Mariachis and members of Ballet Folklorico line the hall as Anita N. Martinez’s casket is taken down the hall during her funeral in Dallas, Texas, Monday, April 27, 2026. Martinez was the first Mexican American person elected to the Dallas City Council. Anita was also the founder of Ballet Folklorico.
Anja Schlein/The Dallas Morning News
Guests fill the chapel seats during Anita N. Martinez’s funeral in Dallas, Texas, Monday, April 27, 2026. Martinez was the first Mexican American person elected to the Dallas City Council.
Anja Schlein/The Dallas Morning News
Guests listen during during Anita N. Martinez’s funeral in Dallas, Texas, Monday, April 27, 2026. Martinez was the first Mexican American person elected to the Dallas City Council.
Anja Schlein/The Dallas Morning News
Members of Ballet Folklorico line the hall as guests look on during Anita N. Martinez’s funeral in Dallas, Texas, Monday, April 27, 2026. Martinez was the first Mexican American person elected to the Dallas City Council. She was also the founder of Ballet Folklorico.
Anja Schlein/The Dallas Morning News
Friends, family and well-wishers gathered Monday to offer their final goodbyes to Anita N. Martinez, the pioneering civic activist linked to the El Fenix restaurant chain but who also rose on her own to become the first Mexican American elected to the Dallas City Council.
Al Martinez, her son, described his mother as “a whirlwind, a dynamo, a super hero to many.”
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Martinez served on the Dallas council between 1969 and 1973. She lived to be 100 before dying on April 10 of natural causes, according to her relatives. Over 100 mourners gathered at Calvary Hill Funeral Home & Cemetery to pay their final respects and mourn her passing.
Related: Archival DMN coverage of Anita Martinez
Rows of seats were filled by attendees wearing dark colored suits and dresses as they faced a closed casket with colorful flower bouquets on top. Inside, a life lived and loved by those around. One by one, visitors walked in and greeted her son Al with kind words and warm hugs.
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Al said his mother was a “champion to those who needed to be heard and needed advocacy.”
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“These needs became mamá’s life’s work,” he added.
Humble beginnings lead to civic service
Martinez was born on Dec. 8, 1925 in an area of Dallas formerly known as Little Mexico, now part of Uptown. She went on to become one of the most celebrated personalities in Dallas’ political and civil rights circles, but always remained connected to her roots in Little Mexico.
When Martinez was 14, she wanted to have a street outside her home, Pearl Street, paved, Al said. This was a project she dedicated herself to, went ahead and petitioned for it and ultimately succeeded.
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Anita Martinez poses for a portrait at her ballet folklorico studio in 2018, in Dallas.
2018 File Photo/Staff
“I feel that they should teach the Anita N. Martinez initiative … because the way she went about it is the outline for how you get kids involved,” Al said.
That was the win that nudged her in the direction of public service, he added.
In 1969, a day after she took office as a council member, Martinez made the survival and renovation of Pike Park one of her first initiatives. According to a city preservation website, the park would grow to became the cultural heart of the Mexican American community in Dallas.
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During her time in office, she worked tirelessly every single day to improve the lives of her constituents through initiatives to lower juvenile crime, add more city street lights and increase the number of paved roads, sidewalks and even indoor plumbing in her district. In 1974, the Anita Martinez Recreation Center was built in honor of her work.
Related: Ballet folklorico to celebrate founder on 40th anniversary
However, her dedication to helping others and fighting for a cause continued long after the city council.
In 1998, she dedicated her time to work on a project to save St. Ann’s School. The school was built in 1927 as Dallas’ first school for Hispanic children, and was at risk of being demolished when Martinez spearheaded an effort to save it. A portion of the structure has been designated a landmark, according to the city of Dallas website.
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She established the Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico to educate Hispanic youth about their culture’s significance through traditional dances from regions in Mexico, Central America and the American Southwest.
“I have a tremendous amount of admiration for her, and being able to get to know her better has been very special for me,” said Lisa Mesa-Rogers, executive director of the Ballet Folklorico.
Martinez played a pivotal part in the organization’s success and was always there to encourage the team and remind them of the significance of its work, Mesa-Rogers said. When the organization faced extraordinary needs, Martinez always reminded them of the importance of Ballet Folklorico.
“She had this ability to be able to ground you in a way that just brought you back to the fundamentals,” Mesa-Rogers said. “This is why we were here. This is what we’re here to do, and all that other stuff will work itself out.”
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Related: How Dallas’ 92-year-old civic pioneer Anita N. Martinez is inspiring a new generation
Martinez started the organization with the notion of transforming the lives of children by giving them a perception of being someone and feeling good about themselves, Mesa-Rogers said.
During Monday’s funeral service, members of Ballet Folklorico dressed in bright colorful clothing lined the procession leading to Martinez’s entombment, as music played by mariachis filled the room.
In 2022, Southern Methodist University presented Martinez with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters to honor her commitment to bettering the lives of people in Dallas. She was also inducted into the Dallas Holocaust and Civil Rights Museum 2019, recognizing her work as a civil rights leader and activist.
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After her time serving on the city council, Martinez was selected by former President Richard Nixon to evaluate the Peace Corps in different corners of the world including North Africa, the Near East, Asia, and the Pacific, Al Martinez said.
Active social life
Al, who took care of his mother later in her life, recalled taking her to a number of different events. She lived a vibrant social life and everybody loved her. He said he got into places he would not have on his own. People would always gravitate toward her, he said.
Anita Martinez says her husband, Alfred Martinez, was surprised that she’d want to take on the extra work of City Council. The couple is shown at El Fenix restaurant No. 1 , celebrating its 100th anniversary.
Tom Fox/Staff Photographer
Martinez was active, ran marathons until she got to her early-80s and then walked about a mile every single day, Al said. Even in her old age, she was always at her desk, trying to raise money for Ballet Folklorico and help the organization in any way she could.
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She was very involved and enthusiastic as a mother, Al said. When her children got involved in any projects, she would participate and take lessons with them to encourage them. None of the children wanted to see the look of disappointment in her eyes, he said.
“She was so good, so fair, so much fun,” he said.
Related: Anita Martinez, trailblazing Dallas civic leader with ties to El Fenix restaurants, dies
She met her husband Alfred Martinez at El Fenix restaurant on New Year’s Eve when she was 15. She was helping her sister, who worked at the restaurant. At one point in the night, Al Martinez recounted, Anita looked up and saw a tall, good-looking boy with balloons in his hand.
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The first thing Alfred said to Anita that night was “You like balloons,” Al said. “That was his way of introducing himself.”
That was in 1940, Alfred proposed on Christmas Eve of 1944 and the couple got married in 1946, Al said. They raised four children.
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Alfred died at 100 in July 2024. Al said while going through his mother’s cedar chests, his sister found all the love letters their father sent their mother during World War II. The letters were placed in her casket by Al’s sister, Priscilla.
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Al said he is joyful that his mother lived a big, fulfilling life and did not suffer in the end.
“Viva Anita!” he said, remembering his dynamic mamá.