the 19th century, were cooperatives or
collectives designed to provide security
and cohesion in a difficult and sometimes
hostile environment. Members included
unskilled laborers, artisans, merchants,
and professionals. Pooling members’ con-
tributions, the mutualistas provided such
benefits as burial funds, unemployment
compensation, life insurance, medical
insurance, education, temporary housing
assistance, and relief for the poor. They
also provided social and cultural activities,
sometimes through women’s chapters;
these included dances, holiday fiestas,
fund-raisers, barbecues, plays, lectures,
and discussions.
Some of the mutualistas undertook
the task of political organizing and press-
ing for united action in defense of the civil
rights of Mexican-American workers and
their families. Some assumed the functions
of labor unions, like the Imperial Valleymutualistas that developed into the
Imperial Valley Workers’ Union (La
Unión de Trabajadores del Valle Imperial)
in 1928.
Mexican Americans had been
involved in labor organizing and labor
strikes since the beginning of the 20th cen-
tury. In 1901 the Federación de los
Trabajadores (Workers’ Free Labor
Federation), a labor union made up of
Mexican Americans, became affiliated with
the American Federation of Labor. In
1903 Mexican-American miners went on
strike at the Clifton-Morenci copper mine
in Arizona, demanding wages and benefits
equal to those of Anglos. The Alianza
Hispano-Americana, a mutualista founded
in Tucson in 1894, supported that strike,
although it eventually proved unsuccessful,
as did a second strike against the mine in
1915–1917. A later union, the Con-
federación de Uniones Obreras Mexicanas146 ATLAS OF HISPANIC-AMERICAN HISTORY
SELECTED MUTUALISTAS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
IN THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY
Location of Chapter(s)Santa BarbaraSanta BarbaraSouthern CaliforniaSouthern CaliforniaLos AngelesSouthern CaliforniaNameClub Mexicano Independencia,or
The Mexican Independence ClubClub Mexicano Independencia
Feminil, or The Women’s Mexican
Independence ClubLa Unión Patriótica Beneficia
Mexicana Independiente, or The
Independence Benefits UnionLa Unión Feminil Mexicana,or
The Women’s Mexican UnionLa Sociedad Hispano-Americana
de Beneficia Mútua,or The Hispanic-
American Mutual Benefit SocietyLa Liga Protectora Latina,
or The Latina Protection LeagueDescription/GoalsThe Mexican Independence Club was the largest mutualista in
Santa Barbara. Only naturalized Mexicans were entitled to
membership. It provided workers’ compensation, pension
plans, death benefits, and home care for those families in need.The women’s chapter of the Mexican Independence Club car-
ried out the same programs as its male counterpart and was
responsible for some of the largest-scale social activities in
California.The group provided death and medical insurance as well as aid
to poor families in the Mexican community, regardless of
membership status. It also held fund-raisers for needy family
members in Mexico as well as in the community and formed an
amateur baseball team.The women’s chapter performed the same programs as its male
counterpart and was responsible for most of the social activities
and fund-raisers of both clubs.The society provided life insurance, loans, medical insurance,
and services to its members.While the league provided insurance, loans, and other benefits,
its membership placed less emphasis on social activities.