The Rake Magazine

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I am a photographer of the most selfish kind. For me, pictures come first and foremost.

With that in mind, I approach El Palacio de la Cumbia, in my hometown of Austin, MN, with the intent of making good pictures, not to push an agenda or a pity story.

Marcelino Alvarez, 60, and his wife Francis, 59, came to the United States from Mexico to raise a family. The move was not out of necessity, Marcelino says, but because his children wanted to live here.

So Marcelino quit his job, working on highways in Monterey, Mexico, and settled in the San Juan Valley of Texas.

In 1985, like many illegal workers, they received amnesty.

As migrant workers, they bounced around several states, including Arkansas, Idaho, Oregon, Michigan, and Iowa, before settling in Southern Minnesota.

Marcelino and Francis have lived in Austin eight years by the time I sit down with the couple in their dance hall, the Palacio, on a summer afternoon.

The Rake: Do you like it here?

Marcelino: Yes, the police aren't racist here. They are really good to us. We like it a lot.

R: Why or how did you open the Palacio?

M: My son is a DJ and he did many jobs around here. He worked very hard to get his equipment. (He takes out his son's business card which reads, "Sonido Latino," or Latin Sound in English. "For all my people.")
Eight years ago there weren't that many Mexicans here, so he did about ten free dances in Austin and Albert Lea.

R: What is Cumbia?

M: It's music, a dance from Columbia. Now there are many types of Cumbia. Different regions give it a different flavor. What is really in style now is Durangense, from the state of Durango. We are from Monterey, where every thing is about Cumbia. Anyone that wants to make it big has to make it in Monterey.

R: Does Cumbia represent a social class?

M: No, it is cultural, global. It is very happy music. This music will never lose its appeal. It's timeless.

R: You say the police are not racist here. Were they racist elsewhere?

M: In Willmar [Minnesota]. Over there, they are very racist. If they see black hair, they follow you. They even took me to jail.

R: What for?

M: I got angry because I left a bag of groceries in the store. I went back and asked for my bag and they ignored me. I said, that is my bag there. They said, no, it's not. So I told them I will take what is mine. And they called the police. They arrested me, and I paid $100. I am not ashamed.

R: Is the Palacio your full time job?

M: No, I like to work in the fields. I like to sweat. I do it for my health.

R: How do you find this work?

M: I drive around and see where they are driving tractors and ask if they need help. Then I get a network and they will recommend me to their neighbors. Sometimes I work in dry-wall. I also do mechanics. I've done all they heavy machinery building highways in Mexico for 17 years.

R: Have you heard of the phrase "The American Dream"?

M: Yes, we have heard of it.

R: Do you believe it is exists?

M: For those of us who want to work, yes.

Francis: With the sweat of your brow it is worth it.

M: Only two times have I asked the government for help. If you are working hard, why do I need to ask for help? I don't like to ask for help.

R: What do you like most about living in Southern Minnesota?

M: It's a place where the pay is good. In Texas, the pay is very little. Maybe five or six dollars an hour. I have worked at Jennie-O, Farmland Foods, Quality Pork Processors. At those jobs, I got $35,000 to $39,000 a year.

R: What do you find difficult living in Southern Minnesota?

M: The cold weather and driving in the winter.

R: Did you have problems when you first opened the Palacio?

M: Yes, because they thought they were in Mexico and wanted to do the same. Little by little they have learned that we are in a different country. I visit the tables and tell them, don't forget, we are not in Mexico anymore. Here, the Americans, they see a trash can and put their garbage in there. And they need to learn that. I think that the Americans get mad at us because we are unorganized with the garbage situation.

R: Do you see any local Americans in here?

M: Yes, they come to dance. And I say to my people, you must treat them well because you would not want to be unwelcome. Every race, all people are welcome here.

R: When you are inside here on a Saturday night, with the music and lights and dancing, how much of this is like Mexico?

M: It seems like Mexico. Especially when they hear a song they really like. They yell like coyotes. That is when it feels like Mexico.

R: How many people come here on a Saturday night?

M: About 80 to 100 in the summer. In the winter, 200 or 220. The more snow, the more people.

R: What kind of beer do you like?

M: (laughing) Bud Light.

Francis: (also with a laugh) One wine cooler, but only one.