COMPTON (MNS)—The Dominguez Rancho Adobe Museum will host its third annual La Pastorela: A Christmas Tradition produced by Teatro Dominguez of CSU Dominguez Hills. The Pastorela is a beloved Mexican Christmas tradition that united communities to enjoy a play incorporating important messages about the pastores or shepherds, perspectives on the birth of their savior.

Pastorelas are a beloved part of Christmas festivities throughout Mexico and the Southwest. The tradition began with Spanish missionaries who brought Christianity to the indigenous people of Mexico in the 16th Century. They made their way to Alta California along with early Spanish settlers.

 

There were public performances in Pueblo de Los Angeles during the 1800s. Prominent Californios took part in pastorelas; Gov. Pío Pico portrayed el diablo, or the devil, in one of these plays. Pastorelas are told with plenty of humor, hijinks, music, and colorful costumes and masks. Hundreds of unique versions of this play exist; the moral of the tale is always the same: good triumphs over evil.
 

La Pastorela will be produced in coordination with Teatro Dominguez from CSU Dominguez Hills: a multicultural theater group that draws on ethnic folk tales to teach about social change. Teatro Dominguez has tailor-made a Pastorela that incorporates the ever-important history of the Dominguez family and the Rancho San Pedro who were integral in the development of Southern California.

The public can join us for this free event as we celebrate in community with each other to laugh, sing, and honor traditions long appreciated in history.

 

The Dominguez Rancho Adobe Museum is located at 18127 S. Alameda St., Rancho Dominguez, Calif. The mission of the friends of Rancho San Pedro is to preserve and increase community awareness of the Domin-
guez family, Homestead adobe, and the Rancho San Pedro, the first Spanish land grant in California. This is accomplished through educational programs and the operation