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MACRI Collection

Celebrating Heritage, Inspiring Progress

MACRI Preserves Mexican American Civil Rights History
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PLAN YOUR VISIT

What we do

At MACRI, we collect, preserve, and share Mexican American civil rights history through research, educational programs, and public exhibitions. We inspire and empower by sharing powerful narratives, fostering understanding, and shaping a more inclusive future.

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who we are

MACRI is the nation’s first museum & archive focused on Mexican American civil rights history. Based in San Antonio, Texas, the Mexican American cultural capital of the United States, MACRI preserves the legacy of Mexican American civil rights endeavors and offers an unparalleled opportunity for the public to learn about this undertold aspect of American history.

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Equality
Justice
Conciencia
Courtesy UTSA Special Collections
Justice
hope
FREEDOM
Courtesy UTSA Special Collections

Upcoming Events

EXHIBIT – Cisneros V. Corpus Christi ISD: The Long Fight to End School Segregation

September 29, 2025 @ 10:00 am - November 26, 2025 @ 4:00 pm
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MACRI Talk – Chuco Punk: The Roots and Influence of Punk Rock in El Paso

October 2, 2025 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
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MACRI TALK – Patriots from the Barrio

November 11, 2025 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
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Libros y Amigos

December 19, 2025 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
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EXHIBIT – William Merriweather Peña: The Father of Architectural Programming

December 8, 2025 @ 10:00 am - March 20, 2026 @ 4:00 pm
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OPENING RECEPTION – William Merriweather Peña: The Father of Architectural Programming

December 6, 2025 @ 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
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Institute Exhibitions

CHISPAS - Online Exhibit

Our first virtual exhibit, CHISPAS shares the stories of forty Mexican American civil rights trailblazers in San Antonio. Find inspiration in the life and work of these.

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Alonso s. perales - traveling exhibit

A traveling exhibit on the life and legacy of Alonso S. Perales (1898-1960), civil rights activist, public intellectual, and US diplomat. Drawing from Dr. Cynthia E. Orozco’s recently published biography of Perales, his first comprehensive biography, this exhibit will introduce Perales to a new generation.

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Funders & Partners

Our Valued Funders and Partners in Advancing Mexican American Civil Rights History

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MACRI offers many ways to support this first-of-its-kind national institute. We encourage individuals, families, businesses, foundations, and other organizations to make a contribution that will help ensure MACRI’s financial future.

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Join the Patronato

Uniting leaders for charitable, cultural, and patriotic causes in the Americas.

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MAKE A CONTRIBUTION

Find out how to submit an artifact for consideration.

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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Sarah Zenaida Gould, PhD
She | Her | Hers

Sarah Zenaida Gould, Ph.D. is Executive Director of the Mexican American Civil Rights Institute (MACRI), an emerging national museum collecting and disseminating Mexican American civil rights history based in San Antonio, Texas. A longtime museum worker and public historian, she has curated over a dozen exhibits on history, art, and culture. Before joining MACRI, she was founding director of the Museo del Westside, a community participatory museum housed at the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center’s Rinconcito de Esperanza in San Antonio’s Westside, the historic center of Mexican American San Antonio. In 2019, her visionary work for the Museo earned her the “crown” at the biennial Reimagining the Museum: Conference of the Americas held in Oaxaca, Mexico. Prior to launching the Museo, Gould was the lead curatorial researcher at the Institute of Texan Cultures, a museum dedicated to telling the stories of Texas’ diverse cultures. While at ITC she curated exhibits on a range of topics from fashion to folklife and toys to Tejanos, and guest curated Bexar County’s tricentennial exhibit “Nuestra Historia – Our History: Spain in Bexar County,” featuring maps and documents from the Archivo General de las Indias in Seville, Spain.

Outside of museum work, Gould is a noted preservationist. She is co-founder and former co-chair of Latinos in Heritage Conservation, a national organization that promotes historic preservation within Latino communities and advocates for the protection of Latino tangible and intangible heritage, at local, state, and national levels. She frequently speaks on topics related to historic preservation and representation of Latino histories, serves as an Advisor to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and is a member of the Westside Preservation Alliance, a coalition dedicated to promoting and preserving the working-class architecture of San Antonio’s Westside.  Additionally, she serves on the boards of the Friends of the Texas Historical Commission, the fundraising arm of Texas’ state historic preservation office, and Texans for the Arts, a non-partisan statewide arts advocacy organization. She formerly served on the boards of the American Association of State and Local History, El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail Association, San Anto Cultural Arts, and the South Texas Popular Culture Center.

Gould received a BA in American Studies from Smith College and an MA and PhD in American Culture from the University of Michigan. She also holds a certificate in Philanthropic and Fundraising Administration from NYU’s School of Continuing Studies. She is a former fellow at the National Museum of American History, the Winterthur Museum, and the American Antiquarian Society, and is an alumna of the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture Leadership Institute.

 Her publications include “Latinos in Heritage Conservation: Establishing a National Vision for American Latinos and Historic Preservation” in Bending the Future: Fifty Ideas for the Next Fifty Years of Historic Preservation in America (University of Massachusetts Press, 2016); “A Fair to Remember: HemisFair ‘68,” in 300 Years of San Antonio and Bexar County (Trinity University Press, 2018); and “Field Guide to the Westside,” in Vernacular Architecture of San Antonio and its Environs (Texas A & M University Press, 2021).

 Gould is a native Tejana and the descendant of farmers and farmworkers. Her maternal grandparents were active members of LULAC.