Pilots of Aztlan: The Flights of the Royal Chicano Air Force

This program introduces the Sacramento-based Chicano arts collective that championed Chicanismo, an artistic and cultural movement blending Mexican, Indian, and American cultures to a wider audience. The RCAF, the Rebel Chicano Art Front, which became the light-hearted Royal Chicano Air Force, had its roots in the barrio and the grape fields. It grew out of the Mexican-American political and cultural awakening of the 1960s. Its mission is to recoup and nourish Latino cultural identity through art, politics, and humor. Artists Jose Montoya, Richardo Favela, and Juanisi Orosco, Louie “The Foot” Gonzalez, as well as many other members of the RCAF, significantly contributed to this documentary, which was produced in 1995. The late Mayor Joe Serna, Jr. also contributed to the making of this program.