Jose Romero, former teacher at Colegio César Chávez, poses near the college's sign on the front lawn.

Colegio César Chávez often served as a facility for community gatherings and celebrations. This picture, taken inside the main reception room at Colegio, depicts the celebration of the First Holy Communion of Andrew Olivo, son of Arthur Omar Olivo. Arthur Omar Olivo, who was also a teacher with Center for Employment Training (an educational service for Chicano and Hispanic people), was the grounds keeper at Colegio from 1980 until 1983. Arthur Omar Olivo is seen seated against the window. Through the window behind Mr. Olivo one can see Studio San Benito. Mr. Olivo and his family lived in Studio San Benito during his tenure as grounds keeper.

Colegio César Chávez was a college-without-walls program that existed in Mount Angel, Oregon (a small town about 50 miles south of Portland) from 1973 to 1983. The college was named after Mexican American civil rights worker César Chávez. Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Colegio Cesar Chavez often served as a facility for community gatherings and celebrations. ... Image File history File links Colegio Cesar Chavez often served as a facility for community gatherings and celebrations. ... Mount Angel is a city located in Marion County, Oregon. ... State nickname: Beaver State Other U.S. States Capital Salem Largest city Portland Governor Ted Kulongoski Official languages None Area 255,026 km² (9th)  - Land 248,849 km²  - Water 6,177 km² (2. ... Portland is the name of numerous cities in the English-speaking world, the largest of which are Portland, Oregon and Portland, Maine in the United States. ... The ethnonym Mexican-American describes United States citizens of Mexican ancestry (14 million in 2003) and Mexican citizens who reside in the US (10 million in 2003). ... César Chávez, middle-aged César Estrada Chávez (March 31, 1927 – April 23, 1993) founded the National Farm Workers Association that later became the United Farm Workers. ...

Colegio César Chávez, which is Spanish for "César Chávez College," was the first independent, four-year Chicano college with accreditation candidacy in the United States. Therefore, Colegio César Chávez holds a unique niche in Chicano social and educational history. A Chicano is a person of Latino descent born in the United States. ...

Colegio César Chávez retains a unique placement in Chicano history because of the physical location of its facilities and its alternative model for education, and it should be remembered because it will provide future college founders with the opportunity to understand what challenges may face new colleges.

Though it was in the planning stages as early as 1973, Colegio closed its doors in 1983 after having graduated only about one class of students.

Colegio's Alternative Education Model

Colegio was a college-without-walls organization. Students met with teachers whenever they wanted and many students did not even attend classes on site but were correspondence students, some from as far away as New York and Canada.

Colegio Facilities

More examples of the Aztec-themed art can be seen in this picture.

Colegio César Chávez was headquartered in the former facilities of the Mount Angel College. The Colegio facilities contained three buildings: the main campus building where classes were taught; the dorm building to the north; and Guadalupe Hall across the street, where community events were often held. The walls of the main campus building were covered with larger-than-life murals, some being in the style of Diego Rivera, others being transcriptions of ancient Aztec artwork. In the main reception room there was a mural of Che Guevara near the fireplace. (The founders of Colegio had originally considered naming the college Colegio Che Guevara.) Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Diego Rivera Diego Rivera (December 8, 1886 – November 24, 1957), full name Diego María de la Concepción Juan Nepomuceno Estanislao de la Rivera y Barrientos Acosta y Rodríguez, was a Mexican painter and muralist, born in Guanajuato, Guanajuato, of Jewish Converso heritage. ... The Aztecs were a Mesoamerican people of central Mexico in the 14th, 15th and 16th century. ... Che Guevara Dr. Ernesto Rafael Guevara de la Serna (June 14, 1928¹ – October 9, 1967), commonly known as Che Guevara, was an Argentine-born Marxist revolutionary and Cuban guerrilla leader. ...

Colegio also owned two homes, one of which served as the art building where pottery and other kinds of classes were taught, and the other one, known as Studio San Benito, was used as a place of residence from 1980 to 1983 by Arthur Omar Olivo and his family. Mr. Olivo was the grounds keeper and facilities maintenance manager of Colegio César Chávez.

Books that reference Colegio César Chávez

• "Colegio César Chávez, 1973-1983: A Chicano Struggle for Educational Self-Determination" [1] was published in 2000, and it says that Colegio was referred to by some as "the longest running death in history" because of the battles it faced to stay alive.
• "Nosotros: The Hispanic People of Oregon, Essays and Recollections" [2] contains a section called "Memories of Colegio César Chávez" that provides some reflections by those who were involved in the founding of Colegio.

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