Victor Ochoa

My masters research delves into the theme of "placemaking" with a focus on the Mexican American/Chicano/Latino communities of Oregon in twofold. The first examines how Mexican American, Tejano, and Mexican national agricultural laborers and thier families created a culturally meanigful place in Independence, Oregon between the 1950s to the year 2000. The second seeks to understand "placemaking" through how societal institutions in Oregon reproduce Mexican and Latino culture compared to other Latino institutions across the country. The object is to create a blueprint to create a Latino Cultural Center for the state of Oregon.