The Mexican Museum of San Francisco was founded in 1975 by artist Peter
Rodriguez to "foster the exhibition, conservation, and dissemination of
Mexican and Chicano art and culture for all peoples." Its holdings
include some 14,000 objects with a historical range extending from
pre-conquest Mexico to contemporary Mexican American and Latino
communities in the United States.
The Chicano Studies Research Center's collection includes a broad
selection of the museum's administrative papers and related materials.
Karen Mary Davalos draws on these documents to trace the origins of the
museum and explore how its mission has been shaped by its visionary
artist-founder, local art collectors and patrons, Mexican art and
culture, and the Chicano movement. A detailed finding aid and a selected
bibliography complete the volume.