Fresno\u2019s Chinatown is one of the oldest parts of the city. Located across the tracks from downtown, it\u2019s a place where many immigrant groups settled in the days of legalized segregation and housing discrimination. Today on KVPR\u2019s Central Valley Roots, the story of a venue there that played a big role in local Mexican-American history.<\/p>\n
The Azteca Theater is a modest venue on F Street in Fresno\u2019s Chinatown, with a tall neon-clad blade sign. While not as flashy as the Warnors or Tower Theater, it\u2019s no less historic.<\/p>\n
The Azteca was built in 1948 for owner Gustavo Acosta.<\/a> Unlike many other theaters in the Valley that at one point showed Spanish language films, the Azteca was the only venue purpose-built to serve the Spanish language audience.<\/p>\n In 1956 Acosta leased the theater to his friend Arturo Tirado. Under his leadership, the movie theater became the focal point of the local Spanish-speaking community. Arturo Tirado brought many of Mexico\u2019s top movie<\/a> stars to Fresno for in-person appearances at the theater. Names like Cantinflas, Pedro Infante and Maria Felix.<\/p>\n The venue hosted more than movies. In March 1966, when Cesar Chavez led farmworkers on his march from Delano to Sacramento,<\/a> Tirado hosted them at his theater.<\/a> While the group reportedly met violence<\/a> in Tulare, Tirado enlisted his friends Mayor Floyd Hyde and police chief H.R. Morton to ensure the safety of the marchers in Fresno. <\/p>\n