Bridging Indigenous and personal heritage, along with physical movement, is how SANTO-FI, an independent art and culture brand, was created in 2024.

SANTO-FI, which today creates technical apparel and facilitates creative and educational workshops, was founded by Esteban Galvez, a first-generation Mexican American designer and writer born in Southern California. 

Galvez, who grew up in Claremont, California, a city just five miles outside of Los Angeles County, said SANTO-FI was created in homage to his family’s teachings and ancestry as Indigenous people of Jalisco, Mexico.

Origins

He said his father, Javier Galvez, an active organizer with the 1960s and 1970s Chicano Movement in California and a former lecturer in the Chicano Studies Department at Pomona College, was a driving force in teaching him about the family’s Azteca-Mexica heritage through dance, music and the preserving of practices.

In addition to lecturing at Pomona College, his father had also led the Aztec dance group called Danzantes del Sol.

He said it was through his father, who immigrated from Mexico, that he grew up being proud of his Indigenous lineage, skin color and culture. 

“Growing up like that, I really didn't understand how much of a privilege it was until I became older," he said. “Growing up with Indigenous and Mexican roots, I often felt like the worlds I loved—surfing, climbing, [combat] fighting, art and learning—did not always reflect where I came from, and when you don’t see yourself in places you love, it can make you question whether you belong there.” 

Workshops

To bring forward a sense of belonging and connection, specifically to Black, Latino and Indigenous people, SANTO-FI hosts and facilitates workshops and gatherings featuring activities such as rock climbing, surfing, hiking, jiu-jitsu, yoga, functional movement, running and rope climbing. Apart from physical workshops and gatherings, the brand also hosts workshops on photography, live drawing, meditation and art therapy, among others. 

"For generations, in places like the U.S., many people are kept away from these things and being around the different elements. Through these gatherings we're trying to remind Indigenous people that they too belong in spaces like this, doing these activities that bring every human into a fulfilling life in this capitalistic system,” Galvez said.  

When it comes to green space, which science has linked to improved physical activity and mental well-being, not many Latinos have direct access. According to the Nation’s Health, a report by the American Public Health Association, only 1 in 3 Latinos live within walking distance (less than one mile) from a park. The report also concluded that just one-fifth of Latino children have access to recreational green spaces where they live, compared to 62% of white people. 

"Finding balance and harmony in nature has been essential for all indigenous communities of the world,” Galvez said.

Ollin Collection

As part of the brand's apparel work, SANTO-FI recently launched the Ollin Collection, which is made up of t-shirts, climbing pants, joggers, biking shorts and button-shirts, among other clothing pieces. 

The name and logo of the collection are inspired by the Azteca-Mexica concept of Ollin, which translates to "movement.” The symbol for Ollin is also at the center of the Aztec calendar.

Gavel said this collection came about through a conversation with his father on the workshops he was hosting with SANTO-FI. “I was talking to him about what I was doing, and he mentioned Ollin,” he said. “For me it was a way to look at movement, not only at a level of just physical movement but also in the way Azteca-Mexica culture embraced change and had this active pursuit of finding balance and harmony in life.” 

Each of the Ollin collection clothing pieces has the symbol for Ollin in the center, back, or side.

Galvez said the Ollin apparel collection is made for anyone who is interested in or partaking in outdoor activities or movement-based activities. 

The collection launched in April at the Claremont Colleges in Claremont, California. The event featured an Azteca-Mexica heritage gathering where participants were able to participate in cultural education, music, participatory dance and food.

Community 

The collection launch also featured a game of Ulama, or ōllamaliztli, a ball game played for over 3,500 years by the Olmecs and Maya, as well as the Aztecs. Although it was banned by Spanish colonizers during the 1500s, small rural communities in Sinaloa, Mexico, have kept it alive. 

When it comes to the future, Galvez said he hopes SANTO-FI will have an impact similar to brands like Patagonia. He said his hope for growth is rooted in wanting to have more representation of Indigenous communities in active apparel brands and for people of color to have access to more green spaces.

As a business, Galvez said it has not been easy, but it’s been something he has never given up on. 

“For young, first-generation entrepreneurs, all I can say is find your community and then work together. It is a challenge, but I think what's really beautiful about our culture is that we support one another,” he said. 

SANTO-FI is based out of L.A. County, but Galvez travels back from Australia to California often. He said he hopes to organize more gatherings and workshops in L.A. very soon. 

For more information on SANTO-FI, visit https://www.santofi.com/.