A Trilingual Mixtec Rapper from California Celebrates His Roots

Miguel Villegas Ventura is a popular Mixtec artist who uses rap to inspire and instill a sense of pride in young Mixtec indigenous people who immigrated or were born in California’s cities and towns. His stage name is Una Isu. He sings not only in Mixtec, his native language, but also in Spanish and English. Alejandro Maciel spoke with him during a talent festival in the San Joaquin Valley organized by the California Alliance for Traditional Arts. He brings us the story of the musician from Fresno, the fifth most populous city in the state.

The full text and audio for this news piece are only available in Spanish.

Photo: Una Isu