Mexican-American Pentecostal preacher led land grant struggles during 1960s & 1970s
Spiritual influences: Bible, dreams, and messianic visions
Studied Laws of the Indies and Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo—claimed U.S. law repurposed Spanish law; land taken for imperial, religious project of Spain
Legacy: became a symbol of resistance and refusal against assimilation, prominent figure in New Mexico, use of religion for civil disobedience at Kit Carson and Rio Arriba
● Mexican - American civil rights leader
● Fought for labor rights of agricultural workers through strikes and fasts
● 1968: 25 - day fast ended by breaking bread with Senator Robert Kennedy and lead to a collective bargaining agreement
● Religious Symbols: Pilgrimages, Daily Prayers, Daily Mass Attendance, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Fasts, Sacred Cross, Star of David
● Placed his faith at the base of his social action
● “ What does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.”