San Antonio to Gather Voices for a Dialogue on Mexican American Identity

The stories, challenges and cultural expressions of those who build their identity between Mexico and the United States will be the focus of the II Con-ALMA 2026 Forum, a free gathering that will bring together academics, artists, journalists, business leaders and community representatives this Saturday, October 3 in San Antonio, Texas.

Under the title “Mexican American Identity: Binational Cultures and Histories,” the forum seeks to open a conversation about what it means to belong to two countries, to preserve family roots and to turn that experience into art, food, memory and community participation.

The gathering will take place from 10:00 to 14:00 at the Instituto Cultural de México in San Antonio, located at 643 E. Nueva St., and will also be streamed on ALMA's social media channels.

The program will be divided into three panels covering the formation of Mexican American identity, binational life within the home, and the role of culture in building community.

The first conversation, “Being and Becoming Mexican American,” will feature professor emerita Ellen Riojas Clark, artist Luis López, cultural coordinator Alfredo Ávalos Lara, writer and journalist Cecilia Ballí and social anthropologist Maria Zentella.

Riojas Clark has devoted her academic work to the study of ethnic and cultural identity, while Ballí has documented the life and social expressions of border communities for more than two decades for outlets such as Texas Monthly, The New York Times and Harper's Magazine.

The second panel, “Binational Identity at Home,” will bring together chef Lizzeth Martinez, artisan Edna Lugo Martínez, businessman Ricardo Ríos, OPCOM Media Group director Ruben Linder and Avenida Guadalupe Association president Gabriel Quintero.

The conversation will be moderated by Nora Preciado, co-founder and co-executive director of MAPA, an organization taking part as a partner of the gathering alongside the Consulate of Mexico in San Antonio.

The forum will close with “Culture and Community,” a panel made up of visual artist Yazmin Belcerra, pianist Silvia Santinelli, author and researcher Edna Campos Gravenhorst and painter and musician Joao Quiroz.

Each participant will have five minutes to offer an opening reflection, followed by a moderated conversation and, if time allows, questions from the audience.

Once the panels end, a space will open for attendees and speakers to continue the dialogue, while ALMA will later prepare a written summary of the conversations.

Admission is free, but advance registration is requested both for those attending in person and for those following the stream, since that form is how the link to watch online will be sent.