born in Phoenix in January, 1936.

Her parents were Jesus Franco, Mexico’s consul in Phoenix, and Josefina Carrascoso de Franco, publish-er and editor of the Spanish language weekly newspaper, El Sol.

She married Doctor Alfred Robert French, an ophthalmol-

Tommy Nuñez of Phoenix was the first NBA Hispanic referee. CARLoS CHAvEz/LA voz

For many years Dr. Mary Jo Franco French spearheaded the Independence Day celebrations. CARLoS CHAvEz/LA voz


The Raza Development Fund (RDF), founded in Washington D.C in 1998, is a unique entity.

Technically it is called a “com-munity development financial institution.”

It is a bank. But it is a not-for-profit bank. It also is not a bank where customers do personal banking and write checks.

Born out of the fight for equal rights waged by the Chicano Movement, RDF’s purpose is to lend funds to community organizations seeking to build or improve charter schools, health clinics, community centers and affordable housing, primarily to serve Latino and poor families in com-munities all over the united States.

The roots of RDF are linked to the birth of the Chicanos Movement and organi-zations like Chicanos Por La Causa, which began in Phoenix in 1969 as an activist orga-nization and later became a Community Development Corporation. RDF is also linked to the growth of the National Council of La Raza, the largest Latino civil rights organi-zation in the united States, and is, in fact, a support corporation to NCLR.

The key figure behind the genesis of the Hope Fund, now RDF, is Tommy Espinoza, the fund’s President and CEo. Espinoza, who was born in a South Phoenix barrio, was assisted by a team of community development experts and visionaries in persuading Bank of America, State Farm Insurance, Citi Bank and several major American corporations to help bring it to life financially.

Espinoza is not a banker himself. But early on in life he saw his community’s need and he had the vision.

He did his share of picketing in the days when Chicanos in Phoenix were building CPLC in order to challenge the status quo – a status quo which dictated that Mexican-Americans worked mostly as laborers and which did not offer quality education for the children of the barrios. Like other key CPLC leaders, Espinoza also worked to gain political power for the Chicano community.

Embodied in RDF is a philosophy also connected with Espinoza’s past and pre-sent: the need to serve Latino families and, above all, and the kind of guidance and desire to help the poor that comes from his Mexican family upbringing, devotion to the virgen de Guadalupe and being a

devout Catholic.He had experiences as a youth with dis-

crimination and resolved to fight against injustice from an early age. In the late 1960s, demands for civil rights and equa-lity came from all the nation’s minorities. It was a time when young Chicanos in Phoenix began creating CPLC, valle De Sol and organizing the Latino barrios of Phoenix to make demands on the city, school districts, and on banks.

Espinoza, who had been working for the city creating programs for Latino youngsters, volunteered to install carpets for free at CPLC and got to know CPLC pioneers like Joe Eddie Lopez, Ronnie Lopez, Danny valenzuela and Luz Baeza, Antonio Diaz . For the first time in his life “I was doing something for a cause – for the Movimiento (Chicano Movement),” he said.

Chicano tactics and expectations were changing rapidly. “Ronnie Lopez Executive Director of CPLC was smart,” Espinoza said. “He unders-tood the power of politics. He knew where to take CPLC.”

The Chicano leaders decided to become involved with all the 1972 Democratic Party’s Presidential candidates, who also included New york Mayor John Lindsay, a former Republican.

It was a brilliant tactic, Espinoza said, because for the first time it gave Chicanos access to political positions formerly denied to them. Espinoza became a Lindsay dele-gate. Alfredo Gutierrez was elected to the state Senate. Joe Eddie Lopez was elected to the county Board of Supervisors. “This gave the Chicano Community a sense of success. It had created political power.”

But Nixon was elected. Most federal programs which helped community orga-nizations like CPLC were frozen. In 1974, Espinoza became CPLC executive director, a position he would hold for a decade, and he began attempting to talk with leading public officials in Arizona.

A dialogue was established with Phoenix Mayor Margret Hance. NCLR had opened offices in Washington D.C in 1974

and Raul yzaguirre, CEo of NCLR, allowed Espinoza to use NCLR facilities and access leaders in Congress.

He also decided to get real estate and mortgage broker licenses. CPLC now was able to work from within the business establishment. When Espinoza left CPLC in 1984, he had ensured that its board mem-bers were elected from within the Latino community so that CPLC leaders could be truly aware of community needs.

He wanted to push for economic deve-lopment. When he did that, elected board members like Lupe Huerta asked him, ‘ok. But what are you doing for the elderly? We need a community center. We need affordable housing.’”

As a result, in 1980, apartment com-plexes like Casa de Primavera – a $5.45 million project with 163 units - were built. CPLC, using this asset base to leverage more building, was recognized as one of the nation’s strongest community develop-

ment organizations.It also got

Espinoza invited to a meeting at the White House with President Carter, with Graciela Gil olivarez, the Phoenix Spanish-

language radio personality who was a childhood mentor, in attendance. She helped CPLC get access to large grants. At the same time, yzaguirre made pho-nes calls supporting CPLC’s efforts to get more funding. In the mid 1970s, when NCLR expanded its membership to include all u.S. Latinos and became the largest Hispanic civil rights organization, Espinoza was selected as a board member.

Looking back on that period, Espinoza said “The success of CPLC was not so much the buildings we built. It was the young leadership developed from our dream team” that built the organization. These personalities included Elisa de La vara, Peggy Hirsch, Art othon, Pete Garcia, Art Portillo, Ralph velez, Larry Chavez, Danny ortega and Judge Noel Fidel, the first non-Chicano to be CPLC Board Chair (1978-82) to name a few.

yzaguirre called Espinoza in 1997 and asked him to come to Washington to run

community development projects and reconfigure NCLR’s relationships with its affiliates. He looked at the framework yzaguirre had created that linked the millions of Latinos and he realized that there was no way that NCLR could provide grants to all of those affiliates and neigh-borhoods needing help.

In 1998, he used his experience with CPLC, and his business and political knowledge, to develop something new: Partnerships of Hope.

“This was an idea,” he said, “that takes the best from Saint Mother Theresa’s orga-nization (in the slums of Calcutta) and uses it for our community. She built an interna-tional community development organiza-tion. She started schools and hospices for the dying. She helped the poor. This was all a matter of practicality and faith.”

With the help of Mark van Brunt, Charles Kamasaki, Bernardo Ramirez, Arabella Martinez and yzaguirre, the idea became the Hope Fund now RDF. Espinoza was named President and CEo. van Brunt is Chief operating officer. Kamasaki served as board member and is NCLR’s Executive vice President. RDF established its headquarters in Phoenix were it presently operates.

RDF was designed to lend money to projects originating from the community up. Communities wishing to establish char-ter schools, health clinics and community centers contact RDF with funding requests. RDF assesses those requests and finances the best of them, closely monitoring their progress and giving advice as the projects get underway. But in order to accomplish its mission to serve Latino and poor families RDF needed national financing partners to believe in its vision to provide capital to develop community development projects, the first to join in RDF's Hope Fund part-nership was Bank of America, State Farm Insurance and Citi Bank.

“With our financial partners we have leveraged over $1 billion of loans since the birth of RDF,” he said. “We have $70 million-plus loans in our por-tfolio. “All of that passion, expertise and experience that came out of the Chicano Movement, ended up creating the largest Latino community develo-pment bank in the country,” Espinoza said.

Raza Development Fund: Building the future on our past strengths Family Faith Charity


ogist. The couple has delight-ed in being involved in com-munity affairs at all levels.

Mary Jo attended Xavier High School and gradu-ated from Arizona State University.

But she earned her medi-cal degree at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico. She served with Mexico’s Ministry of Health and Welfare, Mexico City’s 1968 Olympic Games Medical Committee, and the National Institute of Nutrition of Mexico. In 1952, in behalf of the Mexican commu-nity of Phoenix, she presented a medal to President Miguel Aleman of Mexico.

In Phoenix, Mary Jo was publisher and editor of El Sol from 1970-80. She handled various assignments from the Diocese of Phoenix during the Papal visit of 1987, and did work for Alma de la Gente. She was a member of the U.S. Defense Advisory Committee for Women in the Services. She was Executive Director of the Hispanic Health Coalition.

As a woman knowledge-able with both Mexican history and culture, and the lives of Mexican-Americans in Arizona, she took it upon herself to make sure that one’s Mexican heritage could be celebrated in Phoenix, with gusto.

Her parents, and later Mary Jo herself, were orga-nizers of Fiesta Patrias on a grand scale, making it not only popular – especially dur-ing the 1960s - with Latinos, but also with Anglos who she said had tended not to socialize much with Mexican-Americans.

Fiestas Patria as one big event free and open to all to enjoy, was popular for a long time. But more recently the celebration has become frag-mented and “commercial.”

Mary Jo said the first Fiestas Patrias started in the early 1920s with what she said were “little events.” The cele-bration was not city-wide until 1936. She has an original pro-gram for the 1936 event when her father was President of the Mexican Blue Cross.

“When my dad first came to Phoenix there was a lot of dis-crimination. But the fiestas were

the beginning of some under-standing between the Anglo and Hispanic communities.”

Eventually, “Fiestas Patrias became a really, really large event. There was the corona-tion of the queen. There was the ‘Grito’. In the 1930s there was the grand banquet to which all the Anglo authorities were invited.

“But now it has all become commercialized. That’s too bad. There are even low riders, which don’t have any historical significance in Mexico. Now the events make a lot of money. They even charge to get in.

“There is no single unified Fiesta Patrias anymore. It was a very important event. You could say that in the 1960s, Fiestas Patrias was actually the beginning of the socializa-tion of the two groups (Anglos and Latinos). A lot of Anglos used to go.”

The celebration helped end some of the more outrageous discrimination, she said.

“When my mom and dad first came to Phoenix, Riverside Park on South Central had a swimming pool. There was a sign there: ‘No Mexicans or Dogs Allowed.’ Sometime in the mid-1950s my dad got the mayor of Phoenix

to remove that sign.“The bishop and St. Mary’s

(Basilica) decided (in 1919) that Hispanics could not go to mass with everyone: they had to go in the basement – even though 3,000 Mexican Catholics living in Phoenix help raise the funds to build the church in 1881.

Spanish was not spoken at masses in the basement. Immigrants missed the music and pageantry of masses back in Mexico. That is why Hispanics built Immaculate Heart Church (dedicated in 1928 at 909 E. Washington).

“There were places where Mexican people simply could not go,” Mary Jo said. “There were restaurants that wouldn’t serve them. Children were not allowed to speak Spanish at school. But in the 1950s, all of that started slowly going away.”

Some institutions that shunned Latinos, such as the Arizona National Guard, sud-denly had lots of Latino mem-bers. In the 1970s - she said - “there was an artillery brigade of all Mexican kids from small towns.”

The present situation, she said, “is sinister.” On a recent trip back from Nogales

it seemed at an immigration checkpoint “as if they were stopping every single person who had dark skin. I say it the discrimination is sinister, or veiled, because it comes from officials. Every time it is brought up they say it doesn’t happen.

“But what I know makes me think. It makes me real-ize that it (prejudice) is much more widespread than you might think. People like Arpaio represent evil of some sort. They represent non-car-ing hearts. There have been times in history where there have been people like that.”

Father Tony Sotelo served for 13 years at Immaculate Heart, from 1985 until 1998. He has been in Arizona since 1977 and he was also par-ish priest at Saint Catherine of Siena and Saint Augustine churches in Phoenix. Nowadays he celebrates mass at federal prisons every day except Saturday, the Lewis and Maryvale state pris-ons, and at the Durango and Estrella county jails.

a priest of the people

Father Sotelo, 79, has long been what could be called “a

people’s priest.” He marched with the tens of thousands of immigrants on the state capitol in May, 2010, to protest SB1070. He has been involved in scores of protests and demonstra-tions.

But he believes in dialogue.“I encourage people to talk

to each other,” he said.“When we come to the end,

we are not going to remember our enemies. We will remember those who stood behind us.”

One of the father’s most memorable moments, he said, came in 1989 when Mexican-American Catholic faithful said they saw the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe in a twist-ed flowering stalk of a yucca plant growing at a Mexican restaurant at 11th Street and Van Buren.

Father Sotelo responded to the religious fervor by lift-ing up the stalk and leading a march with it to Immaculate Heart: the church of the Virgin Mary, the historical center of faith for Chicanos.

To the faithful, he said, the image “was a reminder that the community is blessed by the Virgin Mary. It was a rec-ognition of everything that is important to Latino people. These are very proud people, not afraid to stand up for their rights.”

The Mexican-American community of Phoenix has a long history, he said.

People who were dying or who needed help have said they did not want to see “a Mexican priest.” He said, “I know this to be true.

“I remember my mom was fined for speaking Spanish in her El Paso (Texas) school.

The other day, I gave a sermon and I said, ‘You know what! I’ve never heard a pub-lic servant praising children for being bilingual.’

“Three months ago I was going into a Walmart with two people fluent in both English and Spanish. At that moment they were speaking Spanish, but someone came up behind them and said loudly – rudely - ‘Speak English!’

“I love this country,” Father Sotelo said.

“But why do these things happen?”

The beloved Father Tony Sotelo has for many years been the “priest of the people.” CARLoS CHAvEz/LA voz


En este relato sobre la experiencia de los latinos en Arizona, más de una docena de veteranos del movimiento que organizó a la comunidad chicana y que mejoró las condiciones laborales, los servicios médicos y educativos y registró miles de nuevos votantes, nos cuenta sus vivencias.

Si bien Arizona está celebrando 100 años de fundación, la historia de los hispanos en el estado data de por lo menos 350 años, época en que el terri-torio era visto como un lugar remoto del México de la colonia de española. Los conquistadores lograron llegar hasta el Gran Cañón, ubicado al norte del estado. Finalmente, los sacerdotes españoles fundaron las misiones en los territorios de los indios estadounidenses donde se desarrollaron los asentamientos.

Arizona pasó a formar parte de los Estados Unidos a consecuencia de la Guerra entre México y los Estados Unidos que se libró, de 1846 a 1848, y tras la posterior Compra de Gadsden del extremo sur de Arizona seis años después.

Los habitantes anglosajones con-trataron a los mexicanos como peo-nes, mineros, obreros de carreteras y empleados domésticos. Los residen-tes latinos de Arizona eran en algunos casos maltratados o explotados ya que eran sometidos al prejuicio.

Las raíces del Movimiento Chicano de la década del 60 y 70, creado para exigir la igualdad de oportunidades, se remonta a las primeras luchas laborales cuando los mexicoamericanos intenta-ron protegerse o manifestar sus preocu-paciones.

Algunos mexicoamericanos funda-ron sociedades mutualistas o de ayuda mutua para ofrecer ayuda financiera y moral a los mineros y trabajadores que caían enfermos o que se quedaban sin trabajo. Una de las organizaciones mutualistas de latinos más antiguas, fundada en los años 20 y que aún sigue operando, está ubicada en la ciudad fronteriza de Douglas, al sureste de Tucson.

Posteriormente, los veteranos latinos que participaron en la Segunda Guerra

Mundial, regresaron a sus hogares en Arizona y decidieron que no iban a per-mitir más actos de discriminación. Ellos habían servido a su país con honores y habían trabajado codo a codo con los soldados, los marineros, los infantes de la Marina y de la Aviación. A través de la guerra habían descubierto el mundo - y visto en lo que se podía convertir - fuera de los límites de Arizona.

En muchos casos, los veteranos lograron combatir el prejuicio. Después de todo, ellos habían cumplido con su deber en la guerra como los otros estadounidenses. La organización que fundaron en Phoenix, American Legion Post, les dio la oportunidad no solo de socializar, sino también de intercambiar opiniones y hablar sobre el desarrollo de la comunidad.

El movimiento nacional por los dere-chos civiles en el que participaron todos los grupos étnicos, motivó a los estu-diantes de las escuelas y universidades a iniciar huelgas e intentar organizar-se. Asimismo, estos esfuerzos lograron que los organizadores en estados como

California y Texas empezaran a formar los sindicatos de trabajadores agrícolas y otros grupos integrados por muchos latinos.

Uno de los esfuerzos de la organi-zación regional se dio en los años 60 cuando el Southwest Council of La Raza (SCLR) se estableciera en Phoenix. La organización fue financiada por la Fundación Ford y por algunos grupos religiosos. La SCLR empezó a trabajar en una estrategia que pudiera mejorar las condiciones laborales, educativas y de vivienda de los latinos.

Como resultado del trabajo de esta organización, los activistas lugareños fundaron a su vez Chicanos Por La Causa que se centró primero en el activismo y luego en el desarrollo de la comunidad. La sede del SCLR se mudó a Washington DC y se convirtió en la National Council of La Raza. Para la redacción de esta nota, se entrevistó a muchos de los hombres y mujeres que participaron en el activismo en repre-sentación de la comunidad latina de esos años.

Arizona, nuestra historia

• Statehood: February 14, 1912. Arizona was the 48th state to join the United States.

• State Flag: Adopted in 1917, the lower half of the flag is a blue field. The upper half is divided into thirteen equal segments, six light yellow and seven red. In the center of the flag is a copper-colored five-point star. The red and the blue are the same shades as the flag of the United States of America, and it measures four feet high and six feet wide.

• State Seal: Arizona's main enterprises and attractions are represented in the seal, which was adopted in 1911. In the back-ground of the seal is a range of mountains with the sun rising behind the peaks. At the right side of the mountains are a water storage reservoir and a dam, with irrigated fields and orchards. There are cattle grazing on the right, and a quartz mill and a miner with a pick and shovel on the left.

POPuLatiOn and GeOGraPHy• Total Population: 6.5 million

• Hispanic Population: 30%• State Capitol: Phoenix• Largest Cities: Phoenix, Tucson, Mesa,

Glendale and Scottsdale• Border States: California, Colorado,

Nevada, New Mexico, Utah• State Size: 113,909 square milesState Symbols• State Motto: Ditat Deus (“God

Enriches”)• State Nickname: Grand Canyon State• State Songs: "Arizona March Song"

and "Arizona"• State Flower: Saguaro Cactus Blossom• State Gem: Turquoise• State Tree: Palo Verde• State Bird: Cactus Wren• State Fossil: Petrified Wood• State Mammal: Ringtail• State Reptile: Arizona Ridge-Nosed

Rattlesnake• State Fish: Apache Trout • State Amphibian: Arizona Tree Frog• Official Neckwear: Bola Tie

Source: The Arizona Office of Tourism

arizOna’s syMBOLs and FaCts


UN FUERTE ABRAZO

¡Muchas Gracias!

For celebrating with us 100 years of our history,

culture and traditions

Por celebrar con nosotros 100 años de historia, cultura y tradiciones


By Valeria Fernández (Synopsis and adaptation from a story ran

in La voz in 2006)

Phoenix was founded in 1868, roughly 20 years after signing the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo,

which marked the end of the war with Mexico and Mexicans lost part of its territory.

Jack Swillings, a business-man, and his wife, Trinidad Escalante, of Mexican origin, are considered the founders of the city, though Phoenix didn’t become the state’s capital until 1889.

Phoenix at the time, was merely a patch of farms scat-tered throughout the vast des-ert that perhaps belonged to some Mexican families who lived there prior to Arizona becoming part of the United States.

The international border was practically open and peo-ple could freely travel between the two countries. That allowed Mexicans to come here to work in agriculture. South Phoenix was merely patches of tiny farms near the Rio Salado area.

In 1870 Hispanics were 52 percent of the city’s popula-tion. The majority of homes were made of adobe, similar to the construction used in Mexico at the time.

History repeats itself

The arrival of the rail-road, between 1879 and 1895, boosted employment and gave merchants the chance to sell produce outside of the state. “There had to be workers. And who will they be? The Mexicans,’’ said historian Chris Marin.

There were frequent ten-

sions between the immigrant community of south Phoenix and Anglos, said Frank Barrios, a historian and board member of the Central Arizona Project.

As more Anglos arrived in Phoenix from other parts of the country lured by jobs, the Latino population shrunk and problems began, Barrios said.

Pro-Mexican organizations such as La Liga Protectora grew out of tensions between the two races at the turn of the 20th century, according to a report by James D. McBride.

Around 1914, the state Legislature began launching a series of anti-Mexican laws. One of them, sponsored by Rep. W. D. Claypool, prohib-ited anyone from hiring for at-risk jobs people who were deaf or who couldn’t speak English. The initiative effec-tively eliminated the opportu-nity for many Mexicans to get jobs in industries such as min-

ing, McBride said. The proposal was imme-

diately viewed as a direct attack against Mexicans, and as a result the Liga Protectora Latina, a mutual aid society, was created with its leader Pedro G. de la Lama, a former Mexican soldier who moved to Phoenix.

The league started to recruit members using the slogan “One for all and all for one,” and began offering bilingual edu-cational workshops to counter the effects of the laws.

At the turn of the century, the Mexican barrios or neigh-borhoods began to grow south of Van Buren Street, pushed by the segregation sentiment.

Between 1900 and 1920, nearly 47,000 Latinos arrived in Phoenix, according to data from the Phoenix Historic Preservation Office. But not all of them came from the neigh-boring country to the south.

Some came from nearby towns such as Miami and Bisbee.

The newly arrived founded barrios like Sonorita, Cuatro Milpas, El Mezquital, Las Avenidas, Canal Seco and El Campito. The neighborhoods were mostly nestled between Jackson and Henshaw (now Buckeye) Streets and 16th Avenue to 48th Street.

The history of these neigh-borhoods is narrated in a report created by Athenaeum, a consulting group hired by the city of Phoenix to docu-ment the historic heritage of Hispanics and identify build-ings and neighborhoods of his-toric significance. The consul-tants studied more than 200 constructions and 19 neighbor-hoods that still show Latino historical traces.

neighborhoods’ growth

In the 1940s, Phoenix had

grown from 5,500 residents to about 65,000 residents. During that decade the Hispanic popu-lation was about 15 percent.

Phoenix was nestled in the midst of cotton and farm fields. The irrigation canals stretched to Jefferson Street and 1st Avenue, which is now downtown Phoenix, recalls Arturo Luera, who grew up in the public housing complex Marcos de Niza between Pima and First Streets.

Luera worked in the cotton fields since he was 5 and until he was 14 years old. There were laws prohibiting child labor and when teachers pro-tested the answer at home was simple. “Tell the teacher to come work so you can eat.”

Phoenix was a town that boasted homes with vast land and plantations, Luera remem-bers. There were homes without refrigeration, chickens roam-ing and fences falling down.

The barrios or neighbor-hoods were home to clusters of folks from different Mexican states such as Sinaloa and Sonora.

“My grandfather used to say, ‘Be careful crossing the street because you’ll be in Sonorita and people there carry machet-es'", Luera said.

But before enlisting to go to WWII, youngsters entertained themselves going dancing at the famous Riverside Ballroom near Salt River and Central Avenue. Movie theaters like Azteca and Ramona featured such favorites as “Alla en el Rancho Grande.”

But good memories are also clouded with the pain-ful reminders of segregation. Mexicans could only use the swimming pool at Riverside on Fridays; a day before the pool’s dirty water had to be

Food City was established at the turn of the century in various Hispanic neighborhoods (16th Street and Mohave). In the 1990’s, the Bashas’ family acquired it. THE ARIzoNA REPuBLIC.

Latino Barrios: a landmark in history


drained. And movie theaters like Fox assigned the balcony to Mexicans.

“The discrimination was sub-tle”, remembers Hortensia Ortiz, founder of the young women’s group “Flamingo Club”. “When we got to the movie theater they would escort us to the balcony, and for me it was marvelous because we could see even bet-ter. I loved going up the daz-zling stairway”.

The Second World War took with it the lives of many Hispanics that were at a person-al level friends and colleagues. Many veterans hoped that upon their return from the war the discrimination would come to an end. But it was not so.

In 1945, once back at home, many founded the club that is today known as the American Legion Post 41, located on 2nd Avenue, across Grant Park. The organization united Hispanics of the time even more.

Preserving History

The Hispanic legacy in Phoenix is still preserved in the memories of those that wrote history with their own lives. But this will also be conserved for the future generations within their respective neighborhoods and historic buildings.

The group of investigators hired by the city of Phoenix for

the historic research suggest-ed for 3 neighborhoods to be declared historic: Grant Park, Harmon Park and Santa Maria.

The experts also identified in their research various build-ings that meet the criteria to be considered historic: Sacred Heart Church, American Legion Post 41, the home of Adam Díaz, Phoenix’s first Hispanic Councilman, Friendly House, El Portal and Santa Rita Center, where César Chávez fasted for 24 days in 1972.

For the new generations of Latino immigrants that have settled in Phoenix and the rest of the state, to know this his-tory makes sense, if they want

to adopt this place as their new home, says Luera.

His grandfather, Sixto R. Luera Rubio, moved from California to Phoenix at the beginning of the century when it was only a small town. On a good day Luera asked him, “Why Phoenix, if the family is in California?”

His grandfather replied, “Arturo, in the future there will be buildings here, they will close the streets for celebra-tions here. Phoenix will be a beautiful city.”

Luera pauses for a moment, and says thoughtfully: “My grandfather was right, it is already happening!”

Father Albert Braun, standing, at a Latino celebration in one of the Sacred Heart salons. CouRTESy oF FRANK BARRIoS. The Ramona Theater was a favorite of the Hispanic Community.

CouRTESy oF FRANK BARRIoS.

Por Valeria Fernández

La ciudad de Phoenix se fundó en 1868, aproximadamente 20 años después de que México perdiera la mitad de su territorio a consecuencia de la guerra con Estados Unidos.

Jack Swilling, un exsoldado confed-erado originario de Missouri, y su esposa mexicana, Trinidad Escalante, son con-siderados los fundadores de Phoenix, que en ese tiempo era simplemente un terreno muy amplio.

A pesar de que Arizona por esos años formaba parte del territorio esta-dounidense, no había una frontera, por lo que la gente podía transitar libremente por ambos países. En 1870 la población hispana de Phoenix llegaba casi al 52 por ciento. La mayoría de las casas eran

fabricadas con adobe, un estilo de con-strucción similar al que se utilizaba en México. Entre 1879 y 1895, la llegada del ferrocarril impulsó el empleo y les dio la posibilidad a los comerciantes de vender sus productos agrícolas fuera del estado.

Con la llegada de más anglosajones a Phoenix, la población latina, cuya may-oría habitaba al sur de la ciudad, se redujo considerablemente y aumentaron las tensiones entre las dos razas.

Hacia 1914 la Legislatura estatal empezó a impulsar una serie de leyes contra la comunidad mexicana. Una de ellas, por ejemplo, prohibía la contrat-ación de trabajadores sordos o que no hablaran inglés. Esa ley provocó el enojo de los latinos, quienes comenzaron a organizarse.

Tras el cambio de siglo, los barrios mexicanos empezaron a emerger al sur

de Van Buren Street, impulsados por el sentimiento de segregación.

Entre 1900 y 1920, cerca de 47,000 latinos llegaron a Phoenix, aunque no todos venían de México. Algunos llega-ron de ciudades aledañas como Miami y Bisbee.

Los recién llegados fundaron bar-rios como Sonorita, Cuatro Milpas, el Mezquital y las Avenidas.

En los años 40, los habitantes de Phoenix sumaban aproximadamente 65,000. Sin embargo, durante esa década la población hispana solo llegaba al 15 por ciento.

Desde su creación, los latinos han sido una pieza fundamental de la cultura de la ciudad. Y a pesar del paso de los años, ya no viven segregados al sur de Phoenix, aunque las luchas políticas y raciales aún continúan.

Los barrios hispanos: Toda una época

elvira espinozaPublisher

[email protected]

Luis Manuel OrtizEditor in Chief

[email protected]

Lisa simpsonSales Manager

[email protected]

Graphic art designLuis Solano

Barbara MoralesAdvertising Coordinator

[email protected]

editors Marco Arreortúa, Nadia Cantú

reportersSamuel Murillo, Eduardo Bernal

special Contributorsvaleria Fernández

Paul Brinkley-RogersCarlos Chávez

Elvia DíazRuby Mejía

Elisa CórdovaCarlos Molina

Ben García

La Voz: 200 E Van Buren St, Phoenix, Az 85004

Phone: (602) 444-3800 Fax: (602) 444-3894

All the content of this publication is protected by La Voz Publishing copyrights. Any reproduction of these materials, partial or total is prohibited.

www.lavozarizona.com

Cover Photos:César Chávez The Arizona RepublicThe Espinoza Family, Crowning of

Dr. Mary Jo Franco French

of mexican-american influence


By Ben Garcia

Hombre, Takaa, Man. These words in

Spanish, Yaqui and English are examples

of the three languages spoken in the Town of Guadalupe, a com-munity in which two distinct cultures, Yaquis and Mexican are living together under simi-lar shades of brown and next to each other in houses built by one another.

If one didn't know any bet-ter, visitors could easily mistake the residents of Guadalupe for being all Mexican or all Yaqui.

In fact, outsiders pass-ing by on I-10, which walls in Guadalupe on its west side, probably would not know that a distinct community – a town with its own government and unique history and customs and language - exists just yards away from their vehicle. Tempe squeezes up against Guadalupe on its east side, reducing it to a kind of enclave inside the vast Phoenix metropolitan area.

While the different cultures have their own story to tell, there is one thing the people of Guadalupe all share. It is what makes the town so special and is by far the most important thing shared by its 6,000 residents (in which the population split of Yaquis and Mexicans is believed to be just about 50/50 according to the Guadalupe Town Manager Bill Hernandez): a sense of com-munity and togetherness.

Gabriel Alvarez, Town Mayor from 1981-83 described it best when he said that Guadalupe is like a Mayberry. He was refer-ring to the small fictional town that was the setting for the Andy Griffith television show, and to the likelihood that if one house burnt down, there’d be five neighbors in line ready to lend a hand in the rebuilding of the house.

Examples of this include a whole “Self Help” subdivision.

This subdivision, located in the southeastern part of Guadalupe, was built by the families that occupy the houses now. Everyone would chip in and do their part in the construction of one house for a family and when that house was finished they would move on to the next.

Families helping families is a quality communities all around Arizona are losing due to the popularity of suburban housing developments in which fami-lies come and soon leave, which means that families never estab-lish roots.

Just like everything else, change has affected Guadalupe but the one thing that remains a constant after all these years is the people working together for the better of their cultures and future generations.

Coming to america

Yaquis originally come from the area around the Yaqui

River in Sonora, Mexico. Leah Glaser, an Arizona

State University graduate stu-dent who in 1996 wrote her the-sis on the town of Guadalupe, describes why Yaquis left their homeland in Sonora for what is now Guadalupe. The Mexican government wanted the irri-gated and fertile land belong-ing to the Yaquis.

The Yaquis had fought for their land in that area since the 17th century when they first encountered Europeans. By the 18th century, the resis-tance had turned into all out warfare with the Mexican gov-ernment.

Alvarez, in about as seri-ous manner possible, said that Mexican dictator Porfirio Diaz was, for Yaquis, equivalent to Libya's oppressive leader Muammar Gaddafi and Egypt's Hosni Mubarak.

Yaquis fought Diaz but never won the battle. After much blood was shed, Diaz “instituted an indiscriminate persecution and deportation

program against all Yaquis. Hundreds were deported to the Yucatan region of southern Mexico to be used for slave labor, while others escaped to the United States.”

Those who fled to the United States did so as refugees, which Websters Dictionary defined as “someone who flees a foreign country or power to escape danger or persecution.”

While in the United States, the Yaquis began working alongside Mexicans as cheap labor, and helped with the building of new railroads and in the dangerous mines.

Unlike many other Indian tribes, Yaquis had the repu-tation of being good workers which helped them to find jobs.

The original settlement of the Yaquis, in the metro Phoenix area, which is locat-ed just a few miles north of Guadalupe, was named Our Lady of Guadalupe. Due to its small size and economic value, the Yaquis relocated to what is

known as La Cuarenta or mod-ern day Guadalupe.

Glaser reported that in May, 1910, a widow named Marian Higgins offered to donate the 40 acres of land which is now present day Guadalupe.

This land, located between Tempe and Phoenix, has been the place were both Yaquis and Mexicans have lived inter-twined since 1910.

the incorporation

For the Yaquis, life has always been a struggle to keep their ways and culture from changing. Some of them felt that if Guadalupe - which by now had had a strong founda-tion of Yaquis occupying the territory for 50 plus years - was to incorporate and become a town, they would lose many of their traditions.

They also didn’t feel com-fortable with change and the old school or traditional-ist mentality saw any type of change as bad for the people and bad for traditions.

Alvarez, who was not one of these people, said “we saw what was happening to other barrios in Phoenix: for exam-ple the barrios on 16th street and Buckeye were uprooted because of the airport.” Along with many others, he felt that in order to protect their cul-ture and traditions, an incorpo-ration was necessary.

Alvarez credits an “out-sider” by the name of Lardo Garcia for setting up meetings in Guadalupe to inform the people of what was coming. Garcia who was head of the Guadalupe Organization (G.O. was a social agency organi-zation that along with many other great things helped peo-ple get the first G.E.D for a Guadalupe resident) put the thought of incorporation in

Guadalupe, a town like no other in Arizona

The Guadalupe municipal building. CouRTESy oF GuADALuPE CITy HALL.


people’s minds in order to pro-tect the Yaqui traditions.

According to Alvarez, the incorporation helped the town in many ways.

One major way Alvarez believes the incorporation helped the town preserve it's culture was to be able to make town ordinances. The most famous ordinance, which Alvarez himself was an author of, is Ordinance 27.

A drive through the streets of Guadalupe warns outsiders of the Ordinance that states “it will be a misdemeanor to pho-tograph or otherwise obstruct any Yaqui ceremony or fiesta.” Failure to obey the Ordinance could result in a fine of up to $300 and/or six months in the County jail.

Ordinance 27, also referred to as the no picture taking ordi-nance, reflects a strong will by the Yaquis to keep their traditions sacred. Since the celebrations are based around religious events this shows how strong the faith plays a role in everyday

life to Guadalupe residents. In fact, Hernandez believes the churches have had the biggest impact on the Guadalupe com-munity from its inception to present day.

religion

The name Guadalupe comes from the Catholic Patron Saint, Our Lady of Guadalupe, shows a strong tie between the Yaquis and religion.

The Catholic and Presbyterian Churches have always had the

back of the Yaquis which is the reason to this day faith in God and religion has a special place in the hearts of Yaquis.

The first structure built in the town of Guadalupe was the Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church which still stands to this day.

Hernandez, a 3rd gener-ation Guadalupe resident, remembers the stories his tata told of building

the Church. “My tata way back

in the early 1900's helped build that church. It was built by local res-idents and they just pat terned

it after the San Xavier

m i s s i o n s and accord-ing to my tata the men just sketched

it out and then built it” said Hernandez.

The Virgin of Guadalupe celebration, that takes place in December, and the Easter celebration are both big events for Yaquis and Mexicans in Guadalupe.

The Virgin of Guadalupe celebration is a Catholic cel-ebration where residents cel-ebrate by decorating and light-ing candles by shrines of the Virgin Mary in honor of the Patron Saint of Mexico. The residents start decorating the shrines on December 12 and they can be seen in front yards of many Guadalupe residents.

Glaser states that “the sides of religious ceremonies inte-gral to both Yaqui and Mexican culture, the Presbyterian, Catholic, and Yaqui church-es, as well as the plaza land (which is the land located in front of the town's Catholic and Tribal churches), are sym-bolic landmarks on the unique cultural landscape. Together, they recall the historical and cultural identity of the com-munity.”

Even though the Lenten sea-son in Guadalupe has a Yaquis spin, Mexicans in the town have fully embraced the Yaquis way of celebrating.

During the Lenten season which starts on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter Sunday, various celebrations, including the dancing of the Matachines, occur.

The Matachines, dressed in traditional costumes that have bright colors and feather head-

dresses, perform a dance that is symbolic of the struggles between good spirits fighting off evil spirits.

The celebrations during the Lenten season, attracts many outsiders who come to experi-ence the fascinating religious culture of Guadalupe.

Two churches of Guadalupe located side by side show the distinct cultures within the town. The original church serves as a traditional Catholic practicing church while just a few feet to the south sits what is known as the Tribal Church.

This Tribal Church was built and used primarily for the Yaqui celebrations, as to not interfere with the Catholic ceremonies.

These two churches work-ing harmoniously side by side is similar to how the Yaquis and

Mexicans have worked togeth-er side by side in establishing their cultures and histories in the Town of Guadalupe.

What does the next 100 years have in store for Guadalupe? Hernandez believes there won't be much change as he said, “In the 60 years I’ve been here I haven’t seen much change so who is there to say the next 100 years will bring any change.” Only time will tell but if Hernandez theory stands true, the next hundred years will be nothing more than a force that continues to blur the sepa-ration of gene pools between Yaquis and Mexicans.

Ben Garcia – a Communications Specialist for Raza Development Fund - is a member of the Pascua Yaqui tribe

The façade of one of the churches in Guadalupe. THE ARIzoNA REPuBLIC

Guadalupe es una ciudad única en Arizona. La comu-nidad de Guadalupe es una, pero está compuesta por yaquis y mexicanos. Desde principios de 1900, los yaquis y los mexicanos han vivido juntos en la pequeña ciudad de Guadalupe. Los yaquis, quienes enfrentaron luchas políticas y violencia en su país natal de México, huyeron a Estados Unidos en busca de asilo durante el gobierno del presidente mexicano Porfirio Diaz. Aunque la historia de los yaquis en Guadalupe se remonta a mucho antes del año 1910, la ciudad recién celebró las elecciones para su incorporación en 1975. Se consideró su incorpo-ración como una manera de proteger la cultura y las tradiciones de los yaquis al permitirles crear ordenan-zas como la que prohibe

tomar fotografías de sus sitios sagrados. Para los yaquis, la religión ha sido siempre una parte impor-tante de su vida cotidiana. Incluso el nombre de la ciudad, que proviene de la Santa Patrona Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, nos indica la importancia de la religión para esta comuni-dad. Durante la Pascua, los yaquis siguen las mismas tradiciones que los católi-cos, aunque a su manera. Las celebraciones durante esta temporada atraen a muchos extranjeros quienes buscan vivir la experiencia de una cultura rica en his-toria. La celebración de los próximos 100 años de existencia traerá cambios sutiles en Guadalupe. Sin embargo, la unión entre la comunidad yaqui y la mex-icana es algo que nunca cambiará.

Guadalupe, una ciudad única en Arizona

A Yaqui dancer getting ready for a dance per-formance. THE ARIzoNA REPuBLIC


According to The Arizona Republic, the Phoenix's Fiestas Patrias, which com-

memorates the beginning of Mexico's fight for inde-pendence from Spain, were first celebrated in 1900 when Dolores Valencia Coidorrens was crowned Queen of the Fiestas Patrias.

But the celebrations were sporadic and informal until 1934 when Mexican consul Jesus Franco and his wife Josefina – both founders of the Mexican Patriotic Board – sponsored the event. The festivities featured a parade along main city streets, floats, fireworks, war bands and a re- enactment of the traditional Grito de Dolores.

These types of celebra-tions had never been seen in the Valley of the Sun, but they were instituted as formal fes-tivities and the Franco family continued with the tradition until 1974 when the organiza-

tion known as the Alma de la Gente by Chicanos por la Causa was created.

Made of volunteers, Alma de la Gente took the respon-sibility to continue the tra-dition of the Franco legacy. The couple’s daughter, Mary Jo Franco-French, a group volunteer, was an ardent sup-porter of the festivities argu-ing that the most important part of the commemoration was the ceremony of the Grito de Dolores – always true to its historic aspects of the Mexican Independence.

Las Fiestas Patrias de Alma de la Gente, recog-nized as the official Mexican Independence celebration in Phoenix, and carried out with the city’s help, ended in 2003.

Today, there are various festivities around the city and generally not pegged to accu-rate historical facts. There are mostly done in a more commercialized spirit.

Apparently, The Fiestas Patrias or Independence Day celebration began in 1900,

thought it wasn’t until 1934 that the celebration was formalized.

Color Guard “Guardia del Sol” in a ceremony commemorating Mexican Independence Day. ARCHIvE PHoToS oF DR. MARy Jo FRANCo FRENCH.

Members of the Mexican Patriotic Board, founded by Mexican consul Jesus Franco.

Throughout history The Fiestas Patrias tradition in Phoenix


Mrs. Josefina Franco, a tireless advocate for the Independence Day festivities.

A float participating in the Independence Day parade.

Independence Day parade in central Phoenix.

A war band from the Mexican state of Sonora participated in the celebrations.

Mrs. Dolores Valencia de Coidorrens, first queen of Mexican Independence Day in 1900. Mexican Consul Arturo Elias was in charge of her coronation. THE ARIzoNA REPuBLIC


By Juan Villa

The history of mass media in Arizona couldn’t be explained without showing the

impact Univision has had throughout the years.

Univision Arizona 33 is the number 1 station in Arizona in any language. Its high audi-ence levels show its success and the social and economic impact it has had. As we cel-ebrate Arizona’s Centennial, it’s important to emphasize the key role the station has played in the state’s history. After all, this year marks the 33rd anni-versary of the station’s estab-lishment. Thirty-three years providing services, informa-tion and entertainment to the Hispanic community.

Before turning into what it is today, the Spanish International Network owned KTVW. In 1979, it became the first station to transmit Spanish-language program-ming at full power frequency. That year, an article in the Arizona Republic highlighted the debut of KTVW’s as a station “with a programming completely in Spanish live via satellite from Mexico.”

The Hispanic population in Phoenix was growing exponen-tially and so the expansion of media outlets was imminent. “There are approximately 300,000 Spanish-speaking resi-dents. This population deserves a full service station,’’ said at the time Rene Anselmo, the visionary president of Spanish International Network. KTVW began airing the same pro-gramming as other stations across the country. Programs ranged from entertainment, novelas or soap operas, mov-ies, sports and special events for children.

Implementing local news in the programming was more than necessary. Enrique Bulnes was among the first

journalists to lead this depart-ment. In the 80’s, the station hired journalist Juan Antonio Garces, who inaugurated the first news set brought from Miami, Florida. Garces, who came from El Paso, Texas, was hired as the first news direc-tor. He gets emotional remem-bering when he launched the 5 p.m. live newscast with the help of anchor and sports reporter Miguel Quintana.

“It’s gratifying to see the progress of 33. Thanks to new

technology, they have done things worth admiring. I watch the news and I feel honored to have been part of a news movement. I become nostalgic. I believe a newsman or news-woman is one for life, we carry that in our blood and that can’t be changed.”

Like Garces, it’s worth men-tioning many people who are part of the history of 33 news such as Enrique Bulnes and Rosa Carrillo, Jose Ronstadt, Fernando Verder, Anita Luera,

Sergio Pedroza, Carlos Jurado, Paty Moraga, Johnny Dilone, Rafael Romo, Rolando Nichols, Lorena Schmit, Claudia Rivero, Virginia Silva and Gonzalo Moreno.

Nobody knows the Univision 33 newsroom as Virginia Luna, who is executive assistant in the station’s administration. She happily remembers when she first started her career in 1989. “It was a smaller build-ing across the street. I remem-ber getting the first computer. It was a Toshiba, which we used for our correspondence and to write the scripts.”

She treasures the news-paper clips, photographs and any other information about the history of channel 33 she keeps. Nobody doubts her pas-sion to preserve the station’s history.

Also in 1989, the station launched “Teledía”, which became the platform to show-case local talent. Jose Ronstadt led the project, showcasing new characters such as “Doña Chona,” “La Calaca,” and “El Torito.”

Gina Santiago, production assistant at channel 33, devot-ed more than 22 years of her life to Teledia and says that

for her it is more than just a television program. “For me, Teledia touched the hearts of the Hispanic community in Arizona. It was something real. Our guests were from the most humbled to the most power-ful. But the most important aspect was the public service it offered. We always had live music, personalities and cul-tural activities.”

In 2011, Univision changed the management team, who injected new energy to the job. New initiatives are focused on health, education and civic participation, which have revi-talized its commitment to the community. Univision Arizona has a direct connection with its audience. Viewers trust the sta-tion enough to call seeking help and information.

In addition to covering important news, anchors and reporters participate in com-munity events. It’s common to see Mary Rabago emcee-ing an event, Karla Gomez in Tucson moderating a public service event or Felipe Corral interviewing a “una promesa del futuro” (promises of the future).

Unlike other stations, Univision Arizona covers the entire state. Its offices, anten-nas and repeaters in Tucson, Douglas and Flagstaff enable it to offer extensive coverage.

Through its Internet site, UnivisionArizona.com, thou-sands of people have access to the news of the day and future exclusive coverage. And thanks to its radio affiliates, there is an unprecedented synergy.

Celebrating Arizona’s Centennial gives us the oppor-tunity to reflect on Channel 33’s contributions to Latinos and the loyalty and generos-ity of the people to the station. After all, Univision 33 turns 33 years serving the community. In 2012, Univision renews its commitment to the community and it looms as a communica-tions leader in Arizona.

The history of KTVW

Old building that housed Spanish-language channel 33 in south Phoenix. CouRTESy oF uNIvISIoN.

Modern building housing Univision today.CoRTESíA SWABACK PARTNERS, PLLC - FoToGRAFíA DE IMAGE QuEST


By elisa Cordova and La Voz

Patriotism, pride and love for our country were just some of the feelings Mexican-

American longed for as they served in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II. Little did they know that their devotion to our country, while fighting for the red, white and blue would only be recognized during the war. Nevertheless, while on the front fighting side by side, all roots joined as one fighting against the enemy.

With the invasion of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 the United States officially entered the war. Although a sudden feeling of anxiety fell over the people of Pearl Harbor, concern also grew among the people of the United States. Not knowing what might hap-pen tomorrow or in the weeks to come only made the coun-try stronger, uniting those who were willing to defend the flag. Mexican-Americans also joined in. According to the National World War II Museum, in New Orleans, between 250,000 and 500,000 Hispanics served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Among them, many joined the ranks of the Army, Marine Corps, and the Navy as volunteers.

Women's support

Thousands of Hispanic women joined the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAACs) and Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES). Through these programs women were able to serve as nurses and

also played a role in adminis-trative positions.

Although many Mexican-American, those who were at war and those who remained at home, didn’t necessarily feel like they were being recog-nized for their triumphs many stood proud feeling a sense of accomplishment within them-selves. Some even managed to leave a permanent mark in our history and are today rec-ognized as true heroes of our country, especially within the Hispanic community.

silvestre Herrera the Heroe

Several of those who served during the war came from the soil of our land, here in Arizona. Silvestre Herrera, born in Camargo, Chihuahua, Mexico, was the first Arizonan to win the Medal of Honor during World War II, also wore Mexico's highest honor (“Premio al Mérito Militar”) for valor on the field of battle, making him the only person to earn both. In 1945, Herrera was awarded the Medal of

Honor, by president Harry Truman, for saving his pla-toon from machine-gun fire near Mertzwiller, France, not far from the German bor-der. The Army private first class with the 36th Infantry Division took out one emplace-ment, then charged through a minefield toward a second, losing both feet to explosions. The eight Germans manning the machine-gun nest threw down their weapons and sur-rendered. Despite risking his life, Herrera once said he didn't consider himself a par-ticularly brave man.

"I was one of the lucky ones, to live to be awarded the Medal of Honor," he said

proud. (Source: The Arizona Republic)

Van Haren, Jr. downed 12 enemy plans

Arthur Van Haren, Jr. was a World War II fighter pilot and the top fighter ace from Arizona. He may, in fact, be one of a handful of highly decorated Mexican-American aces in the history of aerial

warfare. Born in Superior in 1920 to Rose Valenzuela and Arthur Van Haren, Sr., he was attending the U of A when he joined the Navy during the war. He was a member of U.S. Navy Fighting Squadron Two (VF-2 "Rippers").

He downed 12 enemy planes and earned numerous mili-tary decorations. After the war, he received his law degree from the U of A in 1948. He served as a dep-uty Maricopa County attor-ney, as legal counsel to the Maricopa County Planning and Zoning Commission, and

For the Love of our CountryIn War World II many

stories of courage were written by Hispanic Men and

Women

Arthur Van Buren, Jr. in his plane during an air raid mission.

Silvestre Herrera, won a Medal of Honor for his heroic combat actions.

THE ARIzoNA REPuBLIC



as a Phoenix judge. Van Haren died in August, 1992. (Source: The Arizona Republic)

stories that are Legacies

Gilberto C. Estrada of Nogales, AZ., was promoted to Private First Class after his extraordinary perfor-mance of heroism in Jan., 1944. According to the war department citation, Estrada, an infantryman, had killed two enemy machine-gunners while his company in New Georgia was under attack. Other Hispanics were also recog-nized for their bravery includ-ing Anthony Santestebán of Winslow, recipient of the Purple Heart for wounds suf-fered in battle on the New Georgia Islands against the Japanese.

Robert V. Espinoza, 90, from Phoenix, fought in Guam and was wounded in 1946. Despite his wounds, he helped a group of his company’s sol-

diers to reach their battalion. “A marine never leaves a sol-dier behind”, he proudly com-ments. Robert received the Purple Heart from President Harry Truman. Robert’s pride of serving his country is shared by his kids, grand kids and great grand kids.

Mexican American women quickly contributed as well as they supported the war. PFC Carmen Martinez of Phoenix, AZ., served with the U.S. Marine Corps Women’s Reserve as a typist and fil-ing clerk in the message cen-ter at the Marine barracks in Quantico, Virginia. Others from Phoenix such as Cpt. Matilde Yanez served as chief nurse in a combat zone hos-pital on the island of Luzon, and Pvt. Carmen C. Contreras became the 750th woman from Arizona to join the Army.

Fernando Navarrete Cordova, 75, of Tucson, AZ., recalls the day his older broth-er Raul was drafted. Raul

Navarrete, of Phoenix, left home at 18-years-old to join the Navy where he served on the destroyer USS Bullard.

“There were many stories that Raul would tell me about the war,” said Cordova. “Even though he was considered a minority it was as if one’s race no longer mattered during bat-tle… Everyone united.”

Cordova remembers one story in particular that shows his brother’s bravery. “One time they knocked down a Japanese plane right out of the sky and it landed right in the ocean,” said Cordova. “The pilot was still alive so Raul and others swam out to res-cue him but the soldier pulled out a gun to try to kill them.” Fortunately his brother sur-vived the incident however; others lost their lives during the episode.

Historically, it is during the most difficult times, like WWII, that everyone stands together and no one is left behind.

Por elisa Córdova

Los mexicoamericanos que presta-ron servicio en las Fuerzas Armadas de los Estados Unidos durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial fueron tan patriotas como los demás combatien-tes. Sin embargo, su devoción al país solo se reconocería durante la gue-rra.

Con la invasión a Pearl Harbor el 7 de diciembre de 1941, Estados Unidos entró oficialmente en guerra. Los mexicoamericanos se unieron a los ciudadanos de todos los orígenes en respuesta a este hecho inespe-rado. Según el Museo Nacional de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, ubicado en Nueva Orleans, entre 250,000 a 500,000 hispanos prestaron servicio en las Fuerzas Armadas de Estados Unidos.

Miles de mujeres hispanas tam-bién quisieron ayudar y ya que no podían entrar en combate, decidieron colaborar a través del Women's Army Auxiliary Corps y Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service. Las mujeres se desempeñaron como

enfermeras y realizaron tareas admi-nistrativas.

A pesar de que los mexicoamerica-nos no fueron reconocidos por su ser-vicio, se sintieron realizados. Algunos dejaron una huella imborrable en nuestra historia y son reconocidos como héroes.

Algunos de los mexicoamericanos que se enlistaron en la guerra prove-nían de Arizona.

Silvestre Herrera, nacido en Camargo, Chihuahua, México, fue el primer arizonense en ganar la Medalla de Honor durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial y se le otorgó también el "Premio al Mérito Militar", el máximo reconocimiento que otorga México. El presidente Harry Truman le concedió la medalla por salvar a su pelotón de una ráfaga de balas de ametralladora cerca de Mertzwiller, Francia, a unos cuantos kilómetros de la frontera con Alemania.

"Fui uno de los que tuvieron suerte, viví para recibir la Medalla de Honor", declaró.

Finalmente a Herrera le llegó el reconocimiento de su propia gente. En

1956, su nombre fue colocado en una escuela primaria ubicada en 1350 S. 11th St. en Phoenix. En 2002 el Ejército inició la construcción del Silvestre S. Herrera U.S. Army Reserve Training Center, en 6158 S. Avery St., en Mesa. (Fuente: The Arizona Republic)

Arthur Van Haren Jr. nació en Superior en 1920 y se unió a la Marina cuando estaba en la universidad. Recibió varios reconocimientos por derribar 12 aviones enemigos. Una vez terminada la guerra se graduó como abogado y ocupó varios puestos públicos en el Condado Maricopa.

Gilberto C. Estrada de Nogales, Arizona, fue ascendido a la Primera Promoción Privada luego de su extraordinaria muestra de heroísmo en enero de 1944. Según la mención del Departamento de Guerra, Estrada, un soldado de infantería, mató a dos ene-migos con ametralladoras mientras su compañía se encontraba defendiéndo-se de un ataque en Nueva Georgia. Otros de los hispanos reconocidos por su valentía son Anthony Santestebán de Winslow, que recibió el Corazón Púrpura por las heridas que sufrió en combate contra los japoneses en las Islas de Nueva Georgia.

Robert V. Espinoza, ahora de 90 años y originario de Phoenix, luchó en Guam y fue herido en 1946. A pesar de sus heridas, ayudó a un grupo de

soldados de su compañía a alcanzar a su batallón. "Un oficial de la Marina nunca deja a un soldado abandona-do", afirma Espinoza, quien recibió el Corazón Púrpura.

Las mujeres de ascendencia mexi-cana también dejaron huella.

Carmen Martínez de Phoenix parti-cipó en la U.S. Marine Corps Women's Reserve como mecanógrafa y archi-vista en el centro de mensajes de la barraca de la Marina en Quantico, Virginia. Entre otras mujeres de Phoenix se encuentran la capitán Matilde Yáñez, quien se desempeñó como jefa de enfermeras en un hospi-tal de la zona de combate en la isla de Luzon y Carmen C. Contreras, soldado raso, se convirtió en la mujer número 750 de Arizona en unirse al Ejército.

Fernando Navarrete Córdova, de 75 años y de Tucson, recuerda el día en que su hermano mayor Raúl fue reclutado. Raúl Navarrete de Phoenix se unió a la Marina donde tripuló el destructor USS Bullard.

Córdova recuerda la valentía de su hermano. "Una vez derribaron un avión japonés que cayó en el mar", cuenta Córdova. "El piloto aún estaba vivo y entonces Raúl y los demás nada-ron para rescatarlo, pero el soldado sacó un arma e intentó matarlos". Su hermano sobrevivió al incidente, pero los demás perdieron la vida.

Por amor a la patriaRobert V. Espinoza, fought in Guam during WWII and got wounded.CARLoS CHAvEz/THE ARIzoNA REPuBLIC


The Mexican Consulates in ArizonaHere for the past 130 years

The first Mexican Consulate opened in Tucson in 1882, followed by Nogales,

Phoenix, Yuma and Douglas.

Leaders in CHarGe OF tHe tuCsOn COnsuLate OFFiCe

The Mexican Consulate in Tucson opened in 1882 with Consul Lomeli as its head. Here are who followed him.

Lomelí 1882-1912Enrique v. Anaya 1913Fernando Díaz Duffoo 1913Enrique v. Anaya 1913-1916Consular office closed because of lack of funds 1916

J. E. Anchondo 1929-1933Daniel Chávez 1934 (Chancellor officer in charge) Adolfo de la Huerta oriol 1955-56 (vice Consul)Cosme Hinojosa 1956-58Cosme Hinojosa 60-65 (year he died and when the consulate office closed)José Antonio Rivera Cortés 1987-1996Carlos Torres García 1997-2001Carlos Flores vizcarra 2001-2003Juan Manuel Calderón Jaimes since 2004 to date

SouRCE: MEXICAN FoREGIN RELATIoNS oFFICE. MANuAL oF oRGANIzTIoN oF THE CoNSuLATE IN TuCSoN, ARIzoNA, u.S.A.

Leaders in CHarGe OF tHe nOGaLes COnsuLate OFFiCe

The Nogales Consulate established in 1885 at a cost of $300.00. Leaders in charge are:

Felipe A. Labadie 1885 - 1892

Carlos Fernández Pasalagua 1892 - 1893

Manuel Mascareñas 1893 - 1909

Daniel E. Montes 1909 - 1912

Ricardo Gayou 1912 - 1913

Ángel Aguilar 1913 - 1914

Alejandro Alnslie 1914

Jesús N. González 1914

Gastón Ramírez 1914

Luis G. velásquez 1914 - 1915

Gustavo Padres 1915 - 1916

Baldomero Aldama 1915

José H. Delgado 1916 - 1918

José Garza zertuche 1918 - 1919

Emiliano Taméz 1919 - 1920

Alberto G. Monteverde 1920 - 1921

Ismael Magaña 1921 - 1922

Joaquín Terrazas 1921 – 1925

Carlos Palacios Roji 1925 - 1928

Ismael M. vázquez 1928 - 1929

Rafael Aveleyra 1929

José Antonio valenzuela 1929 - 1930

Francisco Alfonso Pesquería 1930 - 1932

Carlos Palacios Roji 1932

Joel S. Quiñónez 1933 - 1935

Ignacio G. Gaxiola 1935 - 1936

Javier osornio 1936 - 1937

Adalberto D. Berlanga 1937 - 1938

Manuel Tomas Morlet 1939 - 1941

Hermelao E. Torres 1941 - 1942

Federico Gutiérrez Pastor 1942 - 1943

Francisco Torres Pérez 1943 - 1944

Rodolfo Rubio Rojo 1944 - 1945

Alejandro C. villaseñor 1947 - 1954

Efraín Garza Domínguez 1954 - 1956

Roberto S. urrea Quiróz 1956 - 1959

Carmen González Bojorques 1959 - 1965

Jorge Alcocer Carregha 1965 - 1968

Carmen González Bojorques 1968 - 1971

Margarita Manríquez Chacón 1971

Héctor Ignacio Mena López 1973

Fernando vega Mora 1973 - 1975

Carlos Troyo Contreras 1976 - 1978

Germán Sánchez Trujillo 1978 - 1979

Alberto Becerra Sierra 1979 - 1983

Álvaro Carranco Ávila 1983 - 1985

José Antonio Rivera Cortés 1985 - 1986

Jorge Luis Rico Rangel 1986 - 1990

Emerenciano Rodríguez Jobrail 1990 - 1991

Raúl López Lira Castro 1993 - 1995

Roberto Rodríguez Hernández 1995 - 2001

Carlos Ignacio González Magallón 2001 – 2005

María Luisa Beatriz López Gargallo 2005 - 2010

Jaime Paz y Puente Gutiérrez 2010 –

SouRCE: MEXICAN FoREGIN RELATIoNS oFFICE. MANuAL oF oRGANIzTIoN oF THE CoNSuLATE IN NoGALES, ARIzoNA, u.S.A.

special for La Voz

In 2012, the consular relations between Mexico and Arizona turns 130 years, and during this time the co-existence of the two communities has been con-solidated while improving the protection, assis-

tance and orientation of Mexicans living in the states.According to the archives of the Mexican Foreign

Relation Office, the first consulate opened in Tucson in 1882 when that city was the state capital as a result of the increasing economic bilateral relations and the increasing growth of the Mexican population who demanded their activities be guaranteed.

The history takes us back to the last quarter of the 19th Century when Porfirio Diaz ruled Mexico, who during this third presidential term focused on improv-ing the country’s economic growth, thus opening the doors to foreign investment that expanded throughout the nation.

Railroad networks grew, the industry expanded as did mining and thus the economic relations increased, especially with Border States of the American nation such as Arizona that urged legal representation.

Paradoxically with the industrial and economic growth, also grew the social inequality and Mexicans started to look for better opportunities and jobs in the United States. The amalgamation of these two situa-tions during the Porfiriato sparked the demand despite the lack of budget resources to finance consular rep-resentation.

After Tucson, the Consulate of Nogales followed in 1885; Phoenix in 1892; Yuma in 1901 and finally Douglas in 1903. The first tasks included making sure promises were kept, commercial agreements honored, and according to some documents, they carried out investigations to detect any arms trafficking during the Mexican revolution.

Parallel of the political, social and economic change in both countries during the three centuries (19th, 20th and 21st centuries) the consular offices in Arizona have increased the cultural, academic and tourist trade.

Similarly, the consular offices are pivotal to help Mexicans. For instance, when the anti-immigrant law SB1070 was enacted in 2010, the five offices launched a joint campaign to prevent any type of abuses against Mexicans. The Arizona Consular Network Center offered help 24 hours a day, the 365 days of the year.

Again in 2011, the five consular offices showed their unity when they signed a memorandum of understand-ing with the U.S. Department of Labor to protect work-ers’ right regardless of their immigration status.


Leaders in CHarGe are:

LEADER POSITION PERIODMartín Arce Consul 1893 -1894León vargas Navarro Consul 1897Joaquín Díaz Prieto Consul 1901 -1903Alberto Piña Consul 1903Arturo M. Elías Consul 1908Enrique C. Llorente Consul 1908Arturo M. Elías Consul 1909Ricardo Bravo Consul 1911J. E. Castillón Consul 1913Tristán Garza Castillón Consul 1914Francisco Peredo Consul 1918 - 1919Gonzalo Cordero Consul 1920Manuel Esparza Consul 1921 -1922Roberto E. Quiroz Consul 1922vicente Rendón Quijano Consul 1922Manuel G. Prieto Consul 1923Alejandro v. Martínez Consul 1923Aurelio Luis Gallardo Consul 1923Juan Prieto Quemper Consul 1924 -1925Luis F. Castro Consul 1930Manuel Payno Mariscal Consul 1930Luis F. Castro Consul 1931Renato Cantú Lara Consul 1932Ernesto E. Cota Consul 1932Renato Cantú Lara Consul 1932Ernesto E. Cota Consul 1933 -1935M. Tomás Moerlet Consul 1935 -1936Julián Saenz Hinojosa Consul 1936Morelos González vice Consul/Enc. 1936 - 1945Jesús Franco Consul 1947 - 1949Elías Colunga Consul 1954 - 1956Arturo Garza Cantú Consul 1957 - 1960victor Manuel Pesqueira Juvera Consul 1964 - 1969Rafael Reyes Spíndola Consul 1969 - 1971Edgardo Briones Martínez Consul 1972 - 1975Rene Luis Morlet Castro Consul 1975 -1978Roberto Ramírez vargas Consul 1978 - 1981Raúl Lópezlira Castro Consul 1981 - 1984Raúl Lópezlira Castro General Consul 1984 - 1988Frumencio Saldaña Alcalá Consul 1988- 1991Javier Aguilar Rangel Consul 1991Bulmaro Pacheco Moreno Consul 1991 - 1992Nicolás Escalante Barret Consul 1992 - 1994Nicolás Escalante Barret** General Consul 1995Luis Cabrera Cuarón General Consul 1995-1998Salvador Cassian Santos General Consul 1999 - 2001Rubén Alberto Beltrán Guerrero General Consul 2001-003Carlos Flores vizcarra General Consul 2003-2009victor Manuel Treviño General Consul 2009-

Leaders in CHarGe OF tHe PHOenix COnsuLate OFFiCe

Consulate representation has existed for more than 100 years here, and because of its importance and the huge number of activities it covers means it has been constantly growing exponentially. This growth prompted the designation of Consulate General in 1995.

** IN NOV. 16, 1995, THE MExICAN CONSuLATE IN PHOENIx WAS DESIGNED AS CONSuLATE GENERAL.

SouRCES: FoREIGN RELATIoNS oFFICE AND MEXICAN CoNSuLATE IN PHoENIX, ARIzoNA, u.S.A.

Leaders in CHarGe OF tHe yuMa COnsuLate OFFiCe

The Mexican consulate in yuma reopened its office in october 19, 2001. The office’s history dates back to May 13, 1901. After 30 years of service, Mexico closed the consular offices and transferred all its records to El Paso, Texas in December of 1931.

Since its inception until its closure, 15 Consuls ser-ved.

COnsuLs sinCe 2001 tO date:

Hugo Rene oliva Romero 2001 to 2006Miguel Escobar valdez 2006-date

SouRCE: MEXICAN FoREGIN RELATIoNS oFFICE. MANuAL oF oRGANIzTIoN oF THE CoNSuLATE IN yuMA, ARIzoNA, u.S.A.

Leaders in CHarGe OF tHe dOuGLas COnsuLate OFFiCe

The Consuls who have been in charge are the following:

vice Consul Antonio Maza 1903Consul Alberto López Montero 1954Consul Alberto Güido Carmelo 1954-1967Consul José Jiménez Hurtado 1967-1968

Consul Manuel Esparza 1968-1969From 1969 to 1975 this office remained closed.Consul Raúl Aveleyra Fierro 1975-1977Consul Francisco Medrano Campos 1977-1982Consul víctor Torres 1982-1987From 1987 to 1997 the consulate was closed again. Consul Ecce-Iei Mendoza Machado 1997-1999Consul oscar Antonio de la Torre Amezcua 2006 to date

SouRCE: MEXICAN FoREGIN RELATIoNS oFFICE. MANuAL oF oRGANIzTIoN oF THE CoNSuLATE IN DouGLAS, ARIzoNA, u.S.A.

This document, dated on 1893, shows when the Mexican Foreign Relations office named Mr. Martin Arce as the first Mexican Consul in Phoenix


BuiLdinG COMMunity tHrOuGH tHe CHurCH: 100 years OF

CatHOLiCs in arizOna 1912-2012Special Mass with Bishop

Thomas J. olmsted St. Mary’s Basilica in downtown Phoenix.

Wednesday, FeB. 14 at nOOn

A reception and historical exhibit featuring the history of the Church in

Arizona after Mass.

exhibit Hours:February 12 – 10 a.m – 1 p.mFebruary 13 – 10 a.m – 3 p.mFebruary 14 – 10 a.m – 4 p.m

Where:St. Mary's Basilica

231 N. 3rd St. Phoenix, Az 85004

admission:Free

Contact:Archives office (602) 354-2475

tHrOuGHOut FeBruary saturday PrOGraMs

Events with some samples of Starlight Planetarium for children 5 to 12 years old.

When:Every Thursday afternoon

Where:Tempe Public Library Children's Library

3500 South Rural RoadTempe, Az

admission:Free. Must RSvP.

Contact:(480) 350-5522

CALENDAR OF EVENTSFeB 2- 11

¡ViVan Las artes!Celebration that will include cultural

activities and art exhibits.

When:Thursday Feb. 2 to Saturday, Feb. 11

Where:Several locations

admission:Some activities are free. others range

$5 to $12.

FeB. 9 tO FeB. 19stateHOOd days

Pioneer village has the original log cabin where Senator Ashurst was born

and raised.

When:From Thursday, Feb. 9 to Monday, Feb.

19 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 14 is the big event.

Where:Pioneer Living History Museum

3901 W. Pioneer Rd.Phoenix, Az 85086

admission:Those under 18 years old pay $5, adults

pay $7, and veterans pay $6.

Contac:http://www.pioneeraz.org/

FeB. 20 tO FeB. 25Winter ranGe

The family event will feature displays of period militaria, exhibitions of western skills and crafts. Entertainment will inclu-de singers, cowboy bands, trick roping, trick horses and cowboy entertainment.

When:Monday, Feb. 20 to Saturday, Feb. 25

from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Where:Ben Avery Shooting Range 4044 W. Black Canyon Blvd.

Phoenix, Az 85086Admission:

$7 adults. Children 5 to 17 are free.

Contact:(623) 582-8313

www.azgfd.gov/

FeB. 18 tO FeB. 26 La Fiesta de LOs VaquerOs

The event includes bull riding, bare-back and saddle bronc riding, steer wrest-

ling, tie-down roping, team roping and women’s barrel racing. Also featured each

day are kids’ events.

When:Saturday, Feb. 18 to Sunday, Feb. 26

from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Where:Tucson Rodeo Grounds

From I-10: Exit Park Ave. Turn right to Irvington Rd.

From I-19: Take Irvington Road Exit East.

Tucson, Az

admission:$5 per person. Children under 13 with

an adult come in free.

Contact:www.tucsonrodeo.com

MarCH 3-4 Heard MuseuM indian Fair

MarKetone of Arizona's most significant cul-

tural events, the Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair and Market is a world-acclai-

med festival that draws nearly 20,000 visitors and over 700 of the nation’s most

outstanding and successful American Indian artists.

When:Saturday, March 3 and Sunday March 4

from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Where:Heard Museum

2301 N. Central Ave.Phoenix, Az 85004

admission:Fee is $20. Students pay $10.

Contact:602-251-0205

MarCH 10-11CiViL War in tHe sOutHWest

Each year hundreds of spectators des-cend on Picacho Peak State Park to watch

re-enactments of an Arizona Civil War skirmish.

When:Saturday, March 10 and Sunday, March

11. Doors open from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The event is from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00

p.m.

Where:Picacho Peak State Park

Pinal, Az

admission:$7 per vehicle with 4 adults.

Children under 12 are free. There is a $3 parking fee per day. No pets.

Contact:(520) 586-2283


CALENDAR OF EVENTSMarCH 24-25

GLendaLe FOLK & HeritaGe FestiVaL

Workshops throughout the wee-kend focus on providing a non-intimi-

dating environment for new musicians/songwriters to learn and grow their skills

as well as introducing instruments and music to children in a fun atmosphere.

When:Saturday 24 and Sunday 25

Where:Sahuaro Ranch Park Historic Area

9802 North 59th AvenueGlendale, Arizona 85302

admission:Free.

aPriL 12CHiCanOs POr La Causa anniVersary dinner

When:Thursday, April 12, 6 p.m. – 9 p.m

Where:Arizona Biltmore

2400 E. Missouri Ave., Phoenix, Az

aPriL 14CentenniaL serenade

When:Saturday, April 14

Where: Memorial Hall

Steele Indian School Park 3rd St. & Indian School Road

Phoenix, Arizona

Admission:Between $10 and $20. For the recep-

tion, dinner and entertainment, $125.

May 12natiOnaL train day

on May 10, 1869, the Transcontinental Railroad was completed. To celebrate

this great achievement and to promote riding the rails on pas-senger trains Amtrak started National Train Day in 2008.

When:Saturday, May 12

Where:Arizona Railway

Museum 330 E. Ryan Rd.

Chandler, Arizona 85286

Contact:(480) 821-1108

June 29 tO JuLy 4“100 years: Our PatH”

Community events that include breakfast, skateboarding competitions,

racquetball tournament, and arts recep-tion that will feature wine, cheese and

information workshops. There will also be two nights of dancing in the rodeo fields.

When: June 29 to July 4

Where:Springerville-Eagar Rodeo Grounds

Contact:http://www.eagaraz.gov/

sePt. 7VaLLe deL sOL PrOFiLes OF

suCCess

When:Friday, September 7 11:30 a.m.

Where:Phoenix Convention Center (North

Ballroom)

nOV. 19CentenniaL CeLeBratiOn

Maricopa's Centennial Celebration with the First Ladies: Harvest our Heritage

When:Monday, Nov. 19

Where:Maricopa High School

45725 W Honeycutt AvenueChandler, Az 85248

admission:$25. Need to RSvP.

Contact:Patricia Brock480-821-0604

Email: [email protected]


By Valeria Fernández

La Voz organized a roundtable discussion with Latinos of differ-ent ages, backgrounds

and perspectives. The meeting, which gath-

ered business owners, politi-cians, religious leaders, jour-nalists, undocumented stu-dents and artists, was the cul-mination of the investigation, reporting, analysis and writ-ing necessary to produce this special edition of Arizona’s Centennial.

Moderated by Tommy Espinoza, President and CEO of Raza Development Fund, the roundtable discussion offered future predictions and anecdotal contributions of the Chicano Movement.

“Some of our victories were failures then, but turned out to be tools we used later,’’ said Pete Garcia, founder member and former President and CEO of the non-profit Chicanos Por La Causa.

Garcia, who now heads the Victoria Foundation, which offers scholarships to encour-age Latinos to continue their education, recalled that one victory was the creation of a Mexican food processing plant under the same logo.

“We paid a lot of consulting money to get advised and then to be presented with name “Mi Casa,’ Garcia said. “We didn’t know anything about Mexican food, other than to eat it.”

Establishing the line of food products under the same name captured the attention of the national media and increased demand from small Mexican business owners. Newspapers baptized episode as the battle of the tortillas.

“It started as a failure but ended up as a victory,’’ Garcia said. “The most important change for us was the fact

that we changed the attitude of what we were capable of accomplishing.”

Among the panelists linked to CPLC was Elisa de la Vara, a representative of Congressman Ed Pastor, Judge and law professor Noel Fidel, Edmundo Hidalgo, President and CEO of CPLC.

“What CPLC did was orga-nized the Hispanic commu-nity to accomplish its objec-tives, not to tell them what they needed to do,” said Noel Fidel, the first Anglo Saxon to become a board member of CPLC at the end of the 1960’s. “Eliminating the prejudices in people’s hearts will be a life-long battle.”

De la Vara recalled the diversity of the group, which began with the basics.

“In the mid-1970’s, we were 15 o 20 workers in a shed,’’ she said. “Some of us had universi-ties degrees and others didn’t. But all of us promoted educa-tion. At the time, we had the luxury of making mistakes, but not today.”

Opening doors

During the round table discussion, young Latino leaders had the chance to express their opinions such as State Farm agent Yolie Aleman Rodriguez, art-ist and muralist Gennaro Garcia, engineer and mem-ber of the Arizona Dream Act Coalition Dulce Matuz, Father Fernando Reynoso of the Diocese of Phoenix, Remax real estate Manager

Victor Vidales, Univision 33 News Director Juan Villa, RDF Communication Director Star Reyes and RDF’s Communication Specialist Ben Garcia.

“Everything you did encour-aged me to fight for the young people who don’t have the educational opportunities,’’ said Vidales, remembering his Chicano history courses at Phoenix College. “I didn’t know whether I was Mexican. I didn’t know whether I was American. I was a confused Chicano.”

Yolie Aleman grew up in farming fields with her family and was able to own a subsid-iary of State Farm, buying a $500,000 building. But it was hard at first. Even though she had a college degree, she had to translate everything to her colleagues in Spanish.

“It was frustrating that they didn’t hire Latinos, Chicanos o bilingual people,” said Rodriguez, who proposed

the creation of a national bilingual center. “Now,

we have Harvard

Failures Became TriumphsTriumphs Became Failures and…

Fernando Shipley, first Hispanic mayor of Globe, Juan Villa, Univision news director, and father Ernesto Reynoso of the Diocese of Phoenix.

Yolie Aleman Rodriguez of State Farm Insurance.

FoToS CARLoS CHAvEz


experts translating the right way – professionally.”

Fernando Shipley said he was able to become the first Latino Mayor of Globe thanks to the Chicano Movement.

“We must continue teach-ing our kids that this struggle hasn’t yet ended,” he said

Dulce Matuz, engineer and an activist of the DREAM ACT, a proposed law to legal-ize students like her, voiced the concern of the new gen-erations.

“Your victories have taken a step backwards,’’ said Matuz, who’s inspired by the Chicano Movement. She added that it’s necessary to offer more educational opportunities to Latinos in all fields including science.

“At some point we acqui-esced ourselves and stopped fighting,” she said. “It breaks my heart to see these young people giving up. We see this with the Dreamers who killed themselves or are clinically depressed.”

Arizona’s changing demo-graphics featuring 1.6 million Latinos means greater oppor-tunities but also challenges for Hispanics.

“There is a wave of Chicanos and Chicanitas in

public schools, where they represent 50 percent. I don’t care what people like (state lawmakers) Russell Pearce, Montenegro or Kavanagh think. It doesn’t matter what they say, they won’t be able to stop this wave,” said Edmundo Hidalgo about the anti-immi-grant politicians.

“In some ways, this is forc-ing our community to become active again. It’s forcing our community to recognize its economic power, which is nec-essary so our community can make a difference, he added

the future goals

Juan Villa, Univision 33 News Director, talked about the importance of education.

“Education is key. We must find a way to encourage more Latinos to go to college,’’ he said.

Artist and muralist Genaro García agreed. “We have to instill in them the love for art, just like we do with sports,” he said. “Art might open other doors to their future.”

Hidalgo said it is important not only to create economic wealth but social capital as well for the future genera-tion of Latinos, and to benefit from the increasing interest

of corporate America has of the Latino market.

“Many corporations want a piece of the pie,’’ he said. “They refer to us as an emerg-ing community as if they had just discovered us. And we have been here for 200 years.”

Father Ernesto Reynoso stressed the importance of not forgetting the values that give strength and inspiration to the community.

“God is important as part of our Hispanic cultural because at the end of the day, faith gives the hope necessary to create something bigger than our own,’’ Reynoso said.

Everyone agreed that Arizona’s diverse population will continue to grow and that all must work together. An example of how form-ing coalitions benefit the community is the recent recall of former State Senate President Russell Pearce, said Espinoza. That coalition clearly showed the key role undocumented stu-dents played mobiliz-ing the Latino vote in Mesa, which goes beyond the Dream Act, he said.

All agreed that

the anti-immigrant attacks have strengthened the com-munity. De la Vara talked about the importance of add-ing to the dialogue the concept of sacrifice and commitment as part of the new generation’s effort to open up opportuni-ties.

They floated the idea of having even more diverse roundtable discussions to form support networks for students and to unite experienced activ-ists with Dreamers.

How to sit down and nego-

tiate with groups of people who have a different view of immigration” asked Elvira Espinoza, La Voz Publisher.

“We must understand all elements of the opposition,’’ said judge Fidel. “Some are educated but we can’t per-suade them saying that all of them are racists.”

The panelists agreed that the future of Latinos in Arizona is bright if they rely on the increased college opportuni-ties, solidarity, family, art, and celebrating diversity.

But nothing will be easy, said Fidel. “There will always

Tom Espinoza, President of Raza Development Fund (RDF) moderated the roundtable.

Victor Vidales, owner of two real estate franchises of REMAX

Edmundo Hidalgo – President of Chicanos Por La Causa.


be a fight ahead of us, a Pearce to defeat, there will always be change, there will always be a Dream Act to pass. The fight never ends. Conflict is part of life. “

At the end, the panelists imagined some of the head-lines to be published in La Voz during the next 100 years.

“The light rail train to San Luis, Sonora, is completed.”

“President Espinoza under pressure by the Latino com-munity.”

“Pete García dies at age 167.”

“The Hispanic President of the United States brought down the borders.”

“Humans reach Titan, one of Saturn’s moons.”

“The Diocese of Phoenix joins the Diocese of Durango again.”

“The largest corporation of Hispanic engineers find a new

form of renewal energy.”

“90th anniversary of the col-lapse of the border.”

And you dear reader, what headline would you add?

Ben Garcia, Star Reyes y Paul Brinkley-Rogers, Raza Development Fund.

Gennaro Garcia, local talented artist.

Judge Noel Fidel and Pete Garcia of the Victoria Foundation.


La diversidad de los lati-nos en Arizona quedó refle-jada en una Mesa Redonda organizada por La Voz, en la que participaron líderes, acti-vistas, empresarios, políticos, religiosos, periodistas y artis-tas, además de estudiantes indocumentados hispanos de diferentes edades, proceden-cias y experiencias quienes reflexionaron sobre los éxitos alcanzados por las generacio-nes pasadas y predijeron un futuro brillante.

La reunión dio por termi-nado el proceso de investi-gación, reporteo, análisis y redacción que fue necesario efectuar durante semanas para preparar esta edición especial de La Voz dedica-da a la celebración por el Centenario de Arizona.

Tommy Espinoza, pre-sidente y director ejecutivo

de Raza Development Fund (RDF), actuó como modera-dor. Entre los asistentes se encontraron también excola-boradores de la organiza-ción Chicanos Por La Causa (CPLC), como por ejemplo, Pete García, exdirector eje-cutivo de CPLC y actual presidente de la Fundación Victoria; Elisa de la Vara, funcionaria de la oficina del congresista Ed Pastor; el juez y catedrático de leyes Noel Fidel; y Edmundo Hidalgo, actual presidente y director ejecutivo de CPLC.

En la Mesa Medonda tam-bién se escucharon las voces de jóvenes latinos como Yolie Alemán Rodríguez, agente de State Farm; Genaro García, artista y muralista; Dulce Matuz, ingeniera y activis-ta de Arizona Dream Act Coalition; el padre Ernesto Reynoso, de la Diócesis de Phoenix; Víctor Vidales, espe-cialista en bienes raíces de

Remax; Juan Villa, director de noticias de Univisión 33 y Star Reyes y Ben García, director y especialista en comunicaciones de RDF, res-pectivamente.

Fernando Shipley, el pri-mer alcalde latino de Globe, afirmó que logró ocupar ese cargo gracias al movimien-to chicano y enfatizó que la lucha aún continúa. Por otro lado, Dulce Matuz, Víctor Vidales y Juan Villa reitera-ron la necesidad de mayo-res oportunidades educativas para los latinos.

Metas a futuroHidalgo destacó la impor-

tancia de ayudar a las futu-ras generaciones para que se beneficien del repentino interés de las corporaciones en el mercado latino, "como si recién nos hubiesen descu-bierto... y nosotros hace 200 años que estamos acá".

Los participantes coinci-dieron en que Arizona con-

tinuará desarrollándose como un estado multicultural donde todos los grupos deben trabajar juntos por el futuro del estado.

Asimismo, Espinoza men-cionó que la destitución del senador republicano, Russell Pearce, encabezada por el activista Randy Parraz, fue un claro ejemplo de la forma cómo trabajan las coalicio-nes. "Dejó en claro el papel que desempeñaron los estu-diantes indocumentados para movilizar el voto en la ciudad de Mesa yendo más allá de la lucha por el Dream Act".

Todos coincidieron en que los repentinos ataques antiin-migrantes, considerados por muchos como antilatinos, han fortalecido a la comunidad.

La idea es continuar orga-nizando mesas redondas incluso mucho más diversas, formar redes de apoyo para los estudiantes y conectar a los activistas experimentados

con los nuevos "dreamers". "Pero ¿cómo sentarse a la mesa a negociar con grupos que tienen una visión dife-rente para resolver el tema de inmigración?", preguntó Elvira Espinoza, directora general del periódico La Voz.

"Tenemos que entender a la oposición. Podemos edu-car a algunos, pero no pode-mos persuadirlos diciendo que son todos unos racistas", manifestó el juez Fidel.

Los participantes conclu-yeron que con el apoyo de mayores oportunidades uni-versitarias, la solidaridad, la familia, el arte y celebrando la diversidad y la dignidad de todos los arizonenses, el futu-ro de los latinos en Arizona es brillante.

"Pero nada será sencillo. Siempre va a haber una lucha por delante, un Pearce que vencer... un Dream Act que aprobar", reconoció el juez Fidel.

Triunfos que fueron fracasos y... Fracasos que fueron triunfos


By Jon Kamman The Arizona Republic

He was the most distin-guished world leader ever welcomed in the hospitality-rich

Valley of the Sun. He stayed only 24 hours but touched the lives and hearts of hundreds of thousands of Arizonans, many in ways they will never for-get. Pope John Paul II came to metropolitan Phoenix on Sept. 14, 1987, as part of a nine-city, 10-day tour of the United States.

He packed a remarkable array of events into a short time in Phoenix, from comforting gravely ill children to celebrat-ing a Mass before a huge crowd in the Arizona State University stadium in Tempe that, ironi-cally, is otherwise known as the lair of the Sun Devils.

In between, he revealed something of himself as a mor-tal.

He laughed about, then joined in singing, the incongru-ous World War I-vintage song It’s a Long Way to Tipperary at a lunch with Bishop Thomas J. O’Brien and other leaders of the Diocese of Phoenix.

He asked for a snack of chocolate cake and cookies as he retreated for his afternoon rest.

Like any good tourist, he used the Arizona picture post-cards left for him in his desk to send greetings back to friends in Europe.

And, at the end of a grueling 16-hour day, he nodded off for a few moments while being driv-en across town with O’Brien.

The pope was emphasizing a different topic in each city as he made his way from Miami to San Francisco, and he chose

health care as his principal focus in Phoenix.

Yet, in what was described as the busiest day of his U.S. itinerary, the pope’s pastoral affirmations also embraced such themes as compassion for the poor, harmony among races, spiritual renewal amid the Southwest’s fast-paced economic development and the need for continued commit-ment to evangelism and mis-sionary work.

Arriving on a Monday morn-ing at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in the chartered "Shepherd One" jet, the pope was greeted by then-Gov. Evan Mecham and other dignitaries.

He was whisked to St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, where he blessed chil-dren in the pediatrics ward before speaking briefly to the assembled hospital staff.

The public then got its first

look at the man who, then age 67 and a month away from completing his ninth year as pope, was leader of the world’s 800 million Roman Catholics.

The pontiff waved from his bulletproof "Popemobile" as it slowly made its way down Central Avenue, Phoenix’s main thoroughfare, amid flags in the white and yellow papal colors.

Spectators, some of whom had waited since dawn, showed

both joy and solemnity, many cheering and waving, others weeping or quietly praying.

A huge paper banner dan-gling from one of the high-rises along Central Avenue bore the simple greeting of "Yo, Pope!"

Through nearly a year of detailed planning for his visit, estimates of the crowd expect-ed along the motorcade route and at St. Mary’s Basilica in downtown Phoenix soared as high as 1 million. But in reality no more than 100,000 turned out.

Planners later conjectured that many people had chosen to watch blanket television coverage of the pope’s visit rather than brave a potential human gridlock.

The historic basilica, built in 1915, had been given a $300,000 face lift in preparation for the pope’s visit.

The refurbishing wasn’t just for cosmetic purposes but lit-erally to keep paint and plaster from flaking onto the pontiff as he delivered an address from the basilica’s balcony to 25,000 faithful gathered in Phoenix Civic Plaza.

The pope hailed Arizona as living proof of its state motto, Ditat Deus, meaning God enriches, and gave special greetings in English as well as Spanish for the Hispanic community, which he said had brought "great strength, vitality and generosity" to the

They impacted many livesIn 1987, John Paul II visit to Phoenix made

history

A huge mass was held at Arizona State University Stadium.

MOtHer teresa OF CaLCutta’s Visit

In May 1989, Mother Teresa visi-ted Phoenix to look for a place to house the nuns of her order the Sisters of the Charity. As part of the activities, she attended Mass at Simon and St. Jude churches and visited a homeless shelter. It is said that it was a cold morning

and mother Teresa was shoeless and didn’t have anything to cover herself with. A woman, expressing her compassion, gave her a sweater. The nun smiled in gratitude and immediately took the sweater and put on a woman at the shelter. u.S. Marshall Al Madrid was in charge of security logistics during Mother Theresa’s visit.

HisPaniCs in tHe OrGanizinG COMMittee

The Diocese of Phoenix crea-ted an executive community to organized all aspects of the visit. Bishop o’Brien named Dr. Mary Jo Franco French director of operations and Tom Espinoza coordinator of special guests and politicians.

CouRTESy RoMAN CATHoLIC DIoCESE oF PHoENIX' ARCHIvES


United States.

Caveat on growth

Acknowledging that Arizona faces "challenges of amazing growth," the pope cautioned that "a humanism which is ori-ented toward God" must be kept at the core of develop-ment.

"Development can never be reduced to economic expan-sion alone or to values that are strictly temporal," he said.

Moving on to a national gathering of Catholic Health Association professionals, he saluted their commitment to

following Christ’s example as a healer and defined their top priority as ensuring that everyone has access to health care, especially in view of the ravaging effects of the AIDS epidemic.

At a meeting with clergy and laity at SS. Simon and Jude Cathedral, his message under-scored the need for Roman Catholics to continue world-wide missionary activities.

apology to indians

Later, in the first U.S. meet-ing of a pope with American Indians, he lamented the

church’s "mistakes of the past" in dealing with Native Americans but said, "We must work together for reconcilia-tion and healing."

His address at Veterans Memorial Coliseum to more than 10,000 people at the annu-al assembly of the Tekakwitha Conference, an organization of Native American Catholics founded in 1939, put him in front of representatives of about 200 tribes from across the nation, many of them in colorful traditional dress.

As the pope entered the arena, members of the audi-ence spontaneously passed a baby over their heads to the stage.

The pope cradled and kissed 11-month-old Naomi Miguel, daughter of Gerald and Nellie Miguel of the village of Chui Chu near Casa Grande, before passing her back to her father.

The evening Mass at ASU drew 75,000 to 80,000 people, including chartered busloads from around Arizona and adjoining states plus caravans from more distant points and Mexico.

The pope delivered his hom-ily, much of which explained the anointing of the sick, from a pulpit set up on the southern side of the stadium.

He pointed out Phoenix’s

traditional role as "a place to which people come for relief of suffering."

Behind him rose a lumi-nous, vivid mural of the Grand Canyon and the phoenix bird. In front of him, a 65-foot, cop-per-trimmed cross pointed to the heavens. The cross now is installed at SS. Simon and Jude Cathedral.

The next morning, the pon-tiff surprised and delighted well-wishers by walking among the 2,000 invited guests who

had come to see him off at the Air National Guard terminal at Sky Harbor.

The Pope’s visit cost $1.5 million dollars, half of which was used to secure ASU’s foot-ball stadium and St. Mary’s Basilica’s restoration project. Approximately $225 thousand dollars worth of gifts and vol-unteer hours were provided by companies or volunteer groups and additional cash donations were presented by individuals, corporations, and parishes.

John Paul II gave his goodbye to Phoenix In Spanish

By Luis Manuel Ortiz

When John Paul II visited Phoenix, I worked for radio station KPHX, and we had the satisfaction of being the only Spanish-language media outlet to cover every public event of the pontiff. I had double duties: reporting and doing commentaries.

I went to the airport to report the details of his depar-ture, when he was getting in the airplane and the overall atmosphere as John Paul II prepared to continue his trip to the united States.

Reporters, photographers and videographers were assig-ned to a raised-platform where we could see when the Pope’s automobile arrived right next to the airplane.

In front of us the a small crowd of folks who were pre-viously invited to come to send him off were kept behind a makeshift fence to prevent them from getting too close to Pontiff’s airplane. But John Paul decided to approach the crowd – I supposed in a spon-taneous personal decision – to

shake their hands and bless them.

We in the press had strict instructions not to leave the platform. We had to do our work from there. But as I saw that John Paul II was appro-aching the people I decided to ignore the orders and jumped to the pavement, walking bris-kly and pushing people away to get close to him.

My entire reporting equip-ment was a cell phone, which made it easier to narrate everything I was seeing. While I pushed people away, I spoke on the phone and my voice came on live on the air. “At this moment, we’re trying to approach the pontiff,” I recalled saying. The moment I got to the rope, the famous visitor was passing in front me. I extended my cell phone and asked him: your Holiness, do you have any last words for the Hispanic community?”

With absolute serenity as it was his style the pontiff answe-red me in clear Spanish: “I sent my regards and my blessing to the Hispanic community.” Those were the last words John Paul II uttered in Phoenix.

His visit was covered in full for a radio station by the current Editor in chief

of La Voz

A huge crowd gathered in front of St. Mary’s Basilica to hear the word and receive the blessing of the illus-trious visitor.

Groups from all the state and the country gathered along the path of John Paul II showing him their love.




By eduardo Bernal

The Mesoamerican cul-tural influence in the southwestern part of the U.S. –the ones that

developed in central and south-ern Mexico as well as Central America—dates back to at least 500 years B.C.

Historical records show the existence of the commercial relationship between the two regions and provide evidence of a tight connection between Arizona and the cultures that develop before, during, and after the Spanish Conquest.

The Latino cultural influ-ence in Arizona dates back to the first colonists who settled in this region before Arizona joined The Union.

The culture of any ethnic group is bound to its roots; this is the one that bloomed in Arizona as a consequence of the immigration influx that increased in the mid XVIII and XIX centuries.

The quest to strengthen the Latino identity dates back to the region’s first settlements and the desire to express a col-lective Mexican-American or Latino voice has been estab-lished through music, theater, film, literature and visual arts.

These artistic manifesta-tions are visible from the first frescos painted in Catholic Churches such as San Xavier del Bac mission in Tucson, through theatre companies created in the 1800s, (Teatro Lírico, Teatro Cervantes or Teatro Carmen), through music like the Club Filarmónico de Tucson, Orquesta Navarro, Los Music Makers de Pete Bugarin, the Mariachi Changuitos Feos

or the Mariachi Cobre -the lat-ter founded in the early 70’s and which was the first profes-sional group of this genre in the state.

Many Latino writers influ-enced the region’s cultural landscape, specifically with greater force after World War II. Writing (through poetry, essays, stories, novels and theatre scripts) was a deter-mining factor in showcasing the Mexican-American experi-ence.

Their contributions through literature played a pivotal role in expressing the Mexican-

American identity and experi-ence.

Among the notable writers are Amado Robles Cota, Carmen Beltran and Mario Suárez (the first Latino to be published in Arizona Quarterly).

During the Chicano Movement of the 1960’s and 1970’s, Latino authors such as Octavio Romano (El Espejo) and Miguel Mendez (Peregrinos de Aztlan), who are bastions of the Chicano Literature in the southwest, sought more oppor-tunities at publishing houses.

Also notable are Gary Keller, (Tales of the el Huitlacoche),

Patricia Preciado Marín, Alberto Ríos, Margarito Cota-Cárdenas and contempo-rary Stella Pope-Duarte and Eduardo Barraza.

Similarly, the film industry in Arizona gained notoriety during the 1940’s because it was less costly to film here than in California or other states. Movies were a widely form of entertainment and an informa-tion outlet to the rest of the world. Among the traditional movie theaters in Arizona were the Orpheum, Rex, El Azteca in Phoenix and The Plaza in Tucson. Some movies filmed

totally or partially in Arizona and which were popular are “The Gunfight at OK Corrral (1957), “Easy Rider,” (1969), “Stagecoach” (1939), and many others .

Most recent films by cotem-poraries like Paul Espinoza and Dan Devivo touch on topics like immigration, border and social injustice issues.

Artistic expression revealed the ideological and cultural values of a community from its inception, showcasing its pride and its settlements.

From the urban neighbor-hoods to rural ranches, Mexican-Americans and Latinos found outlets to express themselves, which were crucial factors in creating their identity.

In the 1970s, the visual arts catapulted in Arizona with MARS (Movimiento Artístico del Rio Salado) and Xicanindio in 1975, through artists like Zarco Guerrero and Antonio Pazos’ murals. Other upcoming artists were Raúl Guerrero, Patssi Valdez and Gaspar Enriquez.

Several of the artistic Latino groups grew out of civil rights movement including MECHA, Chicanos Por La Causa, Valle del Sol, Barrio Youth Project, Friendly House and most recently The Rise Project, which teaches art to at-risk youth in low-income neighbor-hoods in Phoenix.

These organizations not only helped artists but also opened the door to a cultural under-standing in the state. Until the 60’s, when the Latino civil rights movement began, the visual artists in Arizona were limited to painting backdrops of theatre plays, posters and

Following the Paths of our culture

The cultural influence of Latinos in Arizona dates back to early settlements in the area

Arizona :

The Pete Bugarin orchestra became an icon in the Valley. CouRTESy oF FRANK BARRIoS.


some advertisement, but not really exposed in galleries.

But with the Civil Rights Movement, urban arts began to flourish and artists were given spaces for sharing their visu-al interpretations of society. Currently, there are hundreds of murals Latinos painted in Tucson and Phoenix and other key Arizona cities.

In the Pazos’ tradition and influence, urban muralists such as Lalo Cota, Pablo Luna, El Mac, El Moisés, Breeze, Gennaro García and Carlos Rivas, continue this artistic expression.

Similarly, there are other artists who have explore other formats and done some unique work such as Claudio Dicochea, Fausto Fernández, Ceci García, Adam Cooper-Terán, Daniel Martínez, Marco Albarrán, Martín Moreno and Ignacio Farías.

Toward the end of the 1800s and the turn of the past cen-tury, theatre companies like Teatro Cervantes, El Lírico, and Treatro Carmen among others, emerged. Then came Borderlands Theater, which addressed social inequality and existential issues.

Now, plays by its contempo-raries such as Teatro Bravo!, New Carpa Theatre, Teatro Wirrarica o Teatro Meshico in Phoenix, display the same characteristics, though they explore the individual’s role in society.

In the music industry, nation-ally acclaimed groups or indi-viduals are Larry Hernandez, Mariachi Batiz , Mariachi Fuego del Sol, Fatigo, Shinning Soul, Fayuca and Snow Songs among others.

The Latino Culture remains firmly rooted in Arizona as it was from the beginning, con-stantly evolving, connecting ethnicities, leaving its foot-print of historical and cultural legacy. Amid this framework, galleries, museums and cul-tural centers began showing Latino work and local govern-ment began promoting Latino Culture.

Organizations such as ALAC (Arizona Latino Arts Cultural Center), CALA (Celebración Artística de Las Americas), Centro Cultural Calaca and

Xico, Inc. promote the work of artists who represent their cul-tural environment and the ever-

evolving Latino identity as the state becomes multicultural and glances at this new century.

La influencia cultural mesoamericana en el suroes-te de los Estados Unidos data de los años 500 A.C. Sin embargo, las contribuciones artísticas latinas a esta región se iniciaron con la llegada de los conquistadores españoles, mucho antes de que Arizona formara parte de la Unión Americana.

La cultura de cualquier sec-tor de la población está ligada a sus raíces y Arizona se desa-rrolló con el flujo de inmigran-tes que empezó a crecer ace-leradamente en la segunda mital del siglo XIX. Desde los primeros asentamientos, los latinos buscaron expresarse a través de la música, el tea-tro, el cine, la literatura y las artes plásticas.

Estas manifestaciones artísticas quedaron refleja-das en los frescos pintados en las iglesias católicas, como la Misión San Xavier del Bac en Tucson y en las compañías de teatro creadas en 1800, así como en la música como en el Club Filarmónico de Tucson, los Music Makers de Pete Bugarin y el Mariachi Cobre, este último fundado en 1971.

Muchos escritores latinos influyeron en el ambiente cul-tural de la región, especial-mente luego de la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Sus contri-buciones a través de la poe-sía, los ensayos y las novelas fueron fundamentales para expresar la identidad mexi-coamericana.

Entre los escritores desta-cados se encuentran: Amado Robles Cota, Carmen Beltrán y Mario Suárez.

Durante el movimien-to Chicano de 1960 y 1970, las casas editoras prestaron mayor atención a autores lati-nos como Octavio Romano y Miguel Méndez.

Así mismo, la industria cinematográfica en Arizona cobró importancia durante la década de los 40 ya que era menos costoso producir películas en el estado que en

California u otro lugar. El cine era una forma popular de entretenimiento y una ven-tana informativa al mundo. Entre los cines tradicionales en Arizona se encontraban el Orpheum, Rex y El Azteca. Películas como “The Gunfight at OK Corrral (1957), “Easy Rider,” (1969), y “Stagecoach” (1939) se realizaron en Arizona.

Sin embargo, películas más recientes realizadas por cineastas contemporáneos como Paul Espinoza y Dan Devivo tratan temas como la inmigración indocumentada y otros temas migratorios.

En la década de los 70, las artes plásticas se desarrolla-ron enormemente con artistas como Zarco Guerrero y con los murales de Antonio Pazos.

Muchos de los grupos artís-ticos latinos se originaron de los movimientos por los dere-chos civiles como MECHA, Chicanos Por La Causa, Valle del Sol y Friendly House. Estas organizaciones no solo ayudaron a los artistas, sino que abrieron las puertas para un mayor entendimiento de la cultura latina en el estado.

Durante el movimiento por los derechos civiles, el arte urbano empezó a florecer. Existen más de una docena de murales pintados por artistas latinos en Tucson y Phoenix.

Hacia finales de los 1800 y a inicios del nuevo siglo, surgieron compañías teatra-les como Teatro Cervantes, El Lírico y Teatro Carmen. En la actualidad, compañías contemporáneas como Teatro Bravo y New Carpa producen obras con las mismas carac-terísticas, aunque se centran más en el individuo y su posi-ción dentro de la sociedad.

La cultura latina sigue siendo una parte importante de la identidad del estado, que evoluciona constante-mente, establece vínculos con personas de diferentes razas y etnias y deja una hue-lla histórica tras su paso.

Por los Caminos de la Cultura

A mural by Gennaro Garcia, part of the Calle 16 project.

Zarco Guerrero, one of the leading ambassadors of Chicano Art.

CouRTESy GENNARo GARCíA



By Valeria Fernández

Arizona’s immigration history grew out of conflict and achieve-ments, rejection and

resistance. When the U.S. Mexico border was drawn, a history of dramas was also etched.

“It’s a border that grew out of violence. It’s not a peace-ful relation how this began. It’s the result of war,’’ said Raquel Rubio-Goldsmith, head of a bi-national immigration institute at the University of Arizona.

Since then, oral history regis-tered the struggle of Mexicans who became foreigners in their own land and fought to pre-serve their cultural identity and traditions, she adds.

In Arizona, the arrival of farm workers has always been tied to the need for cheap labor.

“There was a duality in the form immigration law was applied. During harvest time, people were allowed to cross without problems. They (the border patrol) closed their eyes. When harvest was over, they became demanding,’’ Goldsmith said.

In 1850, Mexicans began their journey up north seeking work in the mines and agricul-ture.

“It was circular migra-tion, they left their families in Mexico and then they would return,’’ Goldsmith explains. “That was seen as beneficial for both Mexico and the U.S. It was a way of exploiting Mexican labor and it was an important foundation for Arizona’s eco-nomic development.”

The abuses against migrant workers were noticeable from the start.

Migrants and miners

In 1904, the Mexican-American workers in the

mines of Morenci and Clifton began the first strikes in the Southwest, protesting wage disparity.

The start of the World War 1 in 1914 sparked a shortage of farm workers, which meant a higher demand for Mexican laborers. During the Great Depression of the 1930’s, Mexican cheap labor wasn’t welcomed anymore. This led to a wave of political rhetoric against “illegal immigration.” It promoted the idea that immigrants were criminals and they should be deported.

In the city of Tucson, thou-sands of Mexicans whether legally or not in Arizona were deported under a partner-ship between local and fed-eral authorities. The historic event, which was known as the “Repatriation” resulted in half of million people deported in the Southwest, Godsmith said.

The segregation Latinos inten-sified in all aspects of daily life. In cities like Phoenix, Hispanic neighborhoods were separated.

“They looked at the physi-cal aspect of the person. The Mexican citizens have always been a second-class citizen,’’ Goldsmith explains.

The U. S. involvement in World War II called for collab-oration between Mexico and the U.S. creating the Bracero program in 1942. Again, the country needed cheap farm work labor to replace the hun-dreds of thousands of young soldiers who went to war. Between 1942 and 1964, near-ly 4.5 million Mexicans joined the Bracero program working in the fields. Critics decried the poor working conditions and exploitation of the work-ers.

There is still a dispute

today because the Mexican government hasn’t yet given Braceros or their descendants a portion of the salary the gov-ernment withheld to create a savings fund.

When Mexicans, who had joined the armed forces, returned after World War II, they faced sharp discrimina-tion and their anger prompted them to fight for their civil rights. And thus that’s how a new movement began in the 1960’s designed to give Latinos a political identity.

“The Chicano movement was important because for the first time that segment of the population had a name,’’ Goldsmith said.

Border security

Arizona’s immigration histo-ry is tied to U.S. foreign policy.

With the economic globaliza-tion that begins in the 1970’s, the U.S. begins to export jobs, Goldsmith said.

“People see Mexicans arriv-ing looking for work, they believe it’s the immigrants fault without realizing it’s the result of a structural change,” she said.

In 1994, The North American Free Trade agreement went into effect between U.S. Mexico and Canada. President Bill Clinton and his adminis-tration argued that as part of the treaty, the U.S. would help Mexicans stay in their coun-try. But it has had the oppo-site effect, making it hard for Mexican farmers to compete with the heavily subsidized corn industry in the U.S. The result was an increased migra-tion to the north.

The same year, California passed Prop. 187, which denied public education to undocu-mented immigrants. Their proponents blamed the federal government for the increased illegal immigration. That prompted the Clinton admin-istration to begin re-enforcing the border, launching opera-tions Gatekeeper in California and Hold the Line in Texas.

When parts of the border were fortified, human smug-glers or coyotes began using the Arizona desert to help immigrants cross the border, putting their lives in danger because of the scorching sum-mers.

“The federal government knew people would die,” said activist Isabel Garcia, found-er of a human rights coali-tion in Tucson. The coalition estimates that since the mid 1990’s, about 5,000 have lost their lives trying to cross the border illegally.

The state became the entry-way for about 50 percent of the undocumented immigrants crossing the border illegally. At the same time, the immi-

Blood, sweat and tearsArizona’s history would not be complete if, at the time to tell it,

the immigration story wouldn’t be included on each of its chapters and moments.

A group of migrant workers gathered to get donated clothing and other items. THE ARIzoNA REPuBLIC


grants who routinely returned to Mexico began settling in the state to raise their fam-ily. Federal immigration poli-cies on border security made Arizona the epicenter of the most divisive illegal immigra-tion debate in the country.

Growing anti-immigrant sentiment

Arizona’s anti-immigrant sentiment surfaced in the 1990’s but the focus shifted from the border to urban centers. In 1996, the state Legislature approved a law requiring immigrants to show proof of legal status to get a driver license. Former state Senator Russell Pearce, who then was in charge of the motor vehicle division, pushed for the law. A year later, immigration and local authorities raided sev-eral Chandler neighborhoods, arresting 340 Latinos.

The attacks against Latinos went beyond immigration focusing also on education. In 2000, Arizona voters approved a law banning bilingual edu-cation. In 2001, Pearce wins a seat in the state House of Representatives and begins promoting his idea that Latinos bring with them crime and abuse public services.

The 9/11 terrorist attacks helped fuel the fire linking illegal immigration to national security. Pearce’s long-term strategy was to make life extremely difficult for immi-grants in the state until they were forced to leave.

The Pearce, a Republican politician, lobbied and con-tinues to lobby states to pass tougher anti-immigrant laws, arguing the federal govern-ment has failed to stop them from crossing the border.

In 2004, Pearce proposed Prop. 200 with the help of the California-based group Protect Arizona Now. The organization received a financial shot in the arm by groups associated with White supremacists sym-pathizers such as American Federation for Immigration Reform. The initiative passed with 60 percent of the vote. The law put state agencies between a rock and a hard place because it required them

to report anyone suspected of being an undocumented immi-grant seeking public benefits. The law was the backdrop for armed border vigilantes such as the Minuteman in 2005, which patrolled the border with the help of citizens from across the country.

The Minuteman attracted racists groups to Arizona. Their plan to secure the border failed but they succeeded polit-ically. A year later, Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano, who had opposed militarizing the border, asked that the National Guard be stationed at the bor-der. Arizona voters approved four anti-immigrant laws, among them Prop. 300, which required undocumented stu-dents to pay out-of-state tuition to attend college. Other laws included making English the official language of the state, denying undocumented the right to post bonds and the right to sue for punitive dam-ages from employers.

the sleeping giant wakes up

Amid an increasingly hostile atmosphere toward undocumented workers, the pro-immigrant move-ment began to take shape in 2006 similar to the pro-test during the Viet Nam war.

On March 24, 2006, more than 24,000 peo-ple marched in down-town Phoenix, protesting the federal initiative HB4437, sponsored by Congressman James Sensenbrenner, to crim-inalize the presence of undocu-mented immigrants.

It was a spontaneous move-ment sparked by activists such as Linda and Tony Herrera, Magdalena Schwarts, Antonio Velasquez, and Roberto Reveles. But on April 10, the group Somos America con-vinced more than 200,000 resi-dents to take to the streets to protest Sensebrenner’s pro-posal and to demand a fed-eral immigration reform that included legalization.

With the slogan, we march today, we vote tomorrow, the march united activists who normally wouldn’t work togeth-

er like Salvador Reza, Alfredo Gutierrez, Lydia Guzmán, Elías Bermudes, Martin Manteca, Martin Herández, Carlos García and Ben Miranda.

“It was the largest march in Arizona’s history,’’ said Reveles. “It was the first event when all the organizations united into one coalition.”

arpaio in action The tumultuous marches

scared a segment of the popu-lation even more, and some politicians took advantage of it. In 2006, former Maricopa County Attorney General Andrew Thomas and Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio joined forces to push for a state law making it a crime for immigrants to hire a human smuggler or coyote. Hundreds of immigrants were jailed or deported under this

law.A year later, Arpaio signed

a federal agreement knows as 187g allowing him to train 160 of his agents to verify the immigration status of immi-grants in jail or on the streets. America’s toughest sheriff began his crime-sweeps pri-marily in heavily Latino neigh-borhoods, detaining drivers for minor traffic infractions and asking them to show their papers.

Critics decry the sheriff’s tactics and several lawsuits were filed claiming Arpaio used racial profiling during his crime-suppression sweeps.

Before leaving office to become Homeland Security Secretary with the Obama administration, Napolitano signed the employer-sanc-tion bill into law, penalizing

employers who knowingly hired undocumented

immigrants. Arpaio uses the law as another tool to raid busi-nesses and arrest undocument-ed immigrants.

Latinos counter-attack

SB1070 is approved into law amid massive deportations under the Obama administra-tion, and greater cooperation between the federal govern-ment and local police agencies.

On April 23, 2010, Gov. Jan Brewer signed SB1070 into law, which Pearce sponsored, who by then was president of the state Senate.

The detention of immigrants turned out to be good business for federally subsidized pri-vate jail companies. Youth, reli-gious and pro-immigrant rights activists organized a series of civil disobedience activities. It’s estimated that more tan 100,000 immigrants left Arizona

A border patrol agent in the 1920s.



between 2010 to other estates trying to avoid deportation and thus being separated from their families after SB1070 was signed into law.

Arizona’s tourism industry lost more $140 million because of an international economic boycott against the state pro-testing SB1070. But the Arizona law inspired many other states to follow suit, though only a few actually became law. A year later, private businesses stopped a package of five anti-immigrant bills, which among other things would deny citi-zenship to the children of undocumented workers.

The contributions of immi-grants with or without proper papers began to be acknowl-edged after the economic col-lapse provoked by the anti-immigrant atmosphere.

In 2011, a bi-partisan coali-tion called Citizens for a Better Arizona led by Randy Parraz collected enough valid signa-tures to force a recall elec-

tion against Pearce in Mesa’s District 18. Jerry Lewis won the election, replacing Pearce.

“This victory is tied to the

marches of 2006 and their mes-sage of “we march today, we vote tomorrow,” said Reveles about efforts to get out the

Latino vote. A federal investigation show-

ing Arpaio violated Latinos’ civil rights put the sheriff on a

tough spot. This is the beginning of the

end of the extremists’ politics in Arizona, said Reveles.

On April 25, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments for and against SB1070, in a histor-ic debate over who ultimately has control over immigration issues.

This year, Arizona is cel-ebrating its centennial but also Tucson school district suspended its ethnic studies program. Its critics say it pro-motes an anti-American senti-ment while supporters argued that one is bound to repeat our past mistakes if history is for-gotten. The controversy inevi-table leads to some reflection, especially when Latino con-tributions have not been fully documented or acknowledged.

“It’s our history and the struggle for that history will continue,’’ said Goldsmith. “Education is the knowledge of who we’re in making his-tory.”


La historia de la inmigración en Arizona ha estado ligada al drama y conflictos con los países extranjeros.

"Es una frontera que nació de la violencia", afirma Raquel Rubio-Goldsmith, directora del Instituto Binacional de Inmigración de la Universidad de Arizona.

La larga lucha migratoria de los mexicanos empezó cuando pasaron a ser extranjeros en la región suroeste - cuando México perdió su territorio luego de la guerra con Estados Unidos - y empezaron a conservar sus tradi-ciones culturales. Al mismo tiempo, la mano de obra barata ha sido el centro de la lucha migratoria en el estado.

En 1850 los mexicanos empeza-ron a trasladarse hacia el norte de Arizona para buscar trabajo en las minas y en la agricultura. En 1904 los trabajadores mexicoamericanos en las minas en Morenci y Clifton iniciaron las primeras huelgas en el suroeste del país para protestar por la desigualdad salarial.

El inicio de la Primera Guerra Mundial en 1914 generó una falta de

trabajadores agrícolas, por lo que causó un incremento en la deman-da de mano de obra mexicana. Sin embargo, esa situación cambió con la Gran Depresión en los años 30, época en la que se originó el sentir contra la inmigración indocumentada.

En Tucson, cientos de miles de per-sonas de ascendencia mexicana fue-ron deportadas, independientemente si se encontraban en el país con o sin documentos. En líneas generales, se deportó a medio millón de personas en el suroeste del país, manifiesta Goldsmith.

Durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial, Estados Unidos y México acordaron crear del Programa Bracero, cuyo objetivo era reemplazar de manera efectiva a los cientos de miles de jóvenes soldados que tuvie-ron que salir del país para luchar en la guerra. Entre 1942 y 1964, cerca de 4.5 millones de mexicanos se inscribieron en el Programa Bracero para trabajar en el campo. Los críticos condenaron las malas condiciones laborales y la explotación que enfrentaban los tra-bajadores.

Al regresar de la Segunda Guerra

Mundial, los mexicanos, que se habían enlistado en las fuerzas armadas, se encontraron con un agudo clima dis-criminatorio que motivó su indigna-ción y la creación del Movimiento Chicano.

La globalización económica de los años 90 impulsó a Estados Unidos, México y Canadá a firmar el Tratado Norteamericano de Libre Comercio (o NAFTA, por sus siglas en inglés). Este tratado se anunció como una forma para que todos pudieran competir eco-nómicamente por igual. Sin embargo, tuvo un efecto contrario en algunos sectores. Al mismo tiempo, el estado de California aprobó la Proposición 187 que prohibía la educación pública de los inmigrantes indocumentados. Ese fue el motivo por el que el gobier-no de Clinton empezara a reforzar la frontera. Desde los años 90, cerca de 5,000 personas han perdido la vida por intentar cruzar la frontera sin docu-mentos.

En la década de los 90, afloró el sen-timiento antiinmigrante en Arizona. En 1996, la Legislatura aprobó una ley que les negaba el derecho a los indo-cumentados de obtener una licencia

de conducir. Un año después, las auto-ridades migratorias iniciaron redadas en varios vecindarios de Chandler, en las que 340 latinos fueron arrestados, algunos de los cuales eran residentes legales.

En 2001, Russell Pearce logró ocupar un cargo en la Cámara de Representantes de Arizona y empezó a trabajar en leyes que deportaran a los inmigrantes indocumentados. Pearce patrocinó algunas de las leyes más severas de todo el país, entre las que se encuentran la Proposición 200, que negaba todo tipo de servicios a los inmi-grantes indocumentados y la SB1070, que fue recientemente aprobada.

Los líderes e inmigrantes latinos reaccionaron con indignación a la campaña antiinmigrante, convocando a cientos de miles de personas a mar-char en las calles. Asimismo, presio-naron al presidente Barack Obama a que realizara una reforma integral y protestaron amargamente ante el Departamento de Justicia por las prác-ticas de perfil racial y las redadas rea-lizadas por el alguacil Joe Arpaio. Sin embargo, hasta ahora no han tenido éxito.

La historia de la inmigración en Arizona

Currently, the borderline is a tall and costly fence. THE ARIzoNA REPuBLIC


1913 Phoenix was recom-mended as the headquarters to mobilize the Arizona National Guard in case of war with Mexico.

1913 (April) Mexican-Americans protested Arizona's anti-alien ownership law, which took away their prior property rights.

1915 The Liga Protectora Latina, a fraternal and mutual aid society, was formed in Phoenix and incorporated throughout Arizona, with 30 lodges remai-ning active. In 1917, the Liga played an important role in the unification of Mexican-American copper miners.

1917 During World War I, Mexican farm workers, railroad laborers, and miners are allowed to enter the united States to work temporarily.

1917 (February) Congress passes the Immigration Act of 1917, imposing a literacy require-ment on all immigrants aimed at curbing the influx from southern and eastern Europe, but ultima-tely inhibiting immigration from Mexico.

1917 (July 12) The Bisbee Deportations. Two months after the u.S. entry into World War I, copper miners in Bisbee, southeastern Arizona walked

out on strike. vigilantes roun-ded up more than 1,000 strikers,

most of whom were Mexican-Americans, shipped them

out of Arizona by rail, and left them out in the

New Mexico desert in boxcars without food or water. Although charges were brought against the vigi-lantes because of their inhuma-ne actions, no

court action resulted. 1920 (July) Two hundred

Mexican laborers employed in Arizona cotton fields were refused their pay and sent to Nogales. Arizona Gov. Thomas Campbell began an investigation after charges that the laborers had been abused surfaced.

1920 The Ku Klux Klan became active in Globe-Miami, Phoenix, Tempe, Prescott, and Tucson, maintaining its strong anti-Mexican philosophy.

1920 Phoenix Americanization Committee founded Friendly House with the objective to teach English and citizenship to foreign-born clients. From the 1920s to the mid-1960, Friendly House main-tained a program to teach immi-grants English and citizenship and placing women in jobs as domestic workers. During the mid-1960's, Friendly House began to broaden its focus with pro-grams for senior citizens, establis-hing a social work department, training women for jobs other than as domestics and expanding its youth programs.

1921 Limits on the number of immigrants allowed to enter the united States during a single year are imposed for the first time in the country's history. A depression in Mexico causes seve-re destitution among Mexicans.

1923 Pedro Guerrero starts a Phoenix tamale stand that grew to become Rosarita Mexican Foods. The Mesa plant closes in 1999.

1924 Congress creates the Border Patrol. The Border Patrol expanded to 450 officers. Recruits furnished their own horse and saddle, but Washington supplied oats and hay for the horses and a $1,680 annual salary for the agents.

100 years of mexican-americans

in arizonaespecial La Voz

Catholic priests and Catholic religious orders played a key role in neighborhood

life, building the first church-es, low-income housing and schools designed to serve Mexican-Americans.

Monsignor Edouardo Gerard founded St. Mary’s church in 1881 in downtown Phoenix. Mexican-American contributed with construc-tion and re-construction of the now St. Mary’s basilica.

In 1915 when father Novatus Benzing arrived from Germany, the life of parishioners changed because he assigned the first floor of the church to the English-speaking mass and the base-ment for Spanish masses. The increased discontent among Hispanics led to the construc-tion of the Immaculate Sacred Heart in 1928 at 9th Street and Washington. To date, the church is considered the Sanctuary for Mexicans but welcomes parishioners from all sectors of the city.

At the end of the 1930’s, father Emmett McLoughlin, a priest from Santa Maria, noticed the tremendous need for low-income housing and decided to take upon himself the titanic task of finding the necessary help to build among others, the Marcos de Niza neighborhood for Hispanics. His work didn’t stop there. He established a mission to offer medical care to preg-nant women in what became the first prenatal care clinic. Despite the precarious times, father McLouhlin was able to create a hospital in the early 1940’s, which later turned into the Phoenix Memorial Hospital. Under his guidance, St. Pius X church was built.

Fr. Albert Braun, a veteran and hero of WWI and WWWII, was another priest who helped the Hispanic neigh-borhood known as Golden Gate. Nearby residents asked him to help build a church and his answer was quick

and swift. “Bring me a brick and together we’ll build one.” And that’s how in 1956 Sacred Heart Church was built at 16th street and Buckeye. The church became a sym-bol of resistance when nearby Latinos stopped the city from demolishing it when Phoenix bought all the homes and relo-cated 6,000 people to expand Sky Harbor International Airport. The struggle took years but finally in 2011, the Arizona’s Historical Advisory Commission recognized the church as a historic build-ing. Several religious

Faith Moves Mountains

Sacred Heart Church in South Phoenix.

Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish.



Father Albert BraunCouRTESy CATHoLIC DIoCESE oF TuCSoN'S ARCHIvES


1924 Mexican-Americans built the Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Phoenix as a response to the racial pre-judice and segregation at St. Mary's Catholic Church, where they were forced to hear mass in the basement of the church.

1926 (March) The Arizona Cotton Growers' Association started lobbying in Washington for changes in immigration laws, which would permit growers to bring in more Mexican labor.

1927 César Chávez, organizer and labor leader and charismatic head of the united Farm Workers organizing Committee, was born near yuma. Chávez dedicated himself to fight for the rights of all farm workers and challenged agriculture's insistence on its right to an unlimited supply of cheap labor.

1933 (March 4) President Franklin Delano Roosevelt crea-ted the Civilian Conservation Corps to provide employment to men in need of work during the Great Depression. Thousands of Mexican-American men enrolled, living and working in CCC camps throughout the u.S. In Arizona, they built forest roads, range fen-ces, and erosion control channels; they planted trees, constructed armadas and trails and improved the forests. They earned $30 a month, and kept $5; the remai-ning $25 was sent home to their families.

1933 Mexican Americans built the first Catholic Church in Scottsdale. originally built on the corner of Brown Avenue and First Street, the our Lady of Perpetual Help Church served the Mexicans who lived in Scottsdale and wor-ked in the area as laborers and cotton pickers.

1939 The Mexican Methodist Church, known as the "Powder Box Church" of Jerome, was built by Sabino Gonzalez in 1939 and completed in 1941. The church was built for the Mexican-American miners and their

families who experienced racial prejudice at the hands of the Anglo Methodists who refused to allow Mexicans into their church. Gonzalez built his church with disassembled wooden blasting-powder boxes.

1941 The Fair Employment Act is passed, prohibiting racial discrimination by all federal agencies, unions, and companies engaged in war-related work.

1942 Hundreds of thousands of Latinos serve in the armed for-ces during World War II.

1942 The Asociación Hispano-Americana de Madres y Esposas, the Mexican-American Mothers and Wives Association, was founded in Tucson by Rosa Rodriquez Caballero. The orga-nization was founded to help support the war effort in Tucson, and to provide economic and moral support to the Mexican-American soldiers abroad in World War II. The women publis-hed a community newspaper, The Chatter, and raised over $1 million in war bond sales in a 12-month period.

1942 The Bracero Program, created under a joint u.S.-Mexico agreement, permits Mexican nationals to work in u.S. agricul-tural areas on a temporary basis and at wages lower than domes-tic workers.

1945 Mexican-American veterans of World War II orga-nized the first American Legion post for Mexican-Americans in Phoenix. Frank Fuentes and Ray Martinez funded the Thunderbird Post No. 41

1950 Immigration from Mexico doubles from 5.9 percent to 11.9 percent and in the 1960s rises to 13.3 percent of the total number of immigrants to the united States.

1951 Court Case: González v. Sheely, Attorney Ralph Estrada of the Alianza Hispano Americana successfully argued to abolish segregation in Tolleson. School districts in Arizona often establis-

100 years OF MexiCan-aMeriCans in arizOna

orders worked tireless to offer religious and social ser-vices, and to open schools in predominantly Hispanic areas in the state. The Sisters of the Charity arrived in Arizona in 1933 to begin their mission SS. Peter and Paul school in Tucson. From 1944 to 1967, they started several schools in the area, includ-ing St. Catherine of Siena in Phoenix, Immaculate Conception in Ajo, Seton High school in Chandler, Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Scottsdale and Therese School in Phoenix. The Sisters of the Charity celebrate this year their 75th anniversary of ser-vice in Arizona. Faith in the Hispanic community and the

St. Mary’s Basilica.

Monsignor Edouardo Gerald

Father Emmett Mcloughlin

Sacred Heart Church in Prescott. THE ARIzoNA REPuBLIC


CouRTESy RoMAN CATHoLIC DIoCESE oF PHoENIX' ARCHIvES

CouRTESy CATHoLIC DIoCESE oF TuCSoN'S ARCHIvES



hed separate "Mexican Schools" for Mexican American students. Districts argued that segrega-tion was necessary because of students' poor English skills. The segregation of Mexican American students in Arizona's public schools was not an isolated prac-tice but occurred in tandem with other discriminatory practices that restricted the social rights of Mexican Americans, many of whom were American citizens. In this case, Judge Dave Ling declared segregation unconsti-tutional over three years before the Supreme Court's historic decision in "Brown v. Board of Education".

1954 Peoria School District, the last school to desegregate in the state, ends the practice.

1954 It is the beginning of operation Wetback and which goes on until 1958. The govern-ment effort to locate and deport undocumented workers results in the deportation of 3.8 million persons of Mexican descent. only a small number of them are allowed to have deportation hea-rings. Thousands of u.S. citizens of Mexican descent are also arres-ted and detained.

1955 Court Case: Baca v. Winslow united States District Court No. Civ-394-Pct. A court suit to enjoin discrimination in furnis-hing swimming pool facilities; the segregation pattern consisted of permitting use of the swimming pool every other day to Mexican-Americans, American Indians, and Blacks only. The Anglos used the pool only on the day it was cleaned. upon pressing the court case, the City of Winslow stipula-ted to discontinue the segrega-tion.

1955 Court Case: ortiz v. Jack, u.S. District Court of Arizona, No. 1723. After filing of court case, the Board of Education of Glendale agreed to discontinue the segregation and discrimination of Mexican school children.

1955 Court Case: Gonzalez v. Sheeley: opinion by united States District Judge Dave Ling, Phoenix. The Court injunction effectively barred segregation of Mexican school children. The ruling antici-pated a decision of the Supreme Court of the united States in the Negro school segregation cases. In the course of the decision, the Court declared: "...a paramount requisite in the American sys-tem of public education is social equality. It must be open to all children by unified school associa-tion, regardless of lineage."

1956 Father Albert Braun a veteran of World War I and II, and resident of the Golden Gate Barrio build The Sacred Heart Church located on the northeast corner of 16th Street and Buckeye Road in southeast Phoenix. The Sacred Heart Church was the center of civic and reli-gious life for Mexican-Americans in that neighborhood. After a prolonged struggle with the city government, the Golden Gate Barrio neighborhood was pur-chased and razed to make room for the expansion of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. The last regular church mass was held on Dec. 29, 1985. Since the closure of the church, the Braun-Sacred Heart Center has hosted an annual Christmas Mass every year in the old Sacred Heart Church.

1960 (March) Tempe annexed the Mexican-American Community of La victoria, known as victory Acres. The area was named "victory Acres" during a three-day celebration of the u.S. conquest in World War II. The community remained a Mexican-American community until it was annexed.

1960 The American Coordinating Council of Political Education (ACCPE) was founded in Phoenix to provide a political support base to elect a Mexican-American principal in the Phoenix Elementary School District.

Los sacerdotes y las órdenes religiosas de la Iglesia Católica cumplie-ron una función funda-mental en la construcción de las primeras iglesias, así como de viviendas para personas de escasos recursos y escuelas desti-nadas a los mexicoameri-canos.

Monseñor Edouardo Gerard fundó la Iglesia St. Mary en 1881, ubicada en el centro de Phoenix. Los mexicoamericanos contribuyeron a la cons-trucción y reconstrucción de la nueva Basílica St. Mary.

En 1915 la llegada del sacerdote alemán Novatus Benzing a St. Mary cambió la vida de los feligreses al ordenar que en el primer piso de la iglesia se realizaran las misas en inglés y en el sótano, las misas en español. En 1928 el des-contento de los hispanos motivó la construcción de la Iglesia Inmaculate Heart of Mary, ubicada en la Calle 9 y Washington. A la fecha, es considerada la iglesia de los mexica-

nos y recibe a feligreses de todos los sectores de la ciudad.

A finales de la década de los 30, el padre Emmett McLoughlin, un sacerdote de St. Mary, se dio cuen-ta de la gran necesidad de viviendas que había en las comunidades más pobres por ejemplo, en el barrio hispano Marcos de Niza, y se dedicó a bus-car la manera de cons-truir casas, Asimismo, estableció una misión que ofrecía atención médica a mujeres embarazadas y un hospital que poste-riormente se convirtió en el Memorial Hospital de Phoenix. Con su ayuda, también se edificó la Iglesia St. Pius X.

Por su parte, Albert Braun, veterano y héroe de la Primera y Segunda Guerras Mundiales, apoyó al barrio hispano Golden Gate. Cuando los residen-tes del lugar le pidieron que los ayudara a erigir una iglesia, no tardó en apoyarlos. "Tráiganme un ladrillo y juntos construi-remos una", respondió. Y es así como se construyó

la Iglesia Sacred Heart en 1956 en la Calle 16 y Buckeye. La iglesia se convirtió luego en el sím-bolo de la resistencia cuan-do los latinos del lugar impidieron que las auto-ridades del Ayuntamiento la demolieran, después de que el mismo comprara todas las casas del área y reubicara a 6,000 per-sonas para expandir el aeropuerto internacional Sky Harbor. La lucha duró muchos años, pero final-mente en 2011 la iglesia fue reconocida como un sitio histórico.

En 1933 las Hermanas de la Caridad llegaron a Arizona para iniciar su misión en la escuela SS. Peter and Paul en Tucson. De 1944 a 1967, empe-zaron a funcionar varias escuelas en el área.

Actualmente los hispa-nos católicos conforman una parte importante de las Diócesis de Arizona y de la nación. Desde 1960 los latinos representan el 71% del crecimiento de la Iglesia Católica en el país y un porcentaje conside-rable es de Arizona.

La fe mueve montañas

help of religious people and organizations helped knock down prejudices and has con-tributed to overcome past injustices.

Today, Catholic Hispanics are an important part of the Dioceses of Arizona and the nation. Since 1960, Latinos account for 71 per-cent of the Catholic Church’s growth in the nation and a substantial percentage comes from Arizona, according to Episcopal Conference. Hispanics represent 35% of Catholics in the nation.

The arrival of Auxiliary Bishop Eduardo Nevares to Phoenix is the recognition of the continued growth of

Hispanic parishioners in the Catholic Diocese of Phoenix. Proof of that is the mega event at Jobings.com arena in Glendale on Aug. 8, 2009 were 20,000, mostly Spanish speaking people gathered to celebrate la Virgen de Guadalupe.

Monsignor José Gómez, archbishop of Los Angeles and moderator of the Catholic Association of Latino Leaders, said during an interview with catholic.net that the Hispanic influence is the future of the Catholic Church in this coun-try.

SouRCES: ARIzoNA REPuBLIC AND LA voz ARCHIvES AND CATHoLIC.NET,

Fr. Jose R. HurtadoCouRTESy RoMAN CATHoLIC DIoCESE oF PHoENIX' ARCHIvES



1962 The united Farm Workers union organizes under the leadership of Cesar Chávez to win bargaining power for Mexican-Americans farm workers in California. Chávez considered by many as the equivalent to a Latino Martin Luther King follows a non-violence philosophy in the fight for farm workers rights.

1965 Cesar Chávez organi-zed the successful Delano grape strike and first national boycott. It becomes part of the AFL-CIo in 1966. Today the union is known as the united Farm Workers of America.

1965 The end of the Bracero Program forces many Mexicans to return to Mexico. They settle near the u.S. border. To provide jobs for them, the Mexican and u.S. governments begin bor-der industrialization programs, allowing foreign corporations to build and operate assembly plants on the border. These plants, known as maquiladoras, multiply rapidly, transforming the border region. The maquila-doras attract companies because they provide cheap labor close to American markets. They employ hundreds of thousands of Mexicans in assembly work, but often in poor working conditions.

1966 Miranda v. Arizona was another case that helped define the due process clause of the 14th Amendment. At the center of the case was Ernesto Miranda, who had confessed to a crime during police questioning without knowing he had a right to have an attorney present. Based on his confession, Miranda was convicted. The Supreme Court overturned the conviction, ruling that criminal suspects must be warned of their rights before police questions them. These rights are: the right to remain silent, to have an attorney pre-sent, and, if the suspect cannot afford an attorney, to have one appointed by the state. The poli-ce must also warn suspects that

any statements they make can be used against them in court. Miranda was retried without the confession and convicted.

1967 A group of young Latino men and women came together to collectively strategize on how to improve the quality of life for Arizona’s Mexican-American population. Chicanos Por La Causa, (CPLC) was born out of long meetings and discus-sions. Recognizing their desire and dedication, the Southwest Council of La Raza, which would later grow to become the National Council of La Raza, made an initial investment in the newly formed organization. With the financial assistance, CPLC implemented programs tar-geting rural development issues. Additionally, CPLC lent much needed support to Cesar Chavez and the united Farm Workers.

1968 Arizona State university students organized the Mexican American Student organization (MASo) as part of a trend to press education officials to meet the needs of Latino communities.

1969 university of Arizona students Salomón “Sal” Baldenegro, Raúl Grijalva and Lupe Castillo found the Mexican American Liberation Committee (MALC), which organized walkouts in Tucson to fight over-crowding.

1970 valle del Sol was foun-ded to fill a gap in behavioral health and social services availa-ble to the Latino community with nowhere else to turn.

1970 Dr. Manuel P. Servin, noted and most prominent scholar, educator, and writer of Mexican and Borderlands his-tory, came to ASu in Tempe to head the new American Studies Program in the College of Liberal Arts. Servin taught Chicano history courses as part of the program's goal to offer minority history courses to ASu students.

1970 The Hayden Library at ASu in Tempe established

Our Sport’s Stars

By Carlos Molina

Hispanic athletes have done well profes-sionally and in ama-teur sports through-

out Arizona’s history,Half a century ago, Arthur

Van Haren Jr., whose parents had Mexican roots was born in Superior and became the quar-terback for Phoenix Union High School and later at the University of Arizona.

His father, born after Arizona joined the Union, was a popular boxing judge and baseball umpire. He later was inducted into the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame.

Benny Garcia was the first Latino from Arizona to par-ticipate in the 1956 Olympics, winning third place in the jav-elin throw.

In 1957 he represented the University of Arizona in the NCAA Meet and won 5th place. In his last college year, he was named MVP of the university’s track team.

Tommy Nuñez was the first Mexican referee in the NBA, he shared his best games with the best basketball players in history, Nuñez was part of the All-Star games, and playoff games. He refereed his last game when Michael Jordan played his last game too.

“I was born in Santa Maria, California and later went to Phoenix. My grandmother was from Hermosillo, Sonora while his grandfather traced

his roots to Spain. But me, I’m a true Mexican,” Nuñez said.

a champion

In boxing, the bantam weight Michael Carbajal put Phoenix and Arizona on the map when he won a silver Olympic medal in 1988. He was world champion of the International Boxing Federation and the World Boxing Organization in that weight category. Carbajal, who was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of

Fame, retired in 1999.He’ll be remembered for

his three epic fights against Mexican Humberto “La Chiquita” Gonzalez.

In the Majors, Cuban-American Luis Gonzalez left his mark as one of the best hitters for the D-Backs. His best years were from 1999-2006 before he announced his retirement in August of 2009. In 2010, “Gonzo” as he was commonly known became first player in D-Backs his-tory whose number 20 also

From Michael Carbajal to Henry Cejudo, several Hispanic

sports’ figures have left their prints in Arizona

Michael Carbajal, great boxing champion. THE ARIzoNA REPuBLIC



the first Chicano Studies Library Project in Arizona. Christine Marín, native of Globe, was named Director of the library's collection development program and library project.

1971 Ramona Acosta Bañuelos, native of Miami, was named by Richard Nixon to beco-me Treasurer of the united States.

1974 Raul Castro, born to indigent parents in Cananea, Sonora, Mexico, became Arizona's first Mexican-American Governor.

1974 Margarita Alcantar Reese became the first Mexican-American woman mayor of El Mirage.

1974 Regina Rivers was the first Mexican-American woman from Arizona appointed to a ser-vice academy, the united States Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, Ny.

1975 (April) The first Arizona conference for Spanish-Speaking Women was held in Tucson and was sponsored by the Tucson League of Mexican-American Women.

1977 The Hanigans of Douglas, the father and two sons, were accused and later acquitted of torturing and robbing three Mexican nationals who crossed their ranch along the u.S.-Mexico border looking for work. The inci-dent sparked bitter controversies over the rights of alien workers and touched off bitter and nume-rous demonstrations against the American court system.

1977 Graciela Gil olivares, native of Sonora, Arizona, was selected by President Jimmy Carter to head the Community Services Administration program in Washington, DC.

1979 Ramona Cajero beca-me the first Mexican-American woman to pass the physical abilities test of the Tucson Fire Department.

1980 (october) A 3-figure bronze sculpture of Mexican-American World War II servicemen was unveiled by Congressional

Medal of Honor recipient Silvestre Herrera at the Escalante Community Center in the commu-nity of victory Acres. The memo-rial honors all Mexican-Americans who served their country in WWII.

1983 Mary Rose Garrido Wilcox, native of Superior, beca-me the first Mexican-American woman elected to the Phoenix City Council.

1983 Louis P. Rodriguez, native of Superior, was the first Mexican-American Superintendent of the Phoenix Elementary School District. He was appointed by unanimous vote of the district's 5-member board.

1983 The Phoenix Elementary School District board voted to select 25 eighth-grade Mexican-American women and their mothers to participate in a pilot program previewing campus life at Arizona State university in Tempe. The "Hispanic Mother-Daughter Program" was funded through the federal Women's Educational Equity Act and began in January 1984.

1984 (May) Arizona's first Hispanic Convocation was held at Guadalupe, Arizona. The Hispanic Convocation ceremony honors all Mexican-American graduates of Arizona State university in Tempe.

1984 (August) Phelps Dodge Corp. ordered Mexican-American Sears employees to stop speaking Spanish during their lunch and work places, sparking bitter racial and ethnic confrontations over the rights of Mexican-Americans in the Morenci store.

1985 (January) The united Steelworkers of America formed District No. 39 in order to give Mexican-Americans a voice in the union hierarchy. The new dis-trict covered Arizona, California, Nevada, and New Mexico.

1986 After more than a decade of debate, Congress enacts The Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA), creating a process through which undo-cumented immigrants could get

their legal status. To quality, the applicants had had to be in the united States illegally since Jan. 1, 1982. President Ronald Reagan signed IRCA into law.

1987 Pope John Paul II visits Arizona.

1988 Los Abogados, a civic group of Latino attorneys, is foun-ded. Its objective is to educate the Latino community about its rights.

1989 Governor Rose Mofford signed a law to make Martin Luther King Jr. Day a paid holiday, making it possible for the state to hold the Super Bowl.

1990 According to u.S Census data Latinos represent 25.3 per-cent of the Arizona population, becoming the fastest growing segment of the population at the state and federal level.

1991 Ed Pastor becomes the first Latino congressman.

1992 A Nogales’ family files a lawsuit known as Flores v. Arizona, against the way Arizona’s English language learners pro-grams are being implemented.

1992 The first Hispanic Women’s Conference takes place at Arizona State university.

1993 Mary Rose Wilcox beco-mes the first Latina to be elected to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.

1993 Farm workers’ rights leader, César Chávez dies in yuma, Arizona.

1997 Hundreds of Hispanic immigrants are targeted by the police on what it comes to be known as the “Chandler roun-dups.” The City of Chandler is sued and the plaintiffs win.

1998 The Arizona Supreme Court repeals as unconstitutional a voter-approved law requiring English to be the official language of the state to handle state gover-nment meetings.

1999 President Bill Clinton visits Chicanos por la Causa in south Phoenix and participates in a round table focused on the development of small businesses.

2001 The u.S. Census Bureau

retired with him. He’ll always be remembered for his win-ning hit during the 2001 World Series against the New York Yankees.

an american dream

Wrestler Henry Cejudo won a gold medal during the 2008 Olympic Games in Peking. Cejudo, now 25, over-came many obstacles to suc-cess including the fact that his Mexican parents came to the U.S. illegally and not knowing English.

His humble origin and the many obstacles he faced, the emotional ceremony the emotional ceremony when he wrapped himself with the U.S. flag to receive his medal became a symbol of the American dream.

“It’s an American dream, and why not, is a Mexican dream too because blood is stronger than anything else,” he told journalists after his Olympic triumph.

Mexican Luis Zendejas did well as college place-kicker for the Sun Devils at Arizona State University and when he graduated he held the record in the NCAA.

For eight years he played professionally for various teams in the United States Football League with the Arizona Outlaws, with the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles. He also played for the Rattlers in Arizona and in the Canadian Football League with Barracudas de Birmingham.

A native of Mexico City, he was NFL champion with the Arizona Rattlers in 1994 and was selected for the All-Star game in 1993.

Another Mexican to play for the NFL is Rolando Cantu, who in 2005 became the first Mexican to join the Cardinals. He came from Los Borregos del Tec de Monterrey. His only game with the NFL was during the 2005 season. He now

works as business manager for the Cardinals.

Other notable athletes are Mexican baseball play-ers Erubiel Durazo, Karim Garcia, Armando Reynoso and Rodrigo Lopez, who played with the D-backs and in golf Mexican player Lorena Ochoa who did well with the University of Arizona team before joining the 2003Tour of the LPGA.

Luis Gonzalez, a great idol.THE ARIzoNA REPuBLIC

Henry Cejudo, Olympic Medalist.

vALLE DEL SoL



of the u.S. Chamber of Commerce reveals that Hispanic population has increased, reaching 35.3 million, 20.6 million of those are people of Mexican origin.

2003 The Macehuali day-labor center is founded in Phoenix’s Palomino neighborhood. The center coordinated by activist Salvador Reza from the non-profit Tonatierra ease concerns from businesses in the area about day laborers looking for work and loitering in their property. Most of the men are Latinos, some are Mexican immigrants.

2005 The Arizona Women’s Heritage Trail, designated as a “legacy” program by the Arizona State Centennial Commission, has honored the contributions of Latinas & their “historic trails”: Graciela Gil olivarez of Sonora, Arizona; Placida Garcia Smith & the Grant Park Block in south Phoenix; the Latinas of the camps in Litchfield Park, who picked cotton for the Goodyear Farms in the periods of 1916-1986; the women whose families built our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church in Tempe in 1903; and Tucson’s cultural artists, Carmen Beltran, Luisa Espinel, & Carmen vasquez.

2006 Arizona’s Gov. Janet Napolitano establishes the Raul H. Castro Institute, a non-profit orga-nization with a focus on issues that affect the Latino community of Arizona, with an emphasis on civil rights, education, health & human services & leadership.

2006 on March 24 more than 20,000 people in Phoenix rally for migrants in the city’s biggest demonstration ever as part of a national wave that calls for the legalization of millions of undocu-mented immigrants living in the country.

2006 A crowd of between 125,000 to 200,000 people mar-ched two-and-a-half miles from the state fairgrounds to the state capitol in a national day of action to support immigrant reform.

2007 Salt River Project publis-hes the first Arizona Business Study: Focus on Minority-owned Business. The study shows that 67 percent of Hispanic businesses are family-owned and that 13 percent of Hispanic businesses have repu-table business partners.

2007 Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio signs a 287(g) agre-ement with the Department of Homeland Security that deputizes 160 of his agents to enforce immi-gration laws.

2007 Gov. Janet Napolitano signs an employer sanctions law to go after businesses that knowingly hire undocumented workers. The business sector calls it a death penalty for companies.

2008 Arpaio launches crime-sweeps in Latino neighborho-ods. His deputies stop Hispanic motorists for broken taillights and cracked windshields drawing allegations of racial profiling. The American Civil Liberties union files a civil rights lawsuit against his office.

2009 President Barack obama delivers a Commencement Address at Arizona State university on May 13 and urges graduates to find the greatness that lies within each of them.

2010 The Arizona State Historic Preservation office (SHPo) recognizes the historical significance of La Santa Cruz de Globe, Arizona, built in 1936 by Mexican & Mexican American Catholics atop a hillside in Ruiz Canyon. The state’s Historic Sites Committee advances its nomina-tion of La Santa Cruz de Globe to the National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C.

2010 The Chicana/o Research Collection & Archives at the Hayden Library at ASu is awar-ded a $155,576 grant from the Council on Library & Information Resources & the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support the “Labor Rights Are Civil Rights” project. The Chicana/o Research Collection & Archives is Arizona’s

first archival repository to receive this CLIR grant.

2010 E-Latina voices, an on-line organization comprised of Latinas in Arizona, announces its advocacy for the civil, political, social & economic rights of Latinas & Latinos statewide. Founded by olga Aros, the on-line orga-nization maintains a website & provides information to help Latino communities resolve issues that affect them. Membership to E-Latina voices is free & is open to all.

2010 Republican Gov. Jan Brewer signs SB1070 into law on April 23, making it a state crime for an undocumented immigrant to be in Arizona. Federal judge Susan Bolton stops certain sec-tions of the law. The PuENTE Movement and religious groups launch civil disobedience actions. A national boycott is launched against the state.

2011 Republican Senator Russell Pearce –the sponsor of SB1070 and president of the Senate is recalled, he is replaced by Jerry Lewis.

2011 The united States Department of Justice (DoJ) informs that the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Department was involved in civil rights violations against Latinos.

2011 A federal judge in the ACLu lawsuit on MCSo racial pro-filing orders the sheriff’s office to stop using traffic stops to inquire about people’s immigration sta-tus.

SouRCES: uNITED STATES SuPREME CouRT.STATE oF LATINo ARIzoNA.THE ARIzoNA LATINo RESEARCH ENTERPRISE.THE ARIzoNA STATE uNIvERSITy DEPARTMENT oF TRANSBoRDER CHICANo/A AND LATINA/o STuDIES AND ASu oFFICE oF PuBLIC AFFAIRS.HISPANIC HISToRIC PRoPERTy SuRvEy, CITy oF PHoENIX PRESERvATIoN oFFICE.uNIvERSITy oF CALIFoRNIA BERKELEy.THE CHICANo RESEARCH CoLLECTIoN, ARIzoNA STATE uNIvERSITy.ARCHIvES oF LA voz NEWSPAPER AND THE ARIzoNA REPuBLIC.BRAuN SACRED HEART CENTER.

A mediados del siglo pasado, Arthur Van Haren Jr., nacido en Superior e hijo de padres de ascendencia mexicana, se con-virtió en mariscal de campo de la Phoenix Union High School y posteriormente de la Universidad de Arizona. Su padre nació en la época en que Arizona ya formaba parte de Estados Unidos y era un popular juez de boxeo y ampáyer de béisbol. Posteriormente ingre-só en el Salón de la Fama del Deporte de Arizona.

Benny García fue el primer hispano arizonense en partici-par en las Olimpiadas. García quedó en el tercer lugar en el lanzamiento de jabalina de la AAU y en el quinto lugar en los Juegos Olímpicos de 1956 y 1957, respectivamente. En 1955 ganó el sexto lugar en el NCAA Meet, representando al estado de Arizona.

Tommy Núñez fue el primer árbitro mexicano en la NBA y compartió los mejores juegos con los basquetbolistas mejor reconocidos de la historia. Núñez ha participado en los Juegos de las Estrellas y en los playoffs. Incluso arbitró su último partido el mismo día en que Michael Jordan también se retiró del bás-quetbol.

Por su parte, Horacio Llamas hizo historia al convertirse en el primer mexicano en jugar en la NBA cuando hizo su debut con los Phoenix Suns en 1996. Durante las dos temporadas jugó para los Suns, razón por la que el originario de Sinaloa, México, causó un gran impacto entre los latinos.

En el boxeo, Michael Carbajal, luchador de peso gallo, puso en alto el nombre de Phoenix y Arizona al ganar una medalla de plata en las Olimpiadas de 1988. Además, fue campeón mundial de la Federación Internacional de Boxeo y de la Organización Mundial de Boxeo en esa cate-goría. Carbajal, que ingresó al Salón de la Fama del Boxeo, se retiró en 1999. El boxeador mexicano será recordado por sus tres grandiosas peleas con-tra el mexicano Humberto "La Chiquita" Gonzalez.

En cuanto al béisbol de

las Grandes Ligas, El cubano-americano Luis González dejó huella como uno de los mejores bateadores de los D-Backs. Su mejor época fue de 1999 a 2006 antes de que anunciara su retiro en agosto de 2009. En 2010 el popular "Gonzo" se convirtió en el primer pelotero en la historia de los D-Backs cuyo número 20 ha sido retirado. Siempre será recordado por el bateo con el que el equipo ganó el juego contra los Yanquis de Nueva York en la Serie Mundial de 2001.

Por otro lado, Henry Cejudo, luchador de estilo libre, ganó una medalla de oro durante los Juegos Olímpicos de Pekín 2008. Cejudo, ahora de 25 años, superó muchos obstáculos para lograr el éxito, dentro de los que se incluye el hecho de que sus padres mexicanos llegaran a los Estados Unidos sin documentos y sin saber inglés. Su lucha y posteriormente la conmovedora ceremonia en la que se envolvió con la bandera estadounidense para recibir su medalla, se con-virtió en un símbolo del sueño americano.

El mexicano Luis Zendejas destacó como "placekicker" uni-versitario con los Sun Devils de la Universidad de Arizona y cuando se graduó obtuvo un récord en la NCAA. Durante ocho años jugó profesionalmen-te para varios equipos de la United States Football League con los Arizona Outlaws, con los Vaqueros de Dallas y los Águilas de Filadelfia. Además, jugó para los Rattlers de Arizona y en la Canadian Football League con los Barracudas de Birmingham. Originario de México, D.F., fue campeón en la AFL con los Arizona Rattlers en 1994 y fue seleccionado para el Juego de Estrellas en 1993.

Otro mexicano que jugó en la NFL es Rolando Cantú, que en 2005 se convirtió en el primer mexicano en integrarse a los Cardinales. Cantú venía jugan-do en Los Borregos del Tec de Monterrey. Su único partido en la NFL fue durante la tempora-da 2005. Actualmente trabaja como gerente de negocios de los Cardenales.

Nuestras contribuciones al deporte


The legacy of césar chaVez

His memory will always be alive

César Chávez legacy trans-cends the famous phrase Si, Se Puede (yes, it can be done). Born into a family of farm laborers in San Luis, Arizona in 1927, the work of the legendary activist on behalf of farm workers has inspired generations to fight for health, educational and civil rights equality for all.

When Chávez was in eighth grade, his family lost its farm in 1937 during the Great Depression, prompting them to move to California in search of work. Chávez joined the Marines and four years later returned to work in the fields with his family, where he discovered the horrible working conditions that farm workers faced daily.

With no formal education, Chávez educated himself and in 1962 formed what later became the united Farm Workers of America and devoted his life to improve working conditions and wages for laborers. He advocated non-violence, gaining national attention through fasting, boyco-tts, strikes and pilgrimages.

In 1968, he fasted for the first time. Then u.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy joined 8,000 farm workers to celebrate the end of Chávez’ 25-day fast, designed to re-energize his non-violence movement.

Chávez fasted for the second time to protest a law that pro-hibited laborers to strike and a third time in 1988 to call atten-tion to pesticides’ harmful dama-ge to health.

Chávez’s dream was to unite Hispanics, which still remains a challenge in the united States. After gaining international fame, Chávez died the same way he lived his life – humble. He died April 23, 1993 in his native San Luis.

Valdemar aguirre córdoVaFirst Hispanic

Superior Court Judge for Maricopa County

and in the nation valdemar Aguirre Córdova was

born on Dec. 6, 1922, to Luis and Carmen Cordova, in Phoenix, Az. Cordova was one of eight children and grew up in the Grant Park neighborhood of South Phoenix. Just like his father, Córdova wan-ted to make a difference in his community and become successful. Luis Córdova, a boilermaker for the Southern Pacific Railroad, assisted the Latin American Club in fighting prejudice against the Latino com-munity in Phoenix. Luis also played a role in creating Grant Park and making it a place for children to play, including his son valdemar.

Córdova attended Lowell Elementary School in Phoenix and Phoenix union High School. At age 17 however, he joined the united States Army in Aug. 1940, in which he later served in the Army Air Corps as a first lieutenant during WWII. Córdova’s service ended when he became a prisoner to the enemy after his plane was shot down during a bombing. He remained a prisoner in Stalag Luft

I in Barth, Germany for 18 months where he experienced much adver-sity. He was honorably discharged in Nov. 1945 and returned to Phoenix after the war.

upon his return Córdova com-pleted his high school education and pursued his college education. He attended both Arizona State university and the university of Arizona, from which he received his BA. Enrolled in law school at the u of A, he became president of the law school student body in 1949, and in 1950 he graduated from the College of Law placing second in the Arizona State Bar Exam.

upon returning to Phoenix he served on the Phoenix Board of Adjustment from 1945-’55, the Phoenix City Council from 1955-’59, the Phoenix Civil Service Board from 1961-’65, the Advisory Board for the Boy Scouts of America, Roosevelt Council in ’66, and was on various other boards. on June 1, 1965 he was appointed by Gov. Samuel P. Goddard as the first Hispanic Superior Court Judge for Maricopa County. In 1967 he left the bench and became Gordon Cooks partner at his law firm, which became the firm of McKesson, Renaud, Cook, Miller & Córdova. After suffering a severe heart attack, however, Córdova decided that the best thing for him to do would be to assume the position of a judge once more and in 1976, Gov. Castro appointed him a second term on the Maricopa County Superior Court. Córdova served until ’79 when he was then appointed by President Carter on July 3, 1979 to serve as a federal district court judge on the united States District Court, District of Arizona. After President Carter’s appointment Córdova became the first Hispanic federal judge, not only in Az, but also in the nation.

Alex zermeño

Armando Ruiz

Art Ruiz

Arturo othon

Ascencion “Sonny” Nájera

Benny García

Daniel ortega

Danny valenzuela

Dr. Mary Jo Franco French

Elisa de la vara

Fernando Shipley

Fr. Tony Sotelo

Gennaro García

Graciela Gil olivarez

Guadalupe Huerta

Jesus & Josefina Franco

Joe Eddie & Rosie Lopez

Luz Baeza

Maclovio Barraza

Magdalena Schwartz

Miguel Mendez

Miguel Montiel

Pete Garcia

Raul Grijalva

Silvestre Herrera

Tommy Espinoza

Tommy Nuñez

victor vidales

Throughout Arizona’s 100 years of statehood, many Latinos have left a permanent legacy of their work and contributions. For this segment, we have selected a series of individuals who represent a diverse field of the community. Some chosen (see the list) don’t appear here because they are mentioned in other sections of

this special supplement. Similarly, we are aware that there may be omissions but they are strictly unintentional and for that we apologize. During 2012, however, we will continue to publish topics and profiles of notable Latinos as part of a permanent special section of La Voz. We’re grateful

for your understanding.

100 LATINOS: THEIR LEGACy


ed pasTor

First Latino Congressman from

Arizona Born on June 28, 1943 in

Claypool, Arizona, Ed Pastor was the first member of his family to attend college, graduating with a degree in chemistry in 1966.

Pastor started his teaching career at North High School in Phoenix and later kicked off his

community work with the nonpro-fit Guadalupe organization Inc., He later returned to college to get his law degree and subsequently became an assistant to former Arizona Gov. Raul H. Castro.

He became the first Hispanic elected to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, a post he resigned to pursue a successful congressional bid in Congressional District 2 in 1991. He has been in Congress ever since.

Judge mary h. murguiaPresident obama nomina-

ted Mary H. Murguia to the united States Court of Appeals

for the Ninth Circuit on March 25, 2010. However, it wasn’t until Dec. 22, 2010, that the u.S. Senate confirmed her.

A native of Kansas, Murguia graduated from the university of Kansas with two bachelor’s degrees in 1982 and in 1985 she received a law degree from the university of Kansas Law School. After completing her studies, Murguia devoted

her career to public service and in 1998 she was elected to serve in the Executive office for u.S. Attorneys, becoming director in 1999. on July 21, 2000, she was nominated by President Clinton to a newly created seat in the district of Arizona and became the first Latina to serve as a federal judge in the state.

esperanza “hope” acosTa

schechTerFirst Latina council

woman at the City of Los Angeles

Esperanza Acosta Schechter easily moved between social, politi-cal and cultural groups, catapulting her presence in the labor and poli-tical circles of California.

She was born in Miami, Arizona on July 10, 1921 but her parents

moved to Los Angeles when she was only a year old. Her mother, a Mexican-native refused to learn to speak English in part because she didn’t see the need for it since everyone in her life spoke Spanish.

Esperanza had a hard time in school where she felt an outcast. She recalled her unhappy school days because she couldn’t wear what other girls wore and the fact that her parents couldn’t afford bread for her to take a sandwich to school. “you’d try to hide the fact you were eating tortillas instead of sandwich,” she said during an interview.

When she was 17, she left school and she went to work in the garment industry, where she started organizing other young women to join the union. Esperanza joined the International Ladies' Garment Workers' union and she ended up organizing Mexican women. In 1948 she completed the Harvard university Trade union Fellows Program and the same year the

union hired her as an organi-zer and business agent in the sportswear division.

In 1949, she became the first Mexican-American to join the Los Angeles City Council. She helped found the Community Service organization and as chair of the group’s Labor Relations Committee, she supervised education, strike support, fund-raising, and lobb-ying.

She became the liaison with Congressman Chet Holifield's con-gressional office, served as a dele-gate to the national Democratic Party conventions during the Johnson administration and wor-ked with the Peace Corps and Project Head Start.

In 1955, she married Harvey B. Schecther and a year later gradua-ted from Hollywood High School and passed the necessary exams to become a certified shorthand reporter. Much later, in 1995 she earned a bachelor’s degree in history from California State university, Northridge.

mosT reV. eduardo a.

neVares

First Hispanic Auxiliary Bishop of

PhoenixMost Reverend Eduardo A.

Nevares was ordained as the first Auxiliary Bishop for the Diocese of Phoenix on July 19, 2010, at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Avondale. He began his priestho-od as a Missionary of our Lady of La Salette on July 18, 1981, and

was later incardinated into the Diocese of Tyler, Texas, in May 2007.

Prior to his arrival in Phoenix he served as vice Rector of the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, ohio, after serving as the Co-Director of vocations in the Diocese of Tyler, Texas, from 2002 until 2008. Before serving in Tyler, he was the Pastor of St. Patrick Parish in Lufkin, Texas. For 25 years, Bishop Nevares served as a Missionary of our Lady of La Salette before he sought incardi-nation to the Diocese of Tyler.

Bishop Nevares was born on February 19, 1954 and he grew up in a loving, stable Roman Catholic family. His parents were not rich, yet they sent all of their children to Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish School. As his mother would leave the four older children at school, they would both attend daily Mass together. It was seeing his mother’s love and devotion for the Eucharist that began to instill in Bishop Nevares a desire to be a priest.

First Latina to serve as a federal judge in Arizona

THE BANCRoFT LIBRARy/BANC MSS 81/ voL.1 FRoNTIS

ramona acosTa-

BañuelosFirs Mexican-

American appointed U.S. Treasurer

Ramona Acosta Bañuelos was born to poor Mexican immigrants in Miami, Arizona on March 20, 1925.

Her family moved to a relative’s ranch in Sonora, Mexico, when the u.S. government deported thousands of Mexican-American families during the Great Depression.

Ramona married and at the

age of 18 had two sons, Carlos and Martin. She later divorced. Ramona lived in Juarez, Mexico where she crossed the border to work in El Paso, Texas.

She moved to Los Angeles where she found work as a dishwasher and waitress. She married Alejandro Bañuelos and saved enough money to start her own tortilla factory, Ramona’s Mexican Food Products, Inc. Today it is a multi-million dollar family business.

With the growing success of the Mexican food products busi-ness, Bañuelos soon found herself in the banking business after seve-ral businessmen recruited her to help start Pan American in 1964. She was selected to serve as chair of the bank’s board of directors in 1969. She eventually served three terms as bank president while simultaneously serving as president of Ramona’s.

In 1970, President Richard Nixon chose Ramona to serve as the 34th Treasurer of the united States. on Dec. 17, 1971 she beca-me the first Hispanic to serve in that position.

BANCo PAN AMERICAN


alfredo guTiérrez

Alfredo Gutiérrez, born and raised in Miami, Arizona, has been a force in Arizona politics and business for four decades.

Gutiérrez served three years in the u.S. Army and attended Arizona State university. From 1972-1986, he was a member of the State Senate, where he was both the majority and minority leader.

In 1986 he founded Jamieson and Gutiérrez, Inc., which quickly became the state’s leading public rela-tions and public policy firm with offices in Phoenix and Washington D.C., and clients throughout the united States.

In 2001 he sold the firm to his partners in 2001 and laun-ched a campaign for governor. He lost to Janet Napolitano.

general armando de león

First lieutenant in the Judge Advocate General’s Department, U.S. Air force

Reserve

General Armando de León was born in Nogales and earned his bachelor’s and law degree from the university of Arizona.

He’s known for receiving a direct commission in 1959 as first lieutenant in the Judge Advocate General’s Department, u.S. Air force Reserve. General de León was allocated as Reserve judge advocate at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona in 1966.

In 1987 he was promoted to brigadier general and became assistant to the staff judge advocate Headquarters Strategic Air Command, offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska.

arTuro r. moreno

First Hispanic to own a major baseball team in the United

States

Arturo R. Moreno, a native of Tucson, Az, was born on July 31, 1946, and is the oldest of 11 children. After graduating high school he was drafted into the Army in 1966, fighting in the vietnam War. When he retur-ned, Moreno enrolled in the university of Arizona gradua-ting in 1973.

Moreno made history on May 5, 2003, when he purcha-sed the Anaheim Angels from the Walt Disney Company, becoming the first Hispanic to own a major sports team in the united States. In 1997 Moreno and his wife also established The Moreno Family Foundation.

BarBara rodriguez mundell

Arizona’s first female and first Hispanic presiding judge of the

Maricopa County Superior Court

Barbara Rodriguez Mundell is Arizona’s first female and the first Hispanic presiding judge of the Maricopa County Superior Court (1989-2010).

During her tenure as a trial judge she handled case assign-ments including mental health, probate, criminal, family court, juvenile, and civil. Mundell spe-cialized in worker’s compensa-tion and social issues.

She has received several awards including the State Bar of Arizona, the James A. Walsh outstanding Jurist Award (2010) and valle del Sol’s 16th Annual Profiles of Success.

mary rose garrido wilcox First Latina

elected to the Phoenix City

Council and the Maricopa Board of Supervisors

A native of the mining town of Superior, Wilcox is fourth generation Mexican-American. She was the first Latina on the Phoenix City Council and later on the first Hispanic woman elected to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors where she’s serving her fourth term representing District 5.

Wilcox has spearheaded several programs to help families and communi-ties, including low-income housing. Mary Rose cast the deciding vote to finance America West Arena (now uS Airways Center) and Chase Field in downtown Phoenix. She’s a key member of a movement supporting saving neighborhoods and pushed to revitalize and develop south Phoenix and Laveen.

Mary Rose Wilcox has become notorious for defying and criticizing the inappropriate tactics of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his crime-sweeps, targeting Latino neigh-borhoods. That prompted Arpaio to try different ways to discredit her, including accusing her of abusing her public post. Wilcox, however, succeeded proving that the charges were baseless.

adam díaz Arizona’s first Hispanic City Councilman

Adam Díaz was born on Sept. 2, 1909 in Flagstaff, Az but lived in Phoenix for 87 years. Well-known for having been Phoenix’s first Hispanic City Councilman, Díaz first began working as a messen-ger boy with Western union at the age of 13. He later was an elevator operator in one of the buildings owned by businessman George Luhrs in downtown Phoenix. Luhrs became his mentor and later named him superintendent of his properties until his retire-ment.

In 1948 Díaz was elected to the Phoenix City Council where he served four years, and one year as vice-mayor. Later Díaz served five years in the Phoenix Elementary School District 1 while involved in several key projects that bene-fited downtown Phoenix. He assisted in renewing the urban area, organizing many of the downtown buildings and resi-dential areas.

Díaz has served on the board of directors of Friendly House and Chicanos Por La Causa and was active in the League for united Latin American Citizens (LuLAC), the Arizona Centennial Commission, and the Governor's Conference on youth, the Boy Scouts board of directors, and vesta Club. Díaz received several awards including the 1994 Profiles of Success Hall of Fame award from valle Del Sol, Inc., and the valley of the Sun Humanitarian Award in 1995.

lalo guerreroHis music won the hearts of Latin America

and people in the United States.

A Tucson native, Lalo Guerrero wrote hundreds of songs during his seven-decade career including the classic folk song “Canción Mexicana”, Mexico’s most traditional folk song.

At the height of his recor-ding years in the 1940s and 1950s, he released several albums and dominated the Latin American and u.S. charts as a vocalist and songwriter. Many major Mexican artists performed several of his songs including Lucha Reyes, Jorge Negrete, Lola Beltrán, and the legendary Trio Los Panchos among others.

Celebrating his bicultural roots, the Tucson native was an early pioneer writing and recording bilingual songs and was the first to bring American swing and boogie to Spanish-language music in the ‘40s with a string of hit records.

The Smithsonian Institution declared him a National Folk Treasure and his countless other honors include induc-tion into the Tejano Hall of Fame and the Mariachi Hall of Fame. He received the National Medal of Arts from President Bill Clinton.

Guerrero made his European debut in 1998 at the Cite de la Musique in Paris, France at the age of 82.

The beloved artist died at the age of 88.


arThur Van haren Jr.

Arthur van Haren, Jr. was a World War II fighter pilot and the top fighter ace from Arizona.

van Haren was born in Superior in 1920 and was passionate about sports. After the war ended, he received his law degree in 1948.

In public service, he ser-ved as a deputy Maricopa County attorney, as legal counsel to the Maricopa County Planning and zoning Commission, and as a Phoenix judge. van Haren died in August of 1992.

Ben miranda

A champion for Hispanics

Ben Miranda, former state lawmaker and lawyer, conti-nues his leadership champio-ning Hispanic causes.

Miranda, who comes from a family of farm workers, grew up in the public housing complex of Marcos de Niza in downtown Phoenix with 11 siblings. After graduating from a Phoenix union high school, he joined the armed forces and served in the vietnam War. He attended the university of Phoenix and later earned a law degree from Arizona State university.

In 1994, the city of Phoenix honored him with the Martin Luther King Jr. “Living the Dream Award.”

BeniTo c. almanza

State President Bank of America

As the state president for Bank of America Arizona, Almanza is responsible for coor-dinating all lines of business efforts in Arizona encompassing 13,300 associates. He has been with Bank of America for 34 years.

He has held leadership posi-tions in a variety of areas within Bank of America. A native of Hanford, CA, Benito is a gradua-te of Stanford university and the university of Santa Clara.

He serves on the Board of Directors of Teach for America Arizona, the Phoenix Aviation Advisory Board and Greater Phoenix Leadership.

He also led an appeal that rai-sed $10.3 million for the Catholic Diocese of Phoenix to help fami-lies.

carlos galindo-elVira

Carlos Galindo-Elvira is vice president of philanthro-py and community relations for valle del Sol, a nonprofit group in Phoenix.

Prior to joining valle del Sol, he was special assis-tant to former u.S. Senator Dennis DeConcini, wor-ked for the Pinal County Recorder’s office and with the yMCA.

He was the first Hispanic mayor of the town of Hayden and served as a Magistrate Pro Tempore for the Hayden Magistrate Court. He’s a graduate of the Hispanic Leadership Institute and valley Leadership.

Galindo-Elvira earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from Arizona State university.

carmen de noVais guerrero

Community activist and musician

Carmen de Novais Guerrero was born on Sept. 2, 1950 in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil. She and her husband, zarco Guerrero, who live in Mesa, have devoted their lives to promote the arts. And though her work consumes most of her time, the artist participated in the campaign to recall state Senator Russell Pearce.

Guerrero is a musician, artist, singer and community acti-vist. She teaches piano, guitar, charango (a South American stringed instrument of the lute family), vibraphone and percus-sion.

Carmen is a theater and visual arts producer for zarkmask.com.

daniel hernandez

Daniel Hernandez went from obscurity to interna-tional fame overnight. The 21-year-old senior at the university of Arizona is largely credited for saving the life of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords when during a public event a gunman shot her in the head.

Hernandez is lauded as a hero for his medical training and quick thinking during the tragedy, though he constantly rejects the title.

He was a guest of honor of President Barack obama during the 2011 State of the union address in Washington, D.C.

Hernandez began his politi-cal activism in 2007 working on the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign.

daVe gonzales

Vice president of State Farm Insurance

Dave Gonzales is senior vice president for State Farm Insurance Companies in the Great Western zone. After three decades he rose to top-level positions.

Between 1988 and 1990, he was assigned to a property dama-ge claim unit, moved to a bodily injury unit, appointed assistant manager in Dallas, Texas, auto division manager and fire division manager.

Gonzales held several top-level positions between 1992 and 2000, including executive assis-tant at Corporate Headquarters and Regional vice President in Arizona.

Gonzales earned a bachelor's and master's degree from the university of Northern Colorado, Greeley.

daVid caVazos

First Latino City Manager at the City of Phoenix

David Cavazos, a Chicago nati-ve, joined the city of Phoenix in 1987 as a member of the Phoenix management intern program.

After completing the program, Cavazos joined the Economic Development Department, hel-ping expand the city’s economic base. He was interim director of Sky Harbor International Airport during a period when the airport was experiencing great growth.

Cavazos was appointed city manager in oct. 2009, though he had held that post since 2006 on an interim bases.

other major accomplishments include the opening of CityScape, and the ground breaking of the Health Sciences Education building at the Phoenix Biomedical Campus of Phoenix.

delia de la Vara

Community work at NCLR

Delia de la vara is vice-pre-sident of the National Council of La Raza in California. She oversees NCLR’s strategy to boost relations among affiliates through training, development, organizational, leadership and fund-raising initiatives. She’s also responsible of the organization and production of the National Council of La Raza ALMA Awards.

She joined NCLR in 1998 in the Affiliate Relations division where key projects included developing membership pro-cesses and creating the affiliate council.

She has a bachelor’s degree in Regional Development and Latin American Studies from the university of Arizona.

eddie Basha

A champion of education

Eddie Basha has deep roots in Arizona. Born and raised in Chandler, Basha’s advocacy for children and education is legendary.

Eddie is the great-grand-son of settlers who came to America in 1884. His grandpa-rents were Arizona pioneers who opened a general store in the mining community of Ray, Arizona, in 1910, two years before statehood. Bashas’ is the only family-owned super-market chain in Arizona.

Gov. Rose Mofford in 1990 appointed him to the Arizona Board of Regents. He served a 13-year term on the Chandler School Board and was appo-inted by Gov. Bruce Babbitt to the State Board of Education.


henry garfiasFirst Marshal of Phoenix

Most of Enrique "Henry” Garfias’ feats of bravery far surpass those of the more famous lawmen of the old West.

Garfias was born in 1851. At the age of 20, he moved to Arizona, settling in Wickenburg and three years later he moved to Phoenix.

Garfias became county deputy sheriff and quickly the Latino lawman’s reputa-tion began to spread. When Phoenix was officially incor-porated into a town in 1881, he was appointed town marshal.

Later, through a for-mal municipal election, he became the highest elected official of Mexican descent in the valley during the 19th century. He was the city’s first marshal.

francisca monToya

Community Activist

For decades, Francisca Montoya has worked for various boards and organizations that help Latinos.

Montoya, the Friendly House director of strategic development, has worked for other national groups such as MALDEF and the César E. Chávez Foundation.

She was executive director of The Stardust House, a neigh-borhood resource and learning center at South Ranch II. From 1996 to 1999 Montoya was the neighborhood coordinator for Phoenix.

During 1993-1996 she ser-ved as assistant to Phoenix City Council District 7, where she did everything from neighborhood issues relating to gangs, crime, and infrastructure improvements projects.

eugene acosTa marin

Excellence in education

Eugene Marin made his mark in the 1960’s and 70’s in education and government. His educational and professional accomplishments inspired many of his generation and others.

Marin spent a major part of his professional career working for educational institutions and gover-nment. For instance, he was the first Latino to be appointed as state director of the Arizona office of Economic opportunity.

In 1972, Marin directed the office of Student Financial Aid and coordi-nated Student Assistance Programs at Arizona State university. He wor-ked in the late 1970’s with the u.S. Department of Education.

Born in Christmas, Arizona in 1922, Marin earned several college degrees, his doctorate degree from California Western university in 1972.

frank Barrios

Author of the book “Images of America: Mexicans in Phoenix”

A descendent of immigrants from the former yugoslavia and Sonora, Mexico, Frank M. Barrios was born in Phoenix on April 8, 1942.

In 1966, he earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Arizona State university.

During the first years of his professional career, Barrios worked for the Central Arizona Project until the mid-1970s and subsequently worked for the Arizona Water Commission.

After retiring, Barrios started researching history and devoted himself to gathering documents, which he used to publish his book “Mexicans in Phoenix.”

He was a member of the board of director of the Central Arizona Project and is member of the Arizona Centennial Commission and the Arizona Centennial Foundation.

gonzalo de la melena

Gonzalo de la Melena spends most of his time helping Latino business owners. As President and CEo of the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, de la Melena represents more than 60,000 Hispanic businesses in the state.

Gonzalo is the founder of edmventures, LLC a small business investment company with holdings in Arizona restaurant franchise - Pollo Campero and Phoenix airport conces-sions – Sir veza’s Taco Garage at Sky Harbor International.

He has done business in more than 30 countries during his 20-plus years working in management, business development and Latino marketing.

Gonzalo began his career in consumer products with Coca-Cola Enterprises before joining The Dial Corporation in 1993.

He has a master’s degree from Thunderbird School of Global Management and earned his under-graduate degree in business from Arizona State university.

Jaime guTiérrez

Political leadership at the state Legislature

Jaime Gutiérrez is a Tucson native. In 1971 he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the university of Arizona and has done postgra-duate work there as well.

He’s vice president of exter-nal relations and associate vice president of the office of Community Relations at u of A.

Gutiérrez was estate sena-tor for 14 years where he ser-ved minority whip and assis-tant to the minority leader. During his final years at the Legislature, he was a member of the Appropriations, Budget and Ethics committees.

Jaime molera

Arizona’s former superintendent of public

instruction

Jaime Molera, one of the most well known Latinos in Arizona, devotes much of his time to improving education.

Molera has held several top high-level posts, including Arizona’s Superintendent of Public Instruction from 2001-2003 and top advisor on policy and legislative affairs to Gov. Jane Dee Hull.

In 2008, then Gov. Janet Napolitano appointed him to the State Board of Education and more recently Gov. Jan Brewer reappointed him. He is now the president of that board.

Recently, Molera led the legislative effort to help secure nearly a half a billion dollars nee-ded to expand the university of Arizona’s College of Medicine.

edmundo hidalgo

President and CEO of Chicanos Por La Causa (CPLC)

Edmundo Hidalgo, a native of San Luis, Az, is President and CEo of Chicanos Por La Causa, Inc. Before assuming the posi-tion, he was the agency’s Chief operations officer, beginning in 1999. He has been president of the Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation, the Treasurer of Sonoran Bank, a member the Chase Community Advisory Committee of Chase and the Diamondbacks Diversity Council.

In 2005, was named Minority Small Business Champion of the year by the u.S. Small Business Administration’s Arizona District office. Edmundo earned a bachelor’s degree in economics in 1988 and a master’s degree in business administration from Arizona State university.

erica gonzález-meléndez

A lawyer who fights for community rights

Erica González-Meléndez is chairwoman of the board of directors of Chicanos Por La Causa, and in that capacity she publicly asked Gov. Jan Brewer not to sign SB1070 into law.

González-Meléndez is an attorney for Snow and Carpio, which specia-lizes in workers’ compensation. She also manages her own law firm: Law offices of Erica González-Meléndez where she takes primarily family law cases.

She was a prosecutor for the city of Phoenix and as an Assistant Attorney General for the Arizona Attorney General’s office in the Medicaid Fraud Control unit.

González-Meléndez is active at Sacred Heart Catholic Church and helps write grants to fund church programs.

Recently, Erica received the Daniel R. ortega Public Service Award from valle del Sol’s Hispanic Leadership Institute.

JacinTo orozco

First Spanish-language DJ in Tucson

Born in zacatecas, Mexico in 1898, Jacinto orozco lived in Jerome, Arizona for a period of time. He started his DJ career at a small, low frequen-cy radio station. At the crack of dawn, he started his show with the song “La Marcha de zacatecas.”

In 1938, orozco moved to Tucson and immediately joined KvoA radio station where he began airing his popular show “La Hora Mexicana". There he informed the community of important events.

Jacinto orozco died in 1971 and though a lot of people don’t remember him, his radio contributions are etched in Arizona’s history.

ARIzoNA HISToRIAL SoCIETy/TuCSoN AHS 64451

HISPANIC RESEARCH CEN-TER/ ARIzoNA STATE uNIvERSITy


James e. garcía

Artistic director of New Carpa Theater

James E. García is essayist, journalist and consultant. He’s founder and artistic director of the company New Carpa Theater Co., and the author of at least 20 theater productions, including The Eagle and the Serpent: A History of Mexico Abridged and Amexica: Tales of the Fourth World (co-writ-ten with Alberto Rios).

He was born March 12, 1959 in Chicago, Illinois. He moved dozens of times during his childhood to various cities around the united States, gaining a broad perspective of the world. He studied journa-lism at the university of Texas and did his postgraduate work in Literature at Arizona State university.

Jesús meléndrez

Founder of El Mensajero Newspaper

Jesús Meléndrez came from yuma, Arizona in 1878. He worked as a clerk for the Salt River valley Herald and later for the Arizona Gazette. He founded his own newspaper, El Mensajero, in 1990.

El Mensajero publis-hed local, national and international news stories. His journalistic theme included “The best medium to reach the Spanish speaking home.” Residents could subscribe to the paper for $1.50 a year. Meléndrez helped found the orga-nization known as “La Liga Protectora Latina” to fight civil rights.

José canchola

First Hispanic member of the New York Stock Exchange

José Canchola was born in Parsons, Kansas, but grew up in Chicago’s West Side.

In the 1950’s, he was the first Hispanic to join the New york Stock Exchange. In 1976 he ope-ned the first McDonald's restau-rant on the international border in Nogales, Arizona.

He contributed to the Ronald McDonald House in Tucson pro-viding hundreds of scholarships to journalism undergraduate students, as well as business gra-duate students.

He was chairman of the u.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and became mayor of Nogales.

In 2002, President George W. Bush appointed him to the National Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics.

Jesús “Jesse” armenTa

Writing for famous artists

A native of Buena vista, Sonora, Armenta began writing songs since his teenage years. But it was in Phoenix where he got a break when local groups and singers started recording some of the songs he wrote.

He catapulted to the top when the internationally known group Los Tigres del Norte recorded his song “vivan los mojados” in 1976. For a few years, Armenta recorded mainly for Los Tigres but others such as Conjunto Primavera, Rieleros del Norte, Banda El Recodo, Banda Costeña, Pablo Montero and Graciela Beltran also recor-ded his songs.

Armenta’s talent has been recognized through numerous awards throughout his suc-cessful musical career in Mexico and the united States.

José a. cárdenas

Senior Vice President and General Counsel for Arizona

State University

Since 2009 José Cárdenas has been the senior vice president and general counsel of Arizona State university.

Cárdenas heads the legal counsel, a representative of the ASu Foundation, the Sun Angel Foundation, and the ASu Alumni Association.

In 1974 Cárdenas received his bachelor’s degree from the university of Nevada at Las vegas and in 1977 graduated from Stanford university Law School.

In 1978 Cárdenas joined Lewis and Roca and became partner in 1982. In 1999 he was named Lewis and Roca’s first chairman.

Cárdenas is a member of The Fellows of the American Bar Foundation and is member of Los Abogados.

José ronsTadT

Successful career in mass media

A native of Nogales, Sonora, José Ronstadt has paved the way for many generations of profes-sional Latinos in mass communi-cations.

Ronstadt is host and executive producer of KvEA-Tv, Channel 52's morning news and entertain-ment program in Los Angeles. He began his professional career at the PBS channel at Arizona State university where he obtained a scholarship as one of the top students. Every year he emcees ASu’s Hispanic Convocation cere-mony.

He was among the pioneers of local station univision where he was vice president and gene-ral manager.

liliana de león

Art in continuous movement

Liliana De León is a ballerina, choreographer and educator. Though her focus is Flamenco dance, she has created a mix of Mexican folkloric and traditional Latin American dances.

She started dancing since early age becoming a professio-nal dancer during her teenage years. She has traveled throug-hout Mexico, Costa Rica, Spain, Germany and the united States.

De León has produced con-certs, has choreographed dance festivals and has taught at high schools, community colleges and universities.

She has a bachelor’s degree in modern dance from Arizona State university and did postgra-duate work from the university of California in Los Angeles.

linda Jean córdoVa carTer

Actress, singer and songwriter

Linda Jean Córdova Carter is best known for her role in The New Adventures of Wonder Woman. She was born on July 24, 1951, in Phoenix.

Though she enrolled at Arizona State university, she quit to pursue her musical career. In 1970 she joined the group The Garfin Gathering and Lynda Carter.

In 1972 Carter entered a local beauty contest in which she gai-ned national attention and won Miss World uSA, representing Arizona. She reached the semi-finals in Miss World uSA competi-tion. She later went to New york to take acting classes.

linda mazon guTiérrez

President and CEO of the Hispanic Women’s Corporation

Linda Mazon Gutiérrez is pre-sident and CEo of the Hispanic Women’s Corporation. Founded in 1981 as a result of challenges women faced socially and cul-turally and the lack of opportu-nities.

HWC has become a natio-nal force that has drawn over 2,000 attendees to the Executive, Professional and youth Leadership Institutes.

Gutiérrez was elected secre-tary to the Girl Scouts uSA National Board of Directors where she’s serving her second term. She is a member of the board of directors of National Council of La Raza in Washington, D.C.

Julia soTo zozayaSpanish-language radio pioneer

Born in 1926, Julia Soto zozaya was the first Latina to buy a radio station in Phoenix.

Sozaya, who had only one child with her husband Steve, studied business at Lamson Business College in Phoenix.

She worked for several local groups such as the League of united Latin American Citizens,

Arizona Department of Economic Security, and u.S. Senator Dennis DeConcini's Arizona office.

zozaya established Arizona's first 24- hour Spanish language radio station KNNN.

The Arizona Real Estate Bulletin in 1992 reported how she overcame the fact that she was legally blind.



luz sarmina

A civil rights advocate

Luz Sarmina was president and general manager of valle del Sol until 2011. She took a strong position against attempts in the Arizona Legislature to deny citizenship to children of undocumented immigrants who were born in the united States. Luz Sarmina spoke out against that initiative, which defied the 14th Amendment of the u.S. Constitution.

valle del Sol provides behavioral health, social ser-vices and Latino leadership development.

Sarmina earned a master’s of science degree in social work from Arizona State university.

manuel “liTo” peña

Working for a better future for the youth

Born in a cattle ranch in Cashion, Arizona on Nov. 17, 1924, Manuel “Lito” Peña, Jr. attended Tolleson Elementary School. He dropped out of Tolleson High School to do different types of jobs in the agriculture industry.

His political career spans more than 30 years, serving three terms in the Arizona House of Representatives pushing for laws to protect farm workers.

Peña has been involved in several organizations and commu-nity services including Phoenix’s Human Relations Commission, vice chairman for Movimiento unido Mexicano, and Secretary/Treasurer of the Phoenix Catholic Labor Society, Phoenix Council for Civic unity, Careers for youth, Phoenix urban League, and the Community Service organization.

manuel T. pacheco

University of Arizona’s 17th President

Manuel T. Pacheco was born on May 30, 1941 in Rocky Ford, Colorado.

In 1962, Pacheco received his bachelor’s degree in languages from the New Mexico Highlands university. Pacheco earned a master’s degree in Spanish in 1966 as well as a doctorate in foreign language education in 1969, from ohio State university. He was appointed presi-dent of the university of Arizona in 1991.

During his term as president at the u of A Pacheco built the Integrated Learning Center (ILC) and promised to build the Student union Memorial Center simultaneously. The ILC was named in Pacheco’s honor on oct. 6, 2004. Ten years earlier, he hel-ped the university obtain the Science and Technology Park, a research and development facility.

margie emmermann

Executive Director for the Arizona-Mexico Commission and Gov. Brewer’s policy advisor for

Mexico and Latin America

In 2009 Margie Emmermann was named executive director for the Arizona Mexico Commission and Gov. Jan Brewer’s policy advisor for Mexico and Latin America.

Emmermann was policy advisor on Mexico issues for governors Fife Symington and Jane Hull and was Hull’s liaison to the Hispanics.

She was the director of the Arizona office of Tourism and direc-tor of the Arizona Department of Commerce.

Emmermann was vice president of Bank of America and has held various positions with such compa-nies as uS West Communications. She received the prestigious oHTLI award, which the Mexican govern-ment gives to residents of Mexican descent who have made great con-tributions.

michael nowakowski

Hispanic Phoenix Councilman

His tireless community and political work helped Michael Nowakowski get elected to the Phoenix City Council.

Nowakowski is the vice pre-sident of Communications of Radio Campesina, a network of 10 nonprofit Spanish-language radio stations created by the late farm worker leader César Chávez.

He worked with the Catholic Diocese of Phoenix where he served as assistant director of the office of youth and young Adult Ministry. He was execu-tive vice president of the com-munication fund of the Cesar Chavez Foundation and served on the city of Phoenix Historic Bond Committee.

nancy Jordan

An educational legacy for Arizona

Nancy Jordan is a former teacher at the Roosevelt School District. She has been responsible for managing advocacy programs, constituent outreach, special events, special programs and com-munity relations and outreach at Arizona State university.

She served as associate execu-tive director of the ASu Alumni Association from 1996 to 2000.

Before joining the university, Jordan was executive director of the Genesis Program, Inc.

She was dean of school and community relations for Phoenix College, and served as executive assistant to the chancellor of Maricopa Community Colleges. She earned a bachelor’s degree at the university of California, Riverside, and a master's of counseling from Arizona State university.

paul J. luna

President and CEO of Helios Education Foundation

Paul J. Luna is president and CEo of Helios Education Foundation, the largest nonprofit organization in Arizona and Florida focusing exclusively on education.

Luna has more than 25 year of professional experien-ce in the public and private sector where he has had diverse leadership roles.

He was president of united Way, an organiza-tion that offers different programs and services to the community. He is a member of the Arizona Governor’s education council and a member of the Sky Harbor International Airport’s citizen advisory board.

linda ronsTadT

The queen of rock

Linda Ronstadt, also known as the queen of rock, is a Tucson native. Though she star-ted her career singing folkloric music with her group “The Stone Poneys” in the 1960’s, she’s internationally known as a soloist.

Linda studied at Arizona State university where she met guitarist Bob Kimmel. The duo moved to Los Angeles where guitarist and singer Kenny Edwards joined them. The Stone Poneys became a sen-sation in California, recording their first album in 1967.

Her first hit as a soloist was the 1970 song “Long, Long Time.”

lorraine lee

Former executive vice president of CPLC (Tucson)

At an early age, Lorraine Lee learned what discrimination is. Her father, of Chinese descent, emigrated from the Philippines to the united States, and her mother of Chinese and Mexican descent came from Mexico.

Lorraine was born in 1956 in Tucson and earned a degree in psychology from the university of Arizona in 1978.

She attended the university of California Los Angeles where she earned a master’s degree in urban planning. When she returned to Arizona, she joined Chicanos Por La Causa where she was executive vice president in the Tucson office.

She died oct. 31 of 2007 after losing a battle with cancer.

luis aVila

An advocate for students’ rights in Arizona

Luis Avila was born in Culiacan, Sinoloa, Mexico but lived part of his youth in Queretaro where at 16 he foun-ded a youth publication to give students a chance to voice their opinion on social and political issues.

In 2004, Avila participated in the 40th anniversary of the New American Freedom Summer pro-gram registering minority voters in Mississippi and Arizona.

In 2005, Majority Leader, Senator Harry Reid, invited Avila to participate at the first Hispanic youth Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C. He has been a member of several coalitions that defend the rights of students across the country.


peTe moraga

A JOURNALISM LEGACY

Born and raised in Tempe, Arizona, Pete Moraga devoted his life to improving the image of Latinos in electronic media.

In 1949, after graduating from Arizona State university, Pete became a member of the original group of KIFN, the first Spanish-language radio station in Phoenix.

Pete joined the Foreign Service in 1961 and worked as a press assistant with the u.S. Embassy in Mexico.

In 1969, he joined the KNX-CBS radio in Los Angles and subsequently worked at KMEX-Tv in that city. In 2001, he was inducted into the National Association of Hispanic Journalists Hall of Fame.

peTe rios

First Hispanic to serve as President of the Arizona Senate

Former state senator Pete Rios grew up in Hayden-Winkelman. He earned his bachelor’s degree in sociology and master's degree in social service administration from Arizona State university.

Professionally, Rios has wor-ked in a variety of social services settings with particular emphasis on services to children and fami-lies. From 1978 to 1980, he was Children's Adoption Coordinator for the state.

In 1982 he was first elected to the State where he became the Democratic Whip and Democratic Assistant Leader.

In 1991, he was elected pre-siding officer as President of the State during the 40th Legislature, making him the first Latino to hold that post in state’s history.

peTra falcón

An exemplary leadership

Behind the most recent his-toric Latino voter participation is Petra Falcón, who has been instrumental in convincing the new u.S. citizens to register to vote.

With more than 25 years of community experience, Falcón’s group Promesa Arizona grew out of SB1070 that put Arizona on the forefront of the fight against illegal immigration.

As a leader of the National Immigration Forum, Falcón has trained more than 800 volun-teers, primarily young immi-grants to join the movement using “the construction of the movement", and an innovative training method.

placida elVira garcia smiTh

Community Activist

Placida Elvira Garcia Smith was born on Aug. 7, 1896 in Conejos, Colorado and became the deputy county treasurer.

In 1929, Smith and her hus-band, Reginald G. Smith, moved to Phoenix where she took a job with what is now known as the Phoenix Newspapers, Inc. She worked as a substitute teacher at Phoenix Elementary School and Phoenix union High School. However, in 1931 Smith took on the directorship of Friendly House, a nonprofit organization that helped immigrants assimi-late. Smith also organized the first Spanish-American Boy Scout Troop in 1932 and in 1953 recei-ved Daughters of the American Revolution Award of Merit. In 1962 was chosen as Phoenix Woman of the year by the Phoenix Advertising Club.

ralph Velez

City manager of San Luis, Guadalupe and Calexico

Ralph velez, the city manager of San Luis, has worked in local government for three decades.

He was the city manager in the Town of Guadalupe and Calexico, California, and worked for Tolleson for 22 years.

He was born in Ray, but rai-sed in the neighboring town of Sonora, Arizona. He attended Arizona Western College in yuma and Arizona State university before joining the u.S. Army in April 1969.

Spent 18 months as a medic in Germany during the vietnam War, worked for valley National Bank, Chicanos Por La Causa and owned La Mascota Deli and Bakery in Guadalupe.

randy parraz

Made history recalling Russell Pearce

Randy Parraz accomplished what few believe to be possible. oust Senate President Russell Pearce, Arizona’s most powerful politician who gained national attention for his anti-immigrant laws.

Parraz spearheaded a gras-sroots campaign to recall Pearce, who sponsored many laws targe-ting undocumented immigrants including SB1070.

Parraz’s group, known as Citizens for a Better Arizona, now wants to oust Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

Randy is a graduate of u.C. Berkeley, the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard university, u.C. Berkeley’s Boalt Hall School of Law and a mem-ber of the California Bar.

rené díaz

First Hispanic Superintendent of Phoenix Union

For more than 35 years, René Díaz has worked to educate the youth, becoming the first Latino to head the Phoenix union High School District and the Phoenix Elementary School District.

Díaz grew up in Tolleson with eight other siblings. His father managed a ranch while his mother was a devout volunteer at a Catholic church. He was educated in Catholic elementary and high school.

As the head of South Mountain High School, Díaz created several innovative aca-demic programs, which earned him the School of the year in Arizona award. He played a key role establishing César Chávez High School and was named Superintendent of the year in Arizona in 1998.

reBecca flanagan

First Latina to head the Field Office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

in Phoenix

In 2002, Rebecca Flanagan took the helm of the Field office of the u.S. Department of Housing and urban Development in Phoenix.

She began her career with HuD 34 years ago as an Equal opportunity Specialist in Denver, Colorado.

In 1990, Rebecca moved to Phoenix when she was named deputy manager for the Phoenix HuD office. During her tenure, she developed key policies inclu-ding the use of “cash on hand” by FHA borrowers.

Flanagan has a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the university of California at Los Angeles.

roBerT orTiz

Business leader

Robert ortiz is vice president of Sales & Marketing for Bashas’, the family-owned grocer that operates Bashas’, Food City, AJ’s Fine Foods, Sportsman’s Fine Wines & Spirits, Eddie’s Country Store, and Bashas’ Diné super-markets.

He is responsible for all strategic sales, marketing and merchandising decisions for the 128-stores grocery chain.

under his leadership, Food City has been recognized with many awards, including the uSA Rice Federation’s “Retailer of the year” in 2005, Progressive Grocer magazine’s “Hispanic Retail Excellence Award” in 2007.

ortiz serves on the Board of Directors of Chicanos Por La Causa.

peTe Bugarin

Latinos danced to his music

Born in 1917 as Pedro Cheretin Bugarin in Marinette, now Sun City, Pete became a fixture in the music business. He began his music career at Phoenix union High School, playing the guitar and singing in Spanish.

Bugarin did everything from playing Mexican music and commercials. But he got his break acquiring the orchestra "Los Caballeros Alegres". He later created live music and recordings with his 10-piece orchestra, the Music Makers, including Carmen and Laura, jukebox favorites.

The orchestra made Arizona history because of weekly dance hall appearances at the Calderón, Casino, and others.



salVador reza

A people’s warrior

Salvador Reza’s name is synonymous with pro-immigrant rights. Reza is a pioneer of the movement to improve the wor-king conditions of day laborers in Arizona.

Reza, who came to Arizona in 1992, identifies with the indige-nous movement, an attempt to unite Native people worldwide to protect the human rights of Indians.

A native of Chihuahua, Mexico, Reza moved to the valley in part because he wanted to live in the center of Aztlán, the legendary homeland of the Aztec civilization. Through his organi-zation, Tonatierra, and the help of Phoenix, Reza founded a day labor center in north Phoenix.

He has been a key player in the most recent movement of the pro-immigrant rights in Arizona.

sTephen monToya

A Latino rights advocate

Stephen Montoya gra-duated from the university of New Mexico and obtai-ned his law degree from yale university in 1987. He began his career as a clerk for Federal District Judge Carl A. Muecke in Phoenix.

Montoya has specialized in civil rights cases in federal court. He’s former president of El Colegio de Abogados and former president of the Phoenix Human Relations Commission.

His work has earned him several awards including the recognition from the State of Arizona Bar as one of the 100 most influential men or minority lawyers in the state.

Trinidad escalenTeswilling

Salt River Valley pioneer

Trinidad Escalante Swilling was born in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico and later moved to Tucson; at 17 she married Jack Swilling, the first White settler in the Salt River valley.

Swilling organized the Swilling Irrigating and Canal Company, which established the town site of Phoenix and with Mexican laborers dug a modern canal system, enabling a depen-dable delivery of water, earning Swilling the title "the father of Phoenix".

The Swilling's original adobe home was near 36th and Washington streets. When Trinidad died in 1925, The Arizona Republic called her "one of the best-known pioneer figu-res of the Salt River valley".

Tupac enrique acosTa

The voice of the Indigenous people in

Phoenix

Tupac Enrique Acosta is the coordinator and foun-ding member of Tonatierra, an Indigenous community-based organization in Phoenix, Arizona.

Enrique Acosta has wor-ked diligently on indigenous issues locally and internatio-nally, bringing attention to human rights issues.

He’s also supported community development causes, always adhering to his Indigenous roots and beliefs.

zarco guerrero

Founder of Xicanindio Artes, Inc.

zarco Guerrero was born on April 7, 1952 in Mesa, Arizona and has been a major impact in the art scene in the state.

Guerrero is the founder of Xicanindio Artes, Inc., a nonprofit organization aimed at improving the understanding of the Latino and Native American arts and co-founded Cultural Coalition, Inc. in Phoenix, Arizona.

Guerrero has participated in the Artist in Education program of the Arizona Arts Commission and has held workshops all throughout the united States since 1972.

In 1993 he was awarded the Governor’s Arts Award for his artistic input within the commu-nity.

ronnie lópez

First Latino to be appointed as a governor’s Chief of Staff

Ronnie López was born in the Arizona mining town of Miami.

He served as president of Phoenix International Consultants consulting in con-tract negotiation, political, and marketing strategies.

Politics and community deve-lopment have been López’s pas-sions. He served as field repre-sentative of the Arizona Civil Rights Commission, and later as President and CEo of Chicanos Por La Causa.

He was a Maricopa County Justice of the Peace and was for-mer Gov. Bruce Babbitt’s chief of staff & executive assistant.

He was Finance Chair for Ed Pastor's Congressional cam-paign and was a member of the National Democratic Business Council and the Arizona Clinton-Gore Committee.

We celebrate with the State of Arizona 100 years

of Our History


Congratulations to theHispanic community

For 100 years of perseverance and

contributions to the state of Arizona.


¡MuCHas GraCias!

• State Farm Insurance, la Fundación de Citi y Raza Development

Fund, por creer en este proyecto y patrocinarlo.

• Tommy Espinoza, por dedicar su tiempo y parte de su personal a labores

de investigación y apoyo editorial.

• Historiador Frank Barrios, por per-mitirnos integrar en este suplemento parte del valioso material de su libro

“Images of America – Mexicans in Phoenix”.

• Diócesis de Phoenix, por brindar-nos acceso a sus archivos.

• Dra. Mary Jo Franco-French, por compartir con nosotros sus recuerdos y

fotografías históricas.

• Dra. Christine Marin, Profesora Emérita de la universidad Estatal de

Arizona, por su disponibilidad y ayuda.

• Univisión 33 y Univisión Radio, por recibir y respaldar con entusiasmo el proyecto (¡Gracias Juan y Gerardo!).

• Elvia Díaz y Carlos Chávez, por ayudarnos durante sus horas de des-

canso.

• Valeria Fernández, por su apoyo editorial y su amor por el periodismo

en español.

• Paul Brinkley-Rogers (Raza Development Fund), por sus contribu-

ciones editoriales.

• Star Reyes y Ben García (Raza Development Fund), por su dedicada

colaboración.

• Elisa Córdova, estudiante de la Escuela de Periodismo Walter Cronkite de ASu, por su entusiasmo y dedicación

al trabajo.

• Luis Manuel Ortiz, Marco Arreortúa, Luis Solano, Nadia Cantú,

Samuel Murillo, Eduardo Bernal y Ruby Mejía por las horas interminables de trabajo que dedicaron para producir

esta publicación.

• Centro de Información del Arizona Republic.

• A todas las personas y organiza-ciones (imposibles de enumerar) que de alguna forma colaboraron en la elabo-

ración de este suplemento.

• A la comunidad hispana por sus contribuciones, sus sacrificios, sus logros y por ser parte de la grandeza de nues-

tro estado y nuestra nación.

¡A todos, nuestro eterno agradecimiento!

Elvira EspinozaDirectora General

tHanK yOu!• State Farm Insurance, the Citi

Foundation, and Raza Development Fund, for believing and sponsoring this

project.

• Tommy Espinoza, who dedicated his time and his staff's to help out with

research and editorial content.

• Historian Frank Barrios for allowing us use content from his book

“Images of America – Mexicans in Phoenix.”

• The Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix for giving us access to its

archives.

• Doctor Mary Jo Franco-French, for sharing her memories and historical

photos.

• Dr. Christine Marín, professor emeritus at Arizona State university,

for her support.

• univision 33 and univision Radio for enthusiastically embracing the pro-

ject (Gracias Juan & Gerardo!).

• Elvia Díaz and Carlos Chavez, for their help during their time off.

• valeria Fernández, for her edi-torial contributions, and her love for

journalism.

• Paul Brinkley-Rogers (Raza Development Fund), for his editorial

contributions.

• Star Reyes and Ben García (Raza Development Fund), for their steadfast

commitment.

• Elisa Córdova, a journalism stu-dent at Walter Cronkite at ASu, for her

enthusiasm and dedication.

• Luis Manuel ortiz, Marco Arreortúa, Luis Solano, Nadia Cantú, Samuel Murillo, Eduardo Bernal and Ruby Mejía, who devoted countless hours to produce this publication.

• The Arizona Republic’s Information Center.

• To all the people and groups (which are impossible to name all) who collaborated in producing this supple-

ment.

• To the Hispanic community for its contributions, sacrifices, and successes, and for being a part in the making of

this great state and of this great nation of ours.

To everyone, our deepest appreciation!

Elvira EspinozaPublisher

¡Gracias!


Happy 100th Anniversary!

Always With You


Documents

Centennial Edition English