Aztlán by Petra Salazar

Did you know that our very own Director of Operations and Community Petra Salazar is also a well known writer and poet?

A classic car parks outside of the Stop & Eat Drive-In in Española following Lowrider Day, 2021. Photo by Gabriela Campos.

Petra’s recently published essay, “Aztlán,” is a beautiful reflection on home, culture, and the deep ties between land and identity in northern New Mexico. Petra's writing explores themes of pilgrimage, language, and lowrider culture, offering a powerful reminder of how memory and community keep a place alive.

Read Petra’s essay here: https://elpalacio.org/2025/09/aztlan/

This work was made possible in part by an Individual Artist Grant from the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, the Arts Council of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County and the Arts Council of Greater Greensboro.