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Exhibitions

Rieles y Raíces: :  Traqueros in Chicago and the Midwest

November 21, 2025 – April 26, 2026 Xicágo Gallery
(Detail) Sarah Jiménez Vernis, Ferrocarrileros, 1957, linocut, N.N., National Museum of Mexican Art Permanent Collection, 1999.328, Gift of the Rogovin Family, photo credit: Michael Tropea

Over a century has passed since the first wave of Mexican immigrants arrived in Chicago–many were directly recruited by the railroad companies that put Chicago on the map. However, the history of Mexican and Mexican-American traqueros (railroad workers) in the Midwest remains overlooked. Through a community collection process and archival research, the exhibition Rieles y Raíces (tracks and roots) aims to tell the chapter of traqueros and the communities they built, often along the rieles they maintained.

Curated by Ismael Cuevas, M.A.and Alejandro Benavides, Ph.D.

Sponsored by:

The Joyce Foundation
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Illinois Arts Council
Chicago Park District