The word SOMOS means “we are”. This is who we are.
Our MISSION is to commemorate and celebrate the traditions, history, and heritage of the Latino community. We achieve our mission by:
- Creating special events and projects that preserve and promote culture.
- Coordinating El Día de los Niños, an international celebration honoring children on April 30.
- Conducting ethnographic research and reports on the Latino experience.
- Presenting information on the state of Latino families and children.
- Developing Cultura Kits to help families share their heritage with their children.
Somos Cultura y Más was created by a team of retired bilingual educators, a medical doctor, college president, an author, an artist, corporate executives, and diversity experts who decided to contribute their vast experience and networks to strengthening the community’s identity and role in society. Founded just prior to the pandemic, the organization did not let a slowed economy, or the lack of start-up resources stand in the way of moving forward with two dozen online presentations and workshops including a Día de los Niños live Facebook celebration with over 20,000 viewers.
Once we were able to provide in-person events, the staff and Board of Directors hosted a sold-out event called El Encanto de Chocolate, featuring the history of the cacao and the origin of chocolate, a gift from México to the world. Experience stations to taste the raw cacao beans and grind them on a metate, were just tw
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The word SOMOS means “we are”. This is who we are.
Our MISSION is to commemorate and celebrate the traditions, history, and heritage of the Latino community. We achieve our mission by:
- Creating special events and projects that preserve and promote culture.
- Coordinating El Día de los Niños, an international celebration honoring children on April 30.
- Conducting ethnographic research and reports on the Latino experience.
- Presenting information on the state of Latino families and children.
- Developing Cultura Kits to help families share their heritage with their children.
Somos Cultura y Más was created by a team of retired bilingual educators, a medical doctor, college president, an author, an artist, corporate executives, and diversity experts who decided to contribute their vast experience and networks to strengthening the community’s identity and role in society. Founded just prior to the pandemic, the organization did not let a slowed economy, or the lack of start-up resources stand in the way of moving forward with two dozen online presentations and workshops including a Día de los Niños live Facebook celebration with over 20,000 viewers.
Once we were able to provide in-person events, the staff and Board of Directors hosted a sold-out event called El Encanto de Chocolate, featuring the history of the cacao and the origin of chocolate, a gift from México to the world. Experience stations to taste the raw cacao beans and grind them on a metate, were just two of a dozen experiences validating the richness of the culture and its role in our lives today. The response from the public was astounding. They asked for more – more stories, more facts, more things to do with their children.
Working with the San Antonio Public Library, in November and in December we presented free workshops to the public on traditional celebrations of the Mexican Culture. For Día de Muertos we created a structure for a traditional ofrenda (altar), and distributed dozens of props for each participant to add to the altar as they were being discussed in the workshop. Photos from our visit to Día de Muertos celebrations in Patzcuaro, Janitzio, and Tzintzunzan, Michoacan introduced the rationale for each item. Seven San Antonians important to music, literature, and the arts were featured, and their books, journals, art, tools, and favorite foods were added by the workshop participants. Hundreds of library visitors photographed the finished ofrenda. This was the fourth year we built an ofrenda in partnership with the library.
This is just an example of the type of interactive workshops, museum exhibits, and special events we coordinate to introduce cultural history to the community.
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