Concert And Conversation with the 2019 NEA National Heritage Fellows

On September 19, 2019, the Mexican Cultural Institute hosted a concert and conversation with Beatriz “La Paloma del Norte” Llamas and Blanquita “Blanca Rosa” Rodríguez of Las Tesoros, artists of Mexican heritage recipients of the 2019 NEA National Heritage Fellowship.

Las Tesoros de San Antonio are a group of elder women performers who teamed up to preserve Mexican and bicultural musical expressions through their singing and storytelling. The women had incredible singing careers that soared both locally and internationally in the 1940s–1960s before tapering off in later years. Through the Esperanza Peace & Justice Center in San Antonio, these women reemerged and teamed up as the group Las Tesoros in the 2000s. Although Janet “Perla Tapatia” Cortez and Rita “La Calandria” Vidaurri passed away in recent years, Beatriz “La Paloma del Norte” Llamas and Blanquita “Blanca Rosa” Rodríguez continue to perform and continue the legacy of the group.

CONCERT GALLERY