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Calvo (Antonio and Luz Mendez) Family Collection
URB.ALC
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Contributing Institution:
Special Collections & Archives
Title: Antonio and Luz Mendez Calvo Family Collection
Creator:
Calvo, Antonio and Luz Mendez, 1896-1982
Identifier/Call Number: URB.ALC
Extent:
0.42 linear feet
Date (inclusive): 1926-2001
Abstract: Antonio Regalado Calvo and Maria de la
Luz Mendez Calvo were immigrants from the Mexican state of Sonora. They immigrated to the
San Fernando region of California where they met and married during the Mexican Revolution.
The collection gives a glimpse into the lives of a Mexican-American family in the Los
Angeles area during the mid-20th century.
Language of Material: English
Antonio Regalado Calvo (1900-1973) was born in Alamos, Sonora, Mexico. Maria de la Luz
Aguilar Mendez (1896-1982) was born in La Colorado, Sonora, Mexico. Both of them,
independently, moved north during the time of the Mexican Revolution. Antonio and Luz
married in 1926 and after living near downtown Los Angeles for a short time, moved to San
Fernando, where Luz had extended family.
In their first years together, Luz worked in the local fruit packing houses while Antonio
found employment working in restaurants, hotels, pool halls, and later, on Works Project
Administration (WPA) projects. Eventually, the couple started their own business selling
Mexican food to workers in the local packing houses. Working in her home's kitchen, Luz
prepared tacos, tamales, and burritos, which Antonio (and sometimes their children) then
sold to workers during their lunch breaks.
As the business grew, Antonio and Luz were eventually able to open a small restaurant.
Their restaurant, Las Delicias Café, did not find a permanent location until 1946. By this
time, the restaurant had developed a distinctive Sonora-style menu and a loyal following.
Known for its pure and simple dishes made of high-quality ingredients, Las Delicias Café was
a popular San Fernando restaurant until it closed in the early 1970s.
Luz and Antonio had four children, who were raised working in the restaurant, waiting
tables or helping out in the kitchen. The family's primary language was Spanish and the
children learned English in school. Antonio gained a working command of English and was able
to communicate with his English-speaking customers.
The couple was active in the Santa Rosa parish, the Catholic Church in San Fernando that
served the Mexican immigrant population. They were active in civic affairs, participating in
the San Fernando "fiesta days," and catering its "mantilla dinner" held at Saint Ferdinand's
church. They were also involved in exchanges with San Fernando's sister city, Manzanillo, in
the state of Colima, Mexico.
The
Antonio and Luz Mendez Calvo Family Collection gives a
glimpse into the lives of a Mexican-American family in the Los Angeles area during the
mid-20th century. Antonio Regalado Calvo and Maria de la Luz Mendez Calvo were immigrants
from the Mexican state of Sonora. They immigrated to the San Fernando region of California
where they met and married during the Mexican Revolution. After working several different
jobs, the Calvos started their own business selling Mexican food to workers in the local
packing houses. Eventually the couple opened Las Delicias Café on Pico Street in downtown
San Fernando. The collection consists of baptismal certificates, birth certificates,
correspondence, family trees, identification cards, invitations, marriage certificates,
newspaper clippings, photographs, and a yearbook.
Digital reproductions of selected items in this collection are available electronically as
a part of the
Latina(o) Cultural Heritage
Archives
project.
Other Information:
This collection was processed under a U.S. Department of Education Title V
Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Grant.
The collection is open for research use.
Copyright for unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator(s) of
this collection has not been transferred to California State University, Northridge.
Copyright status for other materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials
protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires
the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be
commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any
use rests exclusively with the user.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Tony H. and Beverly Calvo. 08/2004.
For information about citing items in this collection consult the appropriate style manual,
or see the
Citing Archival Materials
guide.
Rebecca S. Graff
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Documents
Photographs