Ontario Mayor Deborah Folden has honored a Nyssa woman as a “Pioneer of Change” in her recent proclamation declaring Hispanic Heritage Month.
The Ontario City Council considered the proclamation on Tuesday, Sept. 24.
Eva Castellanoz was cited for “her commitment to Ontario by sharing her culture and caring for the people and youth of the community.”
“She has become an important figure among Mexican Americans due to her creations of paper and wan flowers used at baptisms, weddings, and quinceaneras,” the resolution said.
“Many years in the fields, struggling with poverty and other difficulties, engendered her activism. For over 30 years, she has worked with young people, including troubled youth,” the proclamation said. “She teaches art as a tool for personal and social transformation. The ‘root’ of culture, she argues, can heal social dislocation and strengthen communities.”
The proclamation said that after Castellanoz had her last child, she “was spiritually called to be a curandera, a practice that blends the indigenous Mexican traditions.”
A profile in the Enterprise in 2021 explained that Castellanoz coducts healing practices, using herbs, prayers and massages.
The Heritage Month started as a week-long celebration declared by President Lyndon Johnson in 1968 and expanded to a month by President Ronald Reagan in 1988. The national observation runs from mid-September through mid-October.
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