"Seeds of Resilience: Barrio Americano" exhibition opens on February 7 and will stay open for a year.
The exhibition “Seeds of Resilience: Barrio Americano” opens on February 7 at Rancho Los Cerritos Museum.
The exhibition centers Mexican American histories in the Long Beach region. It examines how communities built culture, connection and resistance in the face of discrimination.
Through installations recreating an early 20th-century barrio, the exhibition will bring visitors into everyday spaces of life, labor and organizing, illustrating how community and cultural preservation shaped belonging in the United States.
"Following the Mexican-American War and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, Mexicanos remained closely tied to this region while facing unequal access to rights and opportunities," the exhibit's website states. "In response, barrios emerged as spaces of collective care, cultural preservation, and resistance. Through installations reflecting an early twentieth-century barrio, the exhibition examines how everyday spaces sustained community life in the face of discrimination."
It is the first exhibition to launch as part of a citywide collaboration marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, highlighting the many communities whose contributions have shaped the nation.
The installation, photographs and artifacts will be on view for one year. Additional exhibitions exploring the region’s histories will open at partner institutions across Long Beach throughout 2026.
Rancho Los Cerritos will host an opening day celebration on Saturday, February 7, from 3:00 -
6:00 p.m., and the site will be closed to visitors prior to that time.
The opening day celebration will include crafts and children’s activities, tours of the historic adobe home, and coffee and pastries courtesy of The Breakfast Bar, inspired by sobremesa—the tradition of lingering together to share time and conversation.
On Sunday, February 8, the exhibition will remain open with extended public hours from 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Rancho Los Cerritos is located at 4600 Virginia Road, Long Beach, CA 90807.
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