Mexican-American History & Culture in 20th Century Houston

The Morales Radio Hall housed the first ever Spanish Language Radio Station (KLVL-La Voz Latina) in the Gulf Coast. Felix and Angeline Morales founded it in 1946, and it went live in 1950. The programming included ones such as, "Yo Necesito Trabajo," in which employers called the radio station with job offerings for community members. Many individuals that found employment through the program retired from the very same jobs. Additionally, KLVL provided news from home countries and featured Mexican music. When Morales passed, he left the radio station to his wife, Angeline. It remained in business until 1995.

Creator: Jesse Sifuentes and Laura Lopez Cano

Area: Houston / Downtown

Contributor: Allison Saenz

Source: Center for Mexican American Studies

Uploaded by: Hector Garcia

Copyright status: In copyright

Center for Mexican American Studies

Mexican-American History & Culture in 20th Century Houston

Sculptor, Luis Jimenez, created five-copies of “Vaquero.” The first of which was erected in Houston’s Moody Park in 1980. The placement of Jimenez’s sculpture did not come without pushback. Notably, a year prior, the Moody Park Riots had taken place in response to the murder of José Campos Torres. Therefore, when the sculpture was placed in the park, some perceived the vaquero as representative of violence, while others saw it as a symbol of empowerment to the community. Jimenez’s work proved instrumental. While most equestrian statues depict white men in power, he challenged this by showing the importance of the vaquero to the history of the American West. This iconic Luis Jimenez statue resides in Moody Park on the near Northside. There is also a copy in Washington, D.C. Among other academic stops, Jimenez taught at the University of Houston.

Creator: Jesse Sifuentes and Laura Lopez Cano

Area: Houston / Downtown

Contributor: Allison Saenz

Source: Center for Mexican American Studies

Uploaded by: Hector Garcia

Copyright status: In copyright

Center for Mexican American Studies

Mexican-American History & Culture in 20th Century Houston

José “Joe” Campos Torres was a 23-year old Vietnam veteran whose murder by local law enforcement officers gained national attention. In 1977, Houston police officers arrested him at a local bar for disorderly conduct and preceded to severely beat him. They then threw his body into Buffalo Bayou, where he drowned. Two of the six officers involved were found guilty but ultimately sentenced to probation on state charges and less than a year on federal charges. The outrage galvanized Houston’s Latino community and led to the Moody Park Riot a year later. He is depicted here holding the U.S. army flag to symbolize and honor ethnic Mexican involvement in the military.

Creator: Jesse Sifuentes and Laura Lopez Cano

Area: Houston / Downtown

Contributor: Allison Saenz

Source: Center for Mexican American Studies

Uploaded by: Hector Garcia

Copyright status: In copyright

Center for Mexican American Studies

Mexican-American History & Culture in 20th Century Houston

Upon the invitation of Houston’s League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Council 60, President John F. Kennedy, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, First Lady Jacqueline “Jackie” Kennedy, and Second Lady Claudia “Lady Bird” Johnson attended a speaking engagement at the Rice Hotel on November 21, 1963. They were in town attending a banquet honoring Houston Congressman Albert Thomas, but stopped by an event held by the LULAC Council 60. The President, Vice President and First Lady Jackie Kennedy spoke, the latter in Spanish. In his 17-minute speech, it was the first time in history that a U.S. President addressed a Latino civil rights group, this represented the growing importance of the Latino vote. President Kennedy’s acknowledgement of the Latino community reflects the first time a sitting president recognized Latinos as an important voting bloc. He was assassinated in Dallas the following day.

Creator: Jesse Sifuentes and Laura Lopez Cano

Area: Houston / Downtown

Contributor: Allison Saenz

Source: Center for Mexican American Studies

Uploaded by: Hector Garcia

Copyright status: In copyright

Center for Mexican American Studies

Mexican-American History & Culture in 20th Century Houston

Artist, Jesse Sifuentes, included this flag as a homage to Leo Tanguma’s famous mural Rebirth of Our Nationality, which was completed during the Chicano Civil Rights Movement in 1973. Jesse Sifuentes worked on the mural while a freshman at Texas Southern University.

Creator: Jesse Sifuentes and Laura Lopez Cano

Area: Houston / Downtown

Contributor: Allison Saenz

Source: Center for Mexican American Studies

Uploaded by: Hector Garcia

Copyright status: In copyright

Center for Mexican American Studies

Mexican-American History & Culture in 20th Century Houston

This white building symbolizes the nationally important League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Council 60, which was founded in the East End in 1934 after merging with the Latin American Club of Harris County (LAC). It later moved to a clubhouse on Bagby Street, where it reached the peak of its national power. Many major advances for Latinos were discussed and voted on inside this building. LULAC Council 60 provided two national presidents for the organization: Felix Tijerina and John Herrera. In 2018, it was declared a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Creator: Jesse Sifuentes and Laura Lopez Cano

Area: Houston / Downtown

Contributor: Allison Saenz

Source: Center for Mexican American Studies

Uploaded by: Hector Garcia

Copyright status: In copyright

Center for Mexican American Studies