Mexico Plans Culture House for Santa Ana

In a nod to the growing number of immigrants settling in Santa Ana, officials of the Mexican government are planning to create a cultural gathering place for the thousands of Mexicans who have made Orange County their new home.

La Casa de la Cultura de Mexico, or the House of Mexican Culture, would be the county’s first center sanctioned by the Mexican government for arts, education and community service. It would join a similar center recently opened in Long Beach, as well as two other facilities planned in San Bernardino and Oxnard.

While no building has been chosen as a site for the center, officials intend to bring major Mexican artists and movie stars to theaters and halls in Santa Ana as soon as La Casa obtains nonprofit status, said Felipe Soria Ayusa, Mexican consul for Orange County.

Santa Ana’s emergence as a leading destination for Mexican immigrants prompted the consulate to talk with local Latinos about the prospect of a government-aided cultural effort in the city, officials said.

“The Mexican government realized that there are many Mexican citizens in Orange County who want attention,” said Soria, who believes the project may get nonprofit status by the end of 1993. “We want to provide cultural and educational materials so people can feel more comfortable here, since the United States is their new home.”

More than 64% of Santa Ana’s population of about 294,000 people are Latino, according to the 1990 Census, and some authorities believe the number may actually be higher because of undercounting. More than nine in 10 of Santa Ana’s Latinos trace their origin to Mexico, the Census found, and many are considered to be recent immigrants.

Santa Ana’s La Casa would be a small sibling to an established Mexican Cultural Institute in Los Angeles. Other institutes are in San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento and Fresno. But unlike the proposed center in Santa Ana, some of these larger institutes receive direct funding from the Mexican government.

The Mexican government says it is willing to provide the center with supplies, musical and artistic talent, and transportation between Mexico and Orange County for the artists, but it is not pledging any direct funds for operational costs. As a result, the success of the proposal may hinge on fund-raising efforts by private citizens in Santa Ana.

About 40 organizers, including representatives of groups such as Hermandad Mexicana Nacional and Los Amigos of Orange County, as well as Mexican business owners, professionals and educators, met Monday to initiate the project.

Many of these same people may take the lead in the fund-raising effort. But officials say they do not know how much it will ultimately cost to open the center.

Los Angeles’ Mexican Cultural Institute hosted Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari during a 1991 visit, Soria said, and officials are hopeful that La Casa will also be a destination for visiting dignitaries.

La Casa’s organizers hope to promote understanding of the richness of Mexican culture and history, Soria said. Possible projects include exchange programs between Mexico and the United States involving educators and youth baseball, soccer and other sports teams, he said.

Organizers have also discussed starting classes on workers’ rights and other topics in Orange County cities, he said, and La Casa also plans to coordinate celebration of Mexican national holidays.

La Casa de La Cultura de Long Beach, opened July 31, has begun similar programs, said program administrator Carlos O. Pallares. Although Mexico also helps that center with supplies and support, Pallares said the center--operated in a 1906 Victorian house he owns--includes exhibitions and events highlighting all of Latin America.

“Our countries were great, but we left them behind,” Pallares said. “We’re here now.”

La Casa helps Latinos to “expand their horizons,” Pallares said, retaining customs while assimilating and contributing to American culture.

Pallares said he was pleasantly surprised that the Mexican government volunteered to support centers in Southern California. In the past, some have accused the Institutional Revolutionary Party government of being unresponsive to the needs of Mexicans in the United States.

“The (party)has never done anything for the Mexican community here,” said Raul Ruiz, a professor in Chicano studies at Cal State Northridge. He characterized the cultural centers and similar efforts as “a public relations move” by the Mexican government.

“I’m sure the people of Santa Ana will appreciate it,” Ruiz said, “but I really feel there are better ways to demonstrate support, such as facilitating travel” for Mexicans in the United States and ensuring democracy in Mexico itself.

In recent weeks, the Mexican government has considered political reforms aimed at boosting confidence in its electoral process. That spirit has carried over into the government’s relations with its nationals abroad, Soria said.

“Now Mexico has a new political attitude of getting closer to the Mexicans who are here,” Soria said. “We want to bring specific programs so Mexicans can develop and fulfill themselves better in this country.”