Nancy Nusz and Gabriella Ricciardi

Oregon Voices

Our Ways: History and Culture of Mexicans in Oregon

Antonio Ramos first arrived in Oregon in 1985. In his early twenties, he had left his home village in Michoacán, Mexico, in search of job opportunities and to join an older brother in Oregon. Ramos found plenty of agricultural jobs but no support for hard-working laborers like himself and his relatives. Without a place to live, the five family members and their friends hung out on street corners in downtown Woodburn, waiting for darkness to fall. Then they packed themselves into their car and drove to the countryside to find a quiet road, where they pulled over to sleep for a few hours. It was a week before they were able to find transitional housing that helped them begin to build a new life and discover a sense of place in Oregon.

The first thing I remember really clearly is that we didn't know anybody.... And, we lived in a small car for a week.
— Antonio Ramos, 1996

Lo que recuerdo claramente es que no conocíamos a nadie. ... Y que vivimos en un carro por una semana.
— Antonio Ramos, 1996

The Ramoses' introduction to Oregon was a difficult one, but it was not unlike that of many other Mexicans who have made similar journeys. In Mexico, Antonio's family were woodworkers, and his traditional skills and talents gave him some advantages as he moved from agricultural to factory work. Eventually, he became involved in migrant education and was hired as a Parent Involvement Specialist with the Woodburn School District. Ramos completed his bachelor's degree in education in the spring of 2002 and now teaches elementary school. He continues to share his traditional knowledge and skills with the Latino community and is an important community organizer.

For more than twelve years, the Oregon Historical Society's Folklife Program has documented the stories of people such as Antonio Ramos, along with the traditions, arts, and cultures of Mexican people living in the state. Staff members have heard many stories that start with "When I started in Oregon ..." or "I started way back in Texas ..." or "My father had been here before, and he brought us back because he wanted us to...." Stories of how and why people moved to Oregon are essential, as people form a new sense of place, identity, and belonging — both to the past and to the present. The stories serve as family and community records to pass on to their children and to keep their history and heritage intact through the long process of acculturation.

In 2000, 8 percent of Oregon's population were Latinos. That year, the OHS Folklife Program embarked on a multiyear project, Las Artes Tradicionales en la Comunidad, to address the Latino community's desire to celebrate and preserve its heritage. Funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Oregon Arts Commission, the Regional Arts & Culture Council, and the PGE Foundation, the project coordinator for Las Artes traveled the state to implement arts and culture programs designed to teach youth and the general public about Latino ways of life. Throughout the state, she was warmly embraced by Mexican Americans — people proud of their ethnicity and their community's contributions to Oregon's history and economic prosperity, yet concerned about maintaining cherished values and traditions. The enthusiasm for and interest in the Las Artes project inspired "Our Ways: History and Culture of Mexicans in Oregon," which opened in September 2002.

Pedro Muñoz of Ranco Los 3 Potrillos, Molalla, 2002

courtesy OHS Folklife Program

"Our Ways" is a four-panel, bilingual, traveling exhibit that explores the early history, work, community celebrations, arts, and culture of Mexicans in Oregon. While researching exhibit topics, the project coordinator was touched by the generosity of the Mexican people, who shared their stories and traditions. They talked about the pride they felt in their community's role in easing labor shortages during World War I and World War II and in maintaining Oregon's leadership in agricultural production. They trusted her to take family photo albums to the exhibit advisory committee. Artists graciously described art forms learned from mothers, fathers, grandmothers, and grandfathers; and some donated their own work to be part of the exhibit. When the exhibit opened in Woodburn, people such as Pedro Muñoz of Mollala and José Preciado of Hubbard arrived with their horses to demonstrate Mexican horsemanship skills and charreria (cowboy) traditions. A group of young men — who may never have attended an exhibit before — proudly showed the crowd at Woodburn the artistry and mechanical genius of their "lowrider" cars. "Our Ways: History and Culture of Mexicans in Oregon" exemplifies the diversity in Oregon's Mexican community and provides a way to understand the extent to which people of Mexican heritage have shaped contemporary Oregon.

Many Mexican Americans have been personally moved by "Our Ways" because it represents a public honoring of their community's history by the Oregon Historical Society. It is one of the few — if not the only — exhibits that features both the history and the culture of Mexicans in Oregon. By providing historical information and a cultural context for Mexican communities that are often isolated by geography, economics, and language, the exhibit serves as a much-needed educational tool for advancing understanding and cross-cultural communication. As the Mexican presence continues to grow in Oregon, it is our hope that the Oregon Historical Society will become a repository for the community's history and cultural heritage, as it is for all Oregonians.

What follows is a glimpse into the "Our Ways" exhibit and the community it represents. Both English and Spanish are spoken in the towns and neighborhoods where Mexicans live in Oregon, and the exhibit text appears in both languages to reach the broadest audience possible and to recognize the role that language plays in maintaining a culture. For purposes of clarification here, the Spanish text appears in italics.

"Our Ways" — The Exhibit

The Mexican presence in Oregon dates to the 1600s with the early Spanish explorers who left place names on such sites as Cape Blanco and Cape Sebastian. In the 1800s, the Pacific Northwest witnessed many more visits by crews of Mexican, Peruvian, and Spanish sailors searching for settlement sites along the coast. For years, people moved freely along the open border between the Oregon Country and Mexico, trading supplies and cultural influences. Even before the Civil War, Mexican merchants, miners, soldiers, adventurers, sheepherders, and vaqueros were in southern Oregon. Mexicans are credited with introducing the mule packtrain system to the region, which helped develop transportation on the frontier. By the 1850s, Mexican mule packers had established routes to the Illinois Valley of southern Oregon, and to The Dalles, Oregon; Lewiston, Idaho; and Walla Walla, Washington. In the 1860s and 1870s, Mexicans, along with workers from China, Japan, and the Philippines, built railroads linking the East and West coasts, eventually making mule-pack operations obsolete.

The 1910 Mexican Revolution increased immigration to the United States, including Oregon, where fertile land offered work opportunities. During the Great Depression, however, the number of Mexicans in Oregon decreased because jobs disappeared. Later, World War II created a huge labor shortage in the United States as men joined the armed forces. The Bracero Program alleviated that shortage by encouraging thousands of Mexicans to come to work in communities around the state. Between 1942 and 1947, Oregon's agricultural labor market was boosted by 15,134 low-wage workers. Braceros were moved wherever significant labor shortages occurred and were instrumental in agriculture as well as in maintaining of the region's railroads. Their importance was officially recognized, but their living conditions and treatment were not always what had been promised. The program, instituted in 1942 and revived in 1951, created a steady flow of Mexican immigration that continues today, contributing more than 8 percent of Oregon's population.

Yesenia's Supermarket booth at Portland's Cinco de Mayo festival, 2002

courtesy OHS Folklife Program

La presencia mexicana en Oregon tiene raíces que datan del siglo XV con los exploradores españoles que nombraron lugares como Cabo Blanco y Sebastián. En el siglo XVII, el noroeste del Pacífico fue visitado por numerosos marineros mexicanos, peruanos y españoles que buscaban establecerse en la costa. Durante años, la gente había cruzado libremente la frontera entre Oregon y México, intercambiando provisiones así como influencias culturales. Se presume que comerciantes, mineros, soldados, aventureros, vaqueros y arrieros mexicanos pudieron haber estado presentes en la parte sur de Oregon aún antes de la Guerra Civil. De hecho, se cree que los mexicanos introdujeron el mule pack train system (transporte de carga con mulas) en el sur de Oregon. En la década de 1850, los arrieros mexicanos habían establecido rutas hasta el Valle de Illinois, en el sur de Oregon, The Dalles, Oregon; Lewiston, Idaho; y Walla Walla, Washington. Asimismo, entre 1850 y 1860 los mexicanos, junto con trabajadores de China, Japón y Filipinas, construyeron vías férreas que conectaban la costa este y oeste. Con el tiempo, el ferrocarril reemplazó a los arrieros.

La Revolución Mexicana de 1910 provocó un aumento de la emigración hacia Estados Unidos y Oregon, donde tierras fértiles ofrecían empleos. Sin embargo, durante la Gran Recesión, y a causa de la escasez de trabajos, el número de mexicanos en Oregon se redujo. La Segunda Guerra Mundial causó gran escasez de mano de obra. El Programa Bracero de 1942 fomentó la emigración de cientos de trabajadores mexicanos a diferentes comunidades, reemplazando la mano de obra enlistada en la guerra. Entre 1942 y 1947, el mercado agrícola se estimuló con los bajos salarios de 15.134 trabajadores agrícolas. Los braceros contribuyeron materialmente en la agricultura así como en el mantenimiento de los ferrocarriles. La importancia de su trabajo fue oficialmente reconocida; sin embargo, sus condiciones de trabajo y trato en general, no siempre resultaron lo prometido. Este programa, que se inició en 1942 y se reactivó en 1951, creó un flujo permanente de inmigración mexicana que continúa hoy en día, y que ha contribuido a más de un 8 por ciento de la población total de Oregon.

You are going to feel good when you are affirmed with your ways because they are in there. If you're a Mexicana, they are in there because your grand-grand-grand-people had them.
— Eva Castellanoz

Tu tienes que sentirte orgullosa de tus raices, de tus tradiciones, porque forman parte de ti. Ellas están ahí, si tu eres Mexicana, porque tus ancestros las tenian y te las transmitieron.
— Eva Castellanoz

Our ways — "the ways we live and express our spirituality and beliefs, the foods we cook and eat, the songs, stories, and crafts traditions that enrich our homes and neighborhoods, and the celebrations that mark important moments in our individual and community life — all shape who we are as Mexicans." Wisdom is part of a culture and a community, and Eva Castellanoz's words express a deep understanding of life and the importance of traditions. Moncerrat Vásquez of Independence also speaks of his deep love for his heritage and his understanding and acceptance of new customs in an interview by Raul Peña: "Since coming to the United States, I was able to adapt to the American society. I was also able to keep my cultural and traditional values." By valuing our culture, remembering our place of origin, and accepting the home where we live now, we become healthy, productive people, and communities.

Yesenia's Supermarket booth at Portland's Cinco de Mayo festival, 2002

courtesy OHS Folklife Program

Workers prepare breads at San Gabriel Bakery in Independence.

courtesy OHS Folklife Program

Sergio Tiburcio Barron makes blood sausage at the Carneceria in Woodburn.

courtesy OHS Folklife Program

"Nuestras Tradiciones" la manera en que vivimos, nuestras expresiones espirutales y de fe, la comida que cocinamos y comemos, nuestras historias y artesanias tradicionales que embellecen nuestra casa y la de los vecinos, la celebraciones que marcan importantes momentos en nuestra vida individual y de comunidad, todo esto describe quienes somos nosotros como mexicanos. Eva Castellanoz expresa un profundo entendimiento de la vida y la importancia de las tradiciones cuando dice que la sabiduría es parte de la cultura y de la comunidad. Monserrat Vasquez de Independence también habla del profundo amor que tiene a su herecia cultural, y del entendimiento y aceptacion hacia otras nuevas costumbres en una entrevista conducida por Raul Peña: "Desde que llegue a los Estados Unidos, yo fuí capaz de adaptarme a la sociedad Americana, y fuí capaz de conservar mi cultura y mis valores tradicionales." Al valorar nuestra cultura, recordar nuestro lugar de origen, y aceptar el lugar donde vivimos ahora, logramos ser saludables y productivos como gente y como comunidad.

For Oregon's immigrants, the rhythm of everyday life is marked by compelling needs that demand the use of traditional knowledge, skills, and practices. During the 1950s and 1960s, Oregon's Latino communities were small and isolated and had difficulties maintaining traditional life. Maria Alanis of Portland remembers the challenges her family faced in trying to follow traditions such as enacting La Posada or cooking traditional Mexican meals. Because taste, flavors, colors, smells, and textures constitute a fundamental human experience, however, people find ways to continue valued traditions against all odds.

Para los inmigrantes en Oregon, el ritmo de la vida diara se marca con necesidades absorbentes que demandan el uso de conocimientos, habilidades y prácticas tradicionales. Durante los años 1950s y 1960s, las comunidades Latinas en Oregon eran pequeñas y aisladas, y tenían difiicultades para mantener sus tradiciones. Maria Alanis de Portland, re-cueda los retos que su familia encontraba al tratar de seguir sus tradiciones, como celebrar las Posadas o cocinar platillos tradicionales mexicanos. De cualquier manera, el sabor, el color, el olor, y las texturas constituyen una parte fundamental de la experiencia humana, y la gente encuentra la manera de mantener sus invaluables tradiciones a pesar de cualquier cosa.

Doña Petra of Hermiston makes traditional tortillas for lunch.

courtesy OHS Folklife Program

The face of Oregon in the new millennium is quite different than it was fifty years ago. Today, the Mexican presence is well established from Coos Bay to Nyssa, from Medford to Portland, from Milton-Freewater to Astoria. Supermercados (markets), panaderias (bakeries), and tortillerias (tortilla factories) can be found wherever there is a consistent Mexican population that requires authentic Mexican dishes. The necessary ingredients for mole, tamales, carne asada, pico de gallo, chorizo, and buñuelos are now available in Mexican stores as well as in grocery chains. The familiar aromas of chili and fríjoles, empanadas, and menudo emanate from home kitchens and restaurants around the state, reminding us of how important food and its preparation are in communicating and sharing who we are.

Eva Castellanoz, a traditional healer, helps a local man in Nyssa.

courtesy OHS Folklife Program

Tortillas are sometimes handmade for special occasions or on weekends. Tamales are prepared with other traditional foods to celebrate Christmas, birthdays, and graduations.

La cara de Oregon en el nuevo milenio es diferente a la de hace cincuenta años. Hoy, la presencia mexicana está establecida desde Coos Bay a Nyssa, de Medford a Portland, y de Milton-Freewater a Astoria. Se pueden encontrar supermercados, panaderías, y tortillerías en cualquier lugar donde haya una poblacion mexicana consistente que guste de platillos auténticos. Los ingredientes necesarios para el mole, tamales, carne asada, pico de gallo, chorizo, o buñuelos ahora son disponibles en tiendas mexicanas así como en grandes cadenas de tiendas. Los aromas del chile y frijoles, empanadas, y menudo, son olores familiares que salen de las cocinas de las casas y restaurantes alrededor del estado, recordándonos la importancia de la comida y su preparación al compartir quienes somos.

A veces las tortillas se hacen a mano para las ocasiones especiales o para los fines de semana, los tamales se preparan para la Navidad, cumpleaños y graduaciones, junto con otros platillos tradicionales.

Mexican American homes display beautiful crochet and embroidery made by family members. Other crafts traditions, such as woodcarving, pottery, and wheat-weaving, mastered by generations in a family, are still practiced in Oregon by artists such as Antonio Ramos (Woodburn), Cecilia Santiago (Stanfield), and Dagoberto Morales (Medford). Mexican traditional crafts have often been passed on from mother to daughter, father to son, changing little over hundreds of years and maintaining characteristics that identify them with a certain family, village, region, or use in Mexico.

Lowrider bike made by Jessie León

courtesy OHS Folklife Program

An individual's and community's psychological, spiritual, and physical needs are addressed by curanderos and curanderas (healers), whose holistic approach to health care combines herbal medicine with spiritual beliefs and an interpretation of psychic needs. Eva Castellanoz from Nyssa, for example, is widely recognized for her traditional remedies.

Las familias mexico-americanas manifiestan la importancia de las artes tradicionales en la vida diaria a traves de hermosos trabajos de tejido y bordado hechos por miembros de la familia para decorar sus casas. Artistas como Antonio Ramos (Woodburn), Cecilia Santiago (Stanfield) y Dagoberto Morales (Medford) siguen practicando artes aprendidas en sus familias en el estado de Oregon, como el tallado de madera, la alfarería y el tejido de palma. Las artes tradicionales mexicanas regularmente son transmitidas de poadres a hijos, recibiendo algunos pequeños cambios pero manteniendo caracteristicas que definen o distinguen a una familia, pueblo, o region.

Las necesidades psicológicas, espirituales y físicas de las comunidades y sus inidviduos, son atendidas por curanderos y curanderas, quienes combinan medicina herbal y sus creencias espirituales con la interpretación de las necesidades psíquicas de la persona desde un enfoque completo de la atención a la salud. Eva Catellanoz de Nyssa es ampliamente reconocida por sus remedios tradicionales.

Lowrider La India of Cervando Mendoza

courtesy OHS Folklife Program

Since the 1960s, lowriders have been identified with the culture of young, urban Mexican American men who modify their vehicles to affirm personal and distinctive styles. Car, truck, van, and SUV owners exhibit their artistry and pride through elaborate ornamentation, rich custom interiors, chrome or gold-plated wheels and intricate paint jobs. Custom hydraulic suspensions make it possible for lowriders to move up and down as well as from side to side, creating a type of performance. The younger generation of boys has emulated their older brothers, customizing their bicycles into lowriders, as seen in the parade for Fiesta Mexicana in Woodburn.

Desde 1960 los lowriders han sido identificados con la cultura de los jóvenes mexico-americanos de las ciudades. Lowriders son una expresión cultural de orgullo. Los dueños de los carros modifican sus vehículos para reafirmar su personalidad y estilo a traves de lucidos interiores, carrocerías plateadas y doradas, volantes cromados, y pinturas con diseños propios. Ponen a los carros una suspensión hidráulica para que estos puedan brincar, levantar la parte de enfrente o de atras, o que caminen de lado sobre dos llantas, haciendo de esto un tipo de espectáculo. Esta expresión cultural ha sido transmitida por jóvenes que modifican sus bicicletas en lowrides, como muestra un grupo de jóvenes en la Fiesta Mexicana en Woodburn.

Children's folkloric dance group from Corvallis

courtesy OHS Folklife Program

Charrería traditions developed on ranches as cowboys honed their occupational skills. Charreadas or jaripeos, Mexican-style rodeos, are very popular in Mexico and now in Oregon. These events, held close to major holidays, have music as a major component. Charros (cowboys) participate in roping, bull riding and other equestrian competitions. They take pride in wearing ornate costumes and outfitting their horses in all the trappings.

Charrería: esta tradición se desarrollo en los ranchos, donde los charros y caporales demostraban sus múltiples habilidades. Las charreadas o jaripeos se llevan a cabo usualmente como parte de fiestas y usan música como componente principal muy populares en México y ahora en Oregon. Los Charros muestran sus habilidades en competencias de equitación y montando toros, orgullosamente portando elaborados trajes y adornando los accesorios que usan en los caballos.

Music is a vibrant part of daily life and a major element of all community celebrations. Mariachi music is particularly popular because it expresses Mexican pride. Musica norteña, music of the northern part of Mexico and south Texas, is a style of country music that features the accordion. Mariachi and norteño groups, as well as soloists, duets, and trios, sing traditional songs such as serenatas, corridos, and rancheras. The corrido, a type of ballad, generally tells a story about events that happened in Mexico. New corridos are now being sung about life in Oregon. People appreciate and enjoy dance at small and large gatherings. Many small rural communities now have children's folkloric groups that perform dances from diverse regions of Mexico. The dances reinforce community values among Mexican American children and teach non-Mexican neighbors about the culture.

Los Palmeros Mariachi performing in downtown Portland, June 2002

courtesy OHS Folklife Program

La música es una parte vibrante de la vida diaria y el elemento mayor en todas las celebraciones. La música de mariachi es particularmente popular porque expresa el orgullo Mexicano. La Musica Norteña, es musica de la parte norte de México y sur de Texas, es un estilo de musica country donde el acordeón es el instrumento principal. Los grupos de Mariachi y Norteños, así como los solistas, los duetos, y trios, tocan serenatas, corridos y canciones rancheras. El corrido es un tipo de balada generalmente a cerca de eventos ocurridos en México. Nuevos corridos se cantan ahora sobre la vida en Oregon. La Danza es apreciada y disfrutada en pequeñas o grandes reuniones. Muchas pequeñas comunidades rurales tienen ahora grupos folklóricos que presentan bailes y danzas de diferentes regiones de México. Las danzas, refuerzan los valores de la comunidad entre los niños mexico-americanos y enseña a los vecinos no-Mexicanos sobre la cultura.

EXHIBIT SCHEDULE

March 14–April 11 Malheur County Public Library, Ontario

April 18–May 16 Coos Bay Public Library

June Beaverton City Library

July Klamath County Library

September–December 2003 Oregon Historical Society

Historical Overview and Timeline

1819 The Transcontinental Treaty relinquished Spain's claims north of the 42nd parallel to the United States.

1821 Mexico declared independence and established its northern border at the 42nd parallel at the present-day Oregon-California state line.

1843 Provisional government was established in the Oregon Country.

1846–48 Mexican-American War ended with the U.S. annexation of California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Colorado and Wyoming.

1870s Cattle and vaqueros came to southeastern Oregon in search of ranchland. The vaqueros trained a new generation of buckaroos in Oregon.

1910 The Mexican Revolution created poverty, turmoil, and increased emigration north to the United States, including Oregon.

1917 The U.S. entered World War I. Mexican workers were recruited to work in the U.S.

1924 Free travel ended between Mexico and the U.S. The U.S. Border Patrol was formed.

1939–45 The U.S. involvement in World War II initiated immigration policies that had long-term implications, including the Bracero Program instituted in 1942.

1951 Public Law 78 renewed the Bracero Program and allowed growers to hire braceros for labor emergencies. Mexican Americans and Mexican immigrants became Oregon's main source of farm labor.

1955 The Oregon State Council of Churches was the first organization to consider the needs of the migrant population.

1964 The Valley Migrant League was established in Woodburn to improve services for migrants in the Willamette Valley. Treasure Valley Community College began a similar program in Ontario that lasted until 1970.

1970s El Movimiento, the Chicano Movement, was a major force behind many efforts to improve education and affirmative action in nonagricultural occupations, reform the criminal justice system, and promote cultural pride.

1972 The Centro Cultural of Washington County was founded through the work of Father Arnold Beezen and his Latino congregation.

1973 Colegio César Chávez was established in Mt. Angel.

1975 The Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center was founded in Cornelius.

1982 The U.S. Supreme Court case Pyler v. Doe ruled students could not be denied access to public education because of their immigration status.

1985 PCUN — Piñeros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (Northwest Treeplanters and Farmworkers United) — was founded in Woodburn.

1988 Mano a Mano, a nonprofit family service agency, opened to serve Salem-Keizer's Latino population.

1994 The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) went into effect and has since increased emigration from Mexico to the United States and Oregon.The Hispanic Metropolitan Chambers of Commerce was formed.

1995 The Chicano/Latino Studies Program was established at Portland State University.

1996 The Mexican Consulate was officially established in Portland.

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