SALUDOS DEL DIRECTOR EJECUTIVO

     Welcome to the web page of Casa Aztlán Center of the Mexican community. Casa Aztlán is a cultural and social service center that provides cultural awareness and activities, community services, leadership development, youth and children services, adult education, citizenship, emergency services and community organizing. Casa Aztlán is also at the forefront of the immigrant and human rights movement.

     Since its founding in 1970, Casa Aztlán has participated in the empowerment of the Pilsen community, has struggled for bilingual education, amnesty for undocumented workers, health services for the immigrant community, the construction of the Benito Juarez High School and the West Side Technical Institute, the development of adult education programs, the Parent -Child Reading Circle transformed into the Tepochcalli Pre-School, and helped to create the Hispanic Literacy Council in the 1980's.

     Casa Aztlán has develop a very viable after school program for children between the ages of 7 and 14 by providing academic support, sports, recreational activities, cultural development via music classes, and arts and crafts. During the summer, Casa Aztlán provides the youth of the community summer jobs and training.

     Casa Aztlán works in collaboration with many other educational and community partners to increase its outreach to the Latino community. For example, Casa Aztlán is a partner with the Chicago ENLACE Partnership of Northeastern Illinois University to increase the community's capacity to enroll and graduate more Latinos from college. Casa Aztlán has also developed partnerships with CALLIE, and The Latino Citizenship Collaborative that helps the Mexican community obtain U.S. citizenship by providing applications services and ESL/Civics classes.

     Casa Aztlán sponsors important annual events that involve the immediate community of Pilsen. These annual events includes the "The Candlelight Dinner," "Viva Aztlán Festival" and the "Christmas Posada." Also, cultural groups and individuals like Nahui-Ollin, a Mexican dance troupe, Teatro Cuerda Floja, and Rene Cardoza, folkloric dance teacher, use Casa Aztlán as their home base.

     In the advocacy aspect, Casa Aztlán helped organize the largest national Latino March that was held in Washington D.C., in 1996. This event led to subsequent activities that were held in New York, Chicago, San Antonio and D.C. In 1999, Casa Aztlán helped organize the Pilsen Alliance, a local project dedicated to addressing issue on transportation, community development, and work force development. The alliance is based in Casa Aztlán.

I invite you to support Casa Aztlán. Donation are tax deductible.

I invite you to visit Casa Aztlán at the 1831 S. Racine in the heart of the Pilsen Community. Mil Gracias!