SAN ANTONIO – The director of the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center has died at the age of 86.
Pedro Rodriguez, also an elder statesman of Chicanx arts, passed away on Dec. 1 in San Antonio from long-term illness complications, according to the GCAC.
“Rodriguez was a fierce warrior of Chicanx arts and built the institution of the Guadalupe to be what it is today,” GCAC said in a release. “… His influence created a hallmark for the Guadalupe with its mission of cultivating, promoting and preserving traditional and contemporary Chicano, Latino and Native American arts and culture through multidisciplinary programming in San Antonio’s Westside community.”
His legacy also includes helping build legacy programs, which include the Tejano Conjunto Festival and CineFestival, among other achievements.
Rodriguez is survived by his wife, Cynthia Cortez, his children Eva Garcia, Adon Rodriguez, Nicole Rodriguez and Bianca Puleo, and his siblings, Andres G. Cano, Juanita Sylvia R. Ehlers, Jose Enrique Rodriguez and Elias G. Rodriguz.
Funeral arrangements are still pending but will be shared on the GCAC’s website and Facebook page.