The Mexican Heritage Corp. was founded as a non-profit organization on April 27, 1988 with the purpose of building a center for California's rich Mexican and Latino cultural heritage. It serves as a major resource to the local community. The organization is governed by an all-volunteer 11 member board of directors, and is staffed by a president, support staff and consultants as needed. The Mexican Cultural Heritage Gardens and Plaza, scheduled for groundbreaking in December of 1997, will support and promote California's Mexican and Latin American cultural traditions of music, dance, art and theater. The proposed location is a 6.3-acre site located in the Alum Rock area of San Jose and will include a theater, a gallery, gardens, a plaza, a multipurpose room and classrooms and offices. Since 1992, The Mexican Heritage Corp. has sponsored the annual San Jose International Mariachi Festival and Conference, a fund-raiser held in July for non-profit organizations. The event is one of San Jose's premier summer events. The Corp. also sponsers various events dedicated to Mexican and Mexican American culture throughout the year.
Tamika Hayes, "Summer series opens doors for artists", San Jose Mercury News, Friday, 4 August 1995, Morning Final edition, Sec. Eye, p. 44 Glenn Lovell, "Role playing hispanic family values in 'Mi familia' emerge as hit with latinos but hollywood's made-up 'Perez family' is making a quick exit", San Jose Mercury News, Thursday, 15 June 1995, Morning Final edition, Sec. Living, p. 1C Marylin Lewis, "On-line information service for hispanics launched", San Jose Mercury News, Wednesday, 30 November 1994, Morning Final Edition, Local section, p. 1B Olivia Reyes, "Mariachi Mania keeps the beat in downtown S.J. culture plays loud at mariachi fest", San Jose Mercury News, Monday, 11 July 1994, Morning Final Edition, Front section, p. 1AMao Wang
