The three members of Culture Clash are Ricardo Montoya, Ric Salinas, and Herbert Sigüenza . Each brings their own sense of Latinidad to the group. Understanding their respective backgrounds and histories is vital to better contextualize
their work. Ricardo Montoya’s story is one that is full of activism. His father, José Montoya was born in the San Joaquin Valley. He served in the Korean War and become a college professor, teaching in the Chicano/a department at CSU
Sacramento. All this education and experience in the Central valley led him to create the Royal Chicano Air Force. This group was full of activists that aided Cesar Chavez and the farmworker’s movement. They also had their own agenda.
It was one of the arts and cultural movements. They created poetry, murals, and original plays. José is an important figure in the Chicano movement and his passion for creating art which helps his community. Ricardo continues his father’s
work in his own way. He became involved with Chicano culture in the Mission District. His involvement in the Mission District which included acting eventually led to meeting Rene Yañez, who was the mind behind Culture Clash. The role
that Montoya usually plays in Culture Clash is the Americanized person. They are generally English-speaking and play some form of an Americanized Latino or Chicano. He is the one that is least fluent in Spanish. In his side work, he
has played minor roles in Hollywood films.
