Mexican Americans in a Dallas Barrio

Originally published in 1978, this book vividly describes day-to-day life in Dallas's La Bajada neighborhood. Shirley Achor’s portrayal of the residents challenges stereotypes of traditional Mexican American culture and southwestern barrio life.

This project also includes a new essay by Lydia R. Otero titled “Reflecting on Shirley Achor's Mexican Americans in a Dallas Barrio Forty Years Later.”

Otero writes, “Ethnic communities surrounding major urban areas across the United States are currently struggling to retain their cultural identity as the forces aligned with gentrification undermine their existence. . . . [T]he inclusion of Mexican Americans in a Dallas Barrio [is] an important addition to the Open Arizona project. It is not only timely but critical in ensuring the survival of La Bajada’s history and its people.”