Today, ethnic Mexicans and other Latinos make up the largest population group in California, and in the Santa Clara Valley they represent roughly 30 percent of residents, a proportion that has remained steady for nearly two centuries. Despite this population’s long presence as some of the earliest non-Indigenous settlers in the region and their major contributions to its economy, culture, and development, the history of ethnic Mexicans and other Latinos in the valley has been left untold. Much historical writing by local scholars has focused on ethnic Mexicans before 1846, often implying that their meaningful presence declined after the U.S. gained control of California. As a result, few scholarly works address ethnic Mexican history in the Santa Clara Valley after statehood.

Mexican Colonias in the Santa Clara Valley examines the formation and growth of ethnic Mexican neighborhoods from the late nineteenth century through the mid-twentieth century. Author Gregorio Mora-Torres traces continuity from Californios in the San José Pueblo to later arrivals of ethnic Mexicans from Mexico and the U.S. Southwest, highlighting their efforts to build community while working in agriculture and other manual labor. Despite economic hardship, these communities developed rich cultural and social traditions, including celebrations, entertainment, sports, and civic life. The book also explores midcentury transformation, including tensions between assimilation and cultural retention and the rise of political activism in the early 1960s.

Drawing on Anglo-American newspaper accounts and Mexican, Mexican American, and other Latino perspectives from El Excentrico (1949–1981), the study reconstructs narratives of identity, visibility, and change in the Santa Clara Valley over time.

Gregorio Mora-Torres earned his BA from Santa Clara University and his MA and PhD from UC Irvine. He taught in the Mexican American Studies Department at San José State University from 1989 until his retirement in 2020. He has also written widely about early local Californios and has led historical tours of early Mexican sites in downtown San José. Mora-Torres is a founding board member of the La Raza Historical Society of the Santa Clara Valley and continues his research in retirement.