Bio

Tezozomoc came to the US with his parents during the “Green Revolution” of the seventies. He was raised in South Central and East Los Angeles. From 1998 to 2006 he tended a plot of land on the South Central Farm in Los Angeles. The farm was the largest community farm in the country at that time. Tezozomoc became actively involved with the community of urban farmers in their work to preserve the farm.

Since their farm was destroyed, Tezozomoc and several others have continued their work to keep locally grown organic produce accessible to all persons through the formation of the South Central Farmers Cooperative. Using Meso-American farming practices, South Central preserves traditions, and, at the same time offers quality organic produce to LA and surrounding communities while providing a voice, dignity and a livelihood for farmer/workers.

In 2013, Tezozomoc received the Green Growing Award from Natural Resources Defense Council for his work on food justice and sovereignty issues. He works with more than ten LA-area organizations as well as with numerous organizations of indigenous peoples through the American Continent. Tezozomoc is a frequent speaker at farming and social justice conferences. He is a member of the board of Acequia Institute, a social justice organization for indigenous peoples. Tezozomoc is president of South Central Farmers Health and Education Fund (SCFHEF), a non-profit 501c3 with the mission of assisting farmer cooperatives with education and services.