📅 2 de febrero de 2026
Mexican American Heritage Day Association Event
Experience the meaning of our comunidad through engaging presentations, performances, and workshops at Mexican American Heritage Day Association.
Ceremonial Introduction: Smudging w/ Roberto Vargas
Our commemoration begins with a powerful smudging of sage ceremony led by Roberto Vargas, DrPH, Principal Consultant of New World Associates and author of Family Activism: Empowering Your Community Beginning with Family & Friends, alongside his wife Rebecca Vargas. Together, they guide us in giving thanks to our ancestors, honoring Mother Earth, and grounding ourselves in the responsibility and beauty of community.
Why February 2 Matters | Armando Rendón on the Birth of Mexican Americans & Our Living Legacy
In this foundational talk, MAHDA founder Armando Rendón explains why February 2 matters and how the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo shaped Mexican American identity. He honors generations of resilience and highlights the lasting contributions of Mexican Americans across culture, community, and civic life, while inviting everyone to get involved in keeping our history visible and alive.
Rosa Martha Zárate Macías: Historia de los Braceros y Nuestra Lucha | Dos Dos Interview
In this Dos Dos: Mexican American Heritage Day interview, Rosa Martha Zárate Macías speaks on the legacy of the Braceros and the sacrifices that helped build whole industries and communities across the U.S. She connects their struggle to the power of oral history reminding us to document our elders, honor our roots, and carry the fight for dignity forward.
Parte 2: Rosa Martha Zárate Macías | Oral History, Braceros y “Anoche Escuché a mi Madre”
This is Part 2 of our Dos Dos interview with Rosa Martha Zárate Macías and it goes to the heart of what it means to be Mexican American: we survive because we remember, and we remember because we keep telling the story. Rosa Martha sings and plays her song “Anoche Escuché a mi Madre.” She tells a story of a woman who worked herself to the bone, who fought until her last breath, and whose life could have been swallowed by silence but instead becomes a living memory. The message is clear: they can take the body, but they can’t take the story if we carry it forward.
Video
Cultura y Canción | Enrique Rodríguez of Los Cenzontles on Music, Identity & Mexican American Legacy
In this Dos Dos: Mexican American Heritage Day interview, Enrique Rodríguez of Los Cenzontles shares how music becomes memoria a living archive that carries language, story, and identity across generations. He reflects on growing up between traditions and the present, and how song can hold ancestral knowledge while still evolving with the times. From community to classroom to stage, Enrique speaks on music as a tool for cultural pride, education, and resistance, and why artists play a vital role in keeping Mexican American heritage alive through rhythm, voz, and collective expression.
Dos Dos Heritage Day: Michigan Latinos, Economy & History w/ Juan Marinez & Len Radjewski Fraga Film
In this Dos Dos: Mexican American Heritage Day interview, Enrique Rodríguez of Los Cenzontles shares how music becomes memoria a living archive that carries language, story, and identity across generations. He reflects on growing up between traditions and the present, and how song can hold ancestral knowledge while still evolving with the times. From community to classroom to stage, Enrique speaks on music as a tool for cultural pride, education, and resistance, and why artists play a vital role in keeping Mexican American heritage alive through rhythm, voz, and collective expression.
Michoacán to Michigan: Len Radjewski Fraga Preserves Family Migration History
Len Radjewski Fraga, a second-generation Mexican American, produced the documentary Michoacán to Michigan in 1992, using his grandparents voice recordings to recount their migration from Michoacán, Mexico to Saginaw, Michigan. In 2019 the film was updated, premiering at the Detroit Institute of Art’s Film Theatre. Len also manages a family website (http://thefragafamily.com/) featuring documents, photos, and videos. A retired K-12 teacher, he remains active with various Latina/o organizations in Michigan and the Detroit area.
Video
José González y Salazar: Upbringing, Roots, and the Birth of Teatro Milagro
In this Dos Dos: Mexican American Heritage Day interview, we spotlight Teatro Milagro in Oregon and the legacy it’s built for our gente through art, story, and stage. Founder José Eduardo González reflects on his upbringing and the journey of coming to Oregon as a Mexican American, then creating a cultural home where our language, humor, struggle, and pride can be seen and heard without asking permission.
Joined by Maya González, interim creative director, this conversation honors Milagro’s roots while looking forward to what’s next, including their upcoming performances and the next chapter of Chicano/Latino teatro in the Northwest.
Silvia Hector Webber & the Underground Railroad to Mexico | OJ Trevino | Mutual Reliance&Resiliency
As part of MAHDA’s Dos Dos: Mexican American Heritage Day mission, we uplift the stories mainstream history tried to bury, especially the ones that show how our people survived, organized, and kept moving across borders. In “Silvia Hector Webber & Mexico: Mutual Reliance and Resiliency,” O.J. Trevino shares the powerful legacy of Silvia Hector Webber and the lesser-known freedom routes that led south to Mexico. Through family memory and historical truth-telling, this presentation highlights Mexico’s role as a place of refuge and resistance, and challenges the simplified narratives that leave key parts of our history in the shadows.
Chicano Art & the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo | Sarah Gould (MACRI) x Dr. Ricardo Romo (UTSA) DosDos
As part of MAHDA’s Dos Dos: Mexican American Heritage Day, we honor the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo not as a distant date, but as a living line that still shapes land, identity, and belonging for Mexican Americans today. In this conversation, Sarah Gould of MACRI (San Antonio) sits down with Dr. Ricardo Romo, former president of UTSA, to explore how Chicano art became a form of testimony: painting what was erased, naming what was denied, and turning memory into movement.
Together they unpack how murals, posters, prints, and cultural expression carry the truths our communities have always known, that the treaty marked the birth of a people, and that our historia didn’t end when borders shifted. This talk is an invitation to see Chicano art as both archive and resistance: a visual language that teaches, heals, and keeps our roots visible across generations.
Dos Dos Explained | Rubén Barrera on the Meaning, History & Mission of Mexican American Heritage Day
In this foundational talk, Rubén Barrera, one of the earliest founding members of the Mexican American Heritage Day Association (MAHDA), breaks down the meaning of Dos Dos (February 2) and why it matters. With clarity and heart, he answers the essential questions, who we are, what Dos Dos represents, where it comes from, when it began, and why this day carries deep significance for Mexican Americans. Barrera connects history to responsibility, inviting communities, educators, organizations, and families to honor our roots, preserve our stories, and strengthen the movement across generations.Together they unpack how murals, posters, prints, and cultural expression carry the truths our communities have always known, that the treaty marked the birth of a people, and that our historia didn’t end when borders shifted. This talk is an invitation to see Chicano art as both archive and resistance: a visual language that teaches, heals, and keeps our roots visible across generations.
Presenters/Ponentes
Maestro Róbe Canek (Roberto Vargas)
Maestro Róbe Canek (Roberto Vargas)
Maestro Róbe Canek (Roberto Vargas)
Maestro Róbe Canek (Roberto Vargas) is a life-long Chicano cultural activist. Co-founder of
several of the first Latino counselling and mental health centers in the county, he later taught at
several universities while leading an organizational development consultant practice working on
behalf of communities, organizations, and reservations throughout the USA. Maestro Róbe
Canek is nationally recognized for his facilitation of community ceremonies, his leadership
coaching, and his book, Family Activism: Essential Tools for Teaching Love in Action (2008).
His current emphasis is training and writings on “Living Radical Love” and “Porvida Lifestyle
Activism.” He lives in Ventura, California, with his family.
Rebeca Mendoza
Maestro Róbe Canek (Roberto Vargas)
Maestro Róbe Canek (Roberto Vargas)
Rebeca Mendoza is a Chicana attorney from Kansas, with roots in Guanajuato. She started her
legal career as an advocacy attorney with the Mexican American Legal Defense Education Fund
(MALDEF), served over 40 years as an attorney for various cities and worked for the California
State Attorney General’s office. During her earlier years, she was a danzante with one of the first
Mixteca Danza groups in California. For over 40 years, she has maintained a practice as an intuitive psychic healer to aid persons in their spirit path. She also collaborates with Maestro Róbe Canek in facilitating community ceremonies.
Armando B. Rendón
La Historia de Los Braceros
La Historia de Los Braceros
Armando B. Rendón is an essayist, author, and founder/publisher of the Somos en escrito Literary Foundation (2016), which publishes Somos en escrito Magazine (2009) and Press (2020). He wrote Chicano Manifesto, a seminal work on the Chicano Movement, first printed in 1971 by Macmillan Company, with its 50th anniversary edition published by Somos en escrito Press in 2021. He also authored an award-winning four-part Young Adult series set in San Antonio, Texas, The Adventures of Noldo and His Magical Scooter (2013 to 2015), The Wizard of the Blue Hole, (2018), all Starry Night Publishing, and numerous essays on Chicanismo. Originally from San Antonio, he now lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.
La Historia de Los Braceros
La Historia de Los Braceros
La Historia de Los Braceros
Rosa Martha Zárate Macías es originaria de Guadalajara, Jalisco, y desde 1966 reside en California. Su educación incluye Maestra de Educación Primaria, Escuela Superior de Música (Guadalajara); Instituto Teológico Pastoral (Ciudad de México); Educadora Popular con el Maestro Paulo Freire; Educación de Adultos (Instituto Catequístico Latinoamericano, Manizales, Colombia). Desde 1970, cantadora por la causa Sindicato de Campesinos Unidos en apoyo de César Chávez y Dolores Huerta. Ha participado en movimientos y luchas de la comunidad migrante, incluyendo: Cofundadora de la Librería del Pueblo, A.C. (1985-San Bernardino, CA) y ha colaborado en la organización de proyectos de economía alternativa en comunidades indígenas y campesinas en EU y México. Por los últimos 25 años ha apoyado el movimiento binacional de los Ex Braceros (1942-1964). Actualmente impulsa el proyecto Binacional Mi Abuelo Fue Bracero y Yo También con el fin recuperar la memoria histórica de los braceros. Es coautora del libro bilingüe, Nuestros Abuelos Fueron Braceros y Nosotros También (publicado por el Somos en escrito Press, 2021).
Los Cenzontles: Eugene Rodriguez
Los Cenzontles: Eugene Rodriguez
Los Cenzontles: Eugene Rodriguez
Eugene Rodríguez is a Bay Area musician, cultural educator, and member of the acclaimed Mexican folk ensemble Los Cenzontles. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Rodríguez is part of a collective dedicated to preserving and revitalizing traditional Mexican music, dance, and cultural arts through performance and community education. Through Los Cenzontles’ concerts, recordings, and workshops, he helps bring the rich traditions of regional Mexican son, mariachi, and folk music to audiences across the United States and internationally. Rodríguez’s work contributes to the group’s mission of passing cultural heritage to new generations while building bridges between Mexican and American communities through the arts.
Juan Marinez
Los Cenzontles: Eugene Rodriguez
Los Cenzontles: Eugene Rodriguez
Juan Marinez is a graduate of Michigan State University. He was the MSU Extension program director and joined MSU Extension in 1973 as a program leader in special programs. He also served as a regional Extension supervisor for MSU Extension. From 1999 to 2002, he worked for US Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman as the national program coordinator on farm workers. He secured $20 million for farm workers who had been negatively affected by natural disasters, the first-ever available funds to go to farm worker assistance during a natural disaster. Juan served as an assistant to the director and was responsible for establishing a nationwide network of community-based, nonprofit organizations serving migrant/seasonal farm workers living in low-income situations. He established the first Hispanic farmers’ cooperative in Michigan. His research on enumerating Hispanic farmers has positively impacted the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistical Service census. Marinez’s whose interests include documenting Latinx history in Michigan, helped establish the oral history project Mexican Voices, Michigan Lives. Marinez has served twice as a Commissioner on Michigan’s Hispanic/Latino Commission.
Len Radjewski Fraga - SE Michigan
Los Cenzontles: Eugene Rodriguez
Len Radjewski Fraga - SE Michigan
Len Radjewski Fraga, a second-generation Mexican American, produced the documentary Michoacán to Michigan in 1992, using his grandparents' voice recordings to recount their migration in 1919 from Michoacán, Mexico to Saginaw, Michigan. In 2019 the film was updated, premiering at the Detroit Institute of Art’s Film Theatre. Len also created and manages a family website - http://thefragafamily.com/ featuring documents, photos, recordings/videos, interviews and more. A retired K-12 public school teacher, he remains active with various Latina/o organizations in Michigan and the Detroit area.
Teatro Milagro: Portland, Oregon
Teatro Milagro: Portland, Oregon
Teatro Milagro: Portland, Oregon
José Eduardo González y Salazar and his wife, Dañel Malán-González, founded Teatro Milagro (aka Miracle Theatre Group) in 1985. José earned an MFA in Theatre Arts from UCLA and a BA in Humanities from the University of Santa Clara. In 1997, José was recognized as a “Community Treasure” by TACS-PGE/Enron. He has also received an “Outstanding Contribution to the Hispanic Community” award from IMAGE of Washington County (1992) and a 1983 Dramalogue Award for “Excellence in Set Design” for The Hostage. In 2019, José received The Stewart H. Holbrook Literary Legacy Award for significant contributions to Oregon’s literary community. In 2022, José was awarded an honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters by Portland State University. Under the pseudonym Martín Milagro, he has written five full-length plays produced by Milagro and two Spanish-language screenplays for Washington County Aging Services. José has served as an Adjunct Assistant Professor in Theatre Arts and Chicano/Latino Studies departments of Portland State University and as a Visiting Arts Administration Specialist for the U.S. Information Agency (1995 and 1996. He is a member of the board of directors for the Miracle Theatre Group.
Maya Malán-Gonzalez
Teatro Milagro: Portland, Oregon
Teatro Milagro: Portland, Oregon
Maya Malán-Gonzalez (she/ella) is an actor, playwright, and teatrista. A lifelong member of Milagro, she is currently Interim Artistic Director and an ensemble member with Studio Luna in Los Angeles. Maya has performed with Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Seattle Rep, Portland Center Stage, South Coast Rep, Cara Mia Theatre, and El Teatro Campesino, among others. She has produced such plays as “Blast Off,” “Huelga,” “Worry Dolls,” and "A Xmas Cuento Remix." She has been commissioned by: University Nevada Las Vegas, Portland Opera, Milagro, and Cleveland Public Theatre. Her story “Down the Side of the Mountain” is featured in the Audible Original “Talking While Female and Other Dangerous Acts.” Maya received her B.F.A in Acting from The Theatre School at DePaul University and is a graduate of the Candela Playwriting Fellowship and the NALAC Leadership Institute.
Underground Railroad
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and the Creation of a Bicultural Legacy
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and the Creation of a Bicultural Legacy
Omar J. Treviño is a fifth-generation direct descendant of John and Silvia Hector-
Webber. Despite having grown up in the Rio Grande Valley where John and Silvia had
lived and raised their family, he only learned of family legacy after the death of his
grandfather Juan Webber in 2004. He learned his grandfather kept a detailed family tree
going back to John and Silvia and Omar has since kept his grandfather’s example of
research alive and works tirelessly to ensure his family history is not forgotten. He is one of
the co-founders of the Webber Family Preservation Project and serves as its secretary.
Omar graduated from Texas State Technical College and has worked in engineering and design for 25 years in the North Fort Worth/Keller area, where he lives with his wife Leslie Dutcher-Treviño and his son Jesse Dean.
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and the Creation of a Bicultural Legacy
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and the Creation of a Bicultural Legacy
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and the Creation of a Bicultural Legacy
Ricardo Romo, Ph.D., is a San Antonio-born historian, educator, and former UTSA president (1999–2017). A prominent urban historian and scholar-athlete, Romo advanced Latino civil rights, expanded UTSA’s research and enrollment, and promoted Chicano art and education nationally through teaching, writing, and public service. His publications include East Los Angeles: History of a Barrio (UT Austin) and New Directions in Chicano Scholarship (UC San Diego). From 1992 to 1999, he served as an Executive Officer and Vice Provost for Academic Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. He left UT Austin in 1999 to serve as the fifth president of The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). His eighteen-year tenure at UTSA, 1999 to 2017, is one of the longest in the University of Texas System. Romo led one of the fastest-growing public universities in Texas into a new era of academic and research excellence. He is the Substack publisher of Latinos in America and a weekly contributor to Latinopia and La Prensa Texas.
Our Story
From Humble Beginnings
From Humble Beginnings
From Humble Beginnings
In 2008, a group of passionate individuals came together with a shared vision of creating a space where people could come together to celebrate and learn about different cultures. With determination and hard work, Mexican American Heritage Day Association was born.
Our Community
From Humble Beginnings
From Humble Beginnings
Our community is at the heart of everything we do. We are proud to have built a diverse and inclusive community of artists, performers, educators, and supporters who share our passion for promoting cultural understanding and appreciation.
Our Accomplishments
From Humble Beginnings
Our Accomplishments
Over the years, Mexican American Heritage Day Association has hosted countless cultural events, art exhibitions, and educational programs. We have also collaborated with many local organizations to support their efforts in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Our Partners
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