Peloteros in Paradise: A Los Angeles Béisbol Story
La Plaza de Cultura y Artes, Los Angeles, CA
April 22, 2016–October 31, 2016
Peloteros in Paradise: A Los Angeles Béisbol Story explored the dynamic relationship between baseball and the Mexican American community in Southern California. From the early-twentieth-century Mexican American teams, such as the Carmelita Chorizeros, to the displacement of the residents of Chavez Ravine and the Dodgers’ controversial move to Los Angeles in 1958, and to Major League Baseball’s attempts to win the hearts of Mexican American fans—resulting in “Fernandomania” in the 1980’s—the exhibition highlighted the contributions of Mexican American men and women to baseball both as active participants and dedicated fans. Combining community spirit with a national pastime, pelotero/as helped to define an emergent Mexican American identity in Los Angeles.
