About Los Haro

Los Haro is a small village, or "rancho," of approximately 800 people in the Mexican state of Zacatecas.  It is located some 10 miles north of the municipal seat of Jerez.  Since the 1950s men have traveled to work in the vineyards and wineries of Napa, California; there are now some 200 families living and working in Napa; other families have settled in Sacramento, Los Angeles, Phoenix, as well as in towns and cities in Colorado and Texas.

While people have become geographically dispersed, many still see themselves as belonging to Los Haro and maintain a strong connection and a deep affection for their hometown, making this a truly "transnational" community.

Los Haro was first settled by Spanish immigrants over 400 years ago, around the same time that the first English settlements were getting started in North America.  Since the time of its founding, Los Haro has had a colorful history, enduring as an independent ranching and farming community on the periphery of  Spanish control. 

The Los Haro Summer Camp program has as one of its goals to connect today's youth, both those growing up in the rancho itself, as well as those living elsewhere, to their community's rich historical and cultural heritage.


A history of Los Haro, and its more than 50-year connection to Napa, was published in Mexico in 2006:  "Santos, Duraznos y Vino," written by Sandra Nichols.  An English version is in production, titled "Saints, Peaches and Wine: Mexican Migrants and the Transformation of Los Haro, Zacatecas and Napa, California."  (Click on the link to Los Haro and Napa for a description.)



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