Centro Aztlan Chicomoztoc, an organizing centro for la Raza!

Centro Aztlan Chicomoztoc is a community center that serves the Mexican and indigenous peoples of this land. Centro Aztlan Chicomoztoc has been successfully conducting survival English classes three nights a week to la Raza, and Spanish and exercise classes on Saturdays.

Centro Aztlan Chicomoztoc is under the leadership of the Barrio Defense Committee. The Barrio Defense Committee organizes in the Mexican community in defense of the democratic rights of la Raza and struggles for Raza self determination. One of the Barrio Defense Committee's platforms is to establish independent institutions and programs based on the needs of la Raza working class. The English classes focus on the survival needs of la Raza, injecting the reasons why our gente are in such terrible conditions as well as teaching their rights as working people.

The resources the students bring to the Centro Aztlan Chicomoztoc are invaluable. They have participated in the defense campaigns, outreach, selling raffle tickets to raise funds for the Centro, they have participated in the cultural Peñas and they have become members of the Barrio Defense Committee.

The Barrio Defense Committee recognizes with profound honor the volunteers that have given their valuable time to teach English to our Raza. Sonia Vargas was one of them; a student at a community college who gave up her school time to teach two nights a week. There is Raquel Ordoñez, a college student, mother of six children, worker, and now a member of the Barrio Defense Committee, who organized time to teach English to la Raza.

Peña Cultural de la Raza is a cultural program organized on the first Sunday of the month at the Centro Aztlan Chicomoztoc. Peñas are to infuse la Raza's national pride and identity with songs, traditional food, danza, art, documentaries and history. Such as the 16th of September which was celebrated by putting up the Mexican flag on the outside of the Mexican style painted building of the Centro Aztlan Chicomoztoc.

Beautiful art painted by our gente hangs inside the walls of the Centro Aztlan Chicomoztoc. The art has been donated by the members of the Barrio Defense Committee as well as supporters. Recently, we received beautiful pencil designs by Jason Treas dedicated to the struggle of the Puertorriquen Raza. Jason Treas is held hostage in the death camp Pelican Bay.

Unfortunately, the Centro Aztlan Chicomoztoc has been under attack by Mayor Ron Gonzalez and the San Jose police code enforcers. The San Jose police code enforcers have been instrumental in displacing la Raza from the barrios by penalizing people with the use of the city ordinances passed by the Mayor and the City Council. Mayor Ron Gonzalez has been displacing la Raza from the zone where Centro Aztlan Chicomoztoc is located to convert it for the wealthy, corporations and the new city hall and its governmental agencies. Gonzalez is desperately attempting to shut the Centro Aztlan down because the Centro is located in that zone and because the Centro is organizing la Raza to defend ourselves.