The marigolds and decorative skulls that adorn downtown Redwood City’s square for Dia de Muertos don’t drape themselves. Whether or not you’ve heard of Casa Circulo Cultural, you’ve certainly seen their work in action.
Since 2009, this Hispanic cultural organization has served thousands of low-income adults and children, mostly a part of Redwood City’s Latino 35%. Casa Circulo’s mission is to strengthen Spanish-language arts and culture in Redwood City, while also providing social, economic, and wellness resources to underserved residents. The organization is effectively a community service multitool.
“When you know where you come from and who you are,” Casa Circulo’s founder and executive director, Veronica Escamez, said in reference to her organization, “you feel better.”
A grammar teacher in Mexico for 14 years, Escamez started the earliest iteration of Casa Circulo in her garage, she said, as a Saturday night theater group. Her mission was then to bolster Mexican arts and culture within Redwood City’s expat community.
These theater meetups had grown too loud for her garage, she said, laughing, and were so popular that she believed the community needed more of these programs. Moreover, the adult participants would bring their kids with them, who needed supervision. Escamez saw a hole to fill.
Upon finding a warehouse to host intergenerational programs, the former schoolteacher noticed another concern.
“When kids are nine or 10,” she said, “they don’t want to talk to parents in Spanish because kids speak English in school.”
To help laminate the Spanish language and culture locally, she decided to organize Spanish classes for young residents, as well as to offer traditional Mexican folk dance classes, Spanish music courses and other heritage programs.
Through the years, the youth programs have expanded to include other kinds of arts, including Taekwondo and ballet. Performing in front of an audience, Escamez said, is a great way to help young people cultivate a sense of confidence.
“We’re trying to give voice to the kids to become their own leaders and have a place in the community that they live now,” Escamez noted. “They’re in between two countries sometimes, so they have to be proud of where they live and where they come from.”
Among the 185 kids who participate in Casa Circulo’s daily programs are Ana Gamino’s 11-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter, who have come to its events for almost as long as they could walk. Now, thanks to the program, both of her kids are black belts in Taekwondo and avid Folklorico dancers.
Casa Circulo also offers a variety of adult classes designed to promote economic empowerment within Redwood City’s Latino community. English and computer skills classes have helped participants access higher-paying work, while sewing and other crafting classes have empowered community members to become artisans and entrepreneurs.
These programs have been especially impactful for female participants, according to Escamez, who are often limited to jobs that involve cleaning houses or caring for the elderly. That’s why some of them are exclusively by and for women, through Casa Circulo’s sub-initiative Latinas in Action.
Beyond the financial utility of craft sessions, programs involving the arts for adults, like theater, dance and music, are beneficial to folks who “sometimes have three jobs a day,” Escamez said. “A little entertainment is good for mental health, you know.”
Importantly, Casa Circulo has been leveraged by local government and emergency services as “trusted messengers” to Redwood City’s Spanish-speaking population. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization worked with the county health department to offer viral testing and vaccines to thousands of residents, according to its website.
Sheriff’s deputies also join Casa Circulo’s craft sessions weekly to familiarize community members with law enforcement and hold space for critical consultations.
The organization has expanded to appeal to community members of other demographics as well, including Asian and white residents who enjoy its Spanish language immersion classes, among others. Casa Circulo’s flagship Dia de Muertos celebration is no exception.
What started as a 100-person congregation 15 years ago has snowballed into what is now a showing of thousands at Courthouse Square to honor this sacred Latin American holiday at the start of November.
Adorned with crafts made at Casa Circulo events, downtown Redwood City transforms into what resembles a Latino town, complete with colorful costumes, dancing, and singing.
Fanny Mayo, a local Spanish-speaking hypnotherapist who has attended several of these celebrations, finds it most extraordinary how Casa Circulo represents the symbols and legends of the tradition. One character from last year’s event really impressed her: a shadow, portrayed by a young man dressed in all black.
“Like a true artist,” Mayo said, “he conveyed so much through his silence.”
Another Latino resident, who teaches Spanish at Woodside High School, loves the organization’s Dia de Muertos celebration for Las Catrinas, or the women who wear painted skull makeup and embody the natural circularity of life and death.
While sporting a cowboy hat himself at these events, he appreciates how the women wear “elegant” dresses and “are not allowed to make any facial expressions.”
Over time, with financial support from organizations such as the Redwood City School District, the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, and the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, the program has been able to offer most of its classes for free, as well as to financially compensate some of its roughly 25-person staff.
The Silicon Valley Community Foundation’s LatinXCEL Fund has enabled the foundation to invest more deeply into the valley’s Latino leaders and organizations. Casa Circulo has been a key beneficiary, chosen for its prominence in and track record of providing cultural resources to the community, according to Moses Zapien, the executive vice president of community action, initiatives, and policy.
Fitness programs and mental health services are among the contributions of Casa Circulo that Zapien says are “critical to folks who aren’t able to take advantage of these programs” due to financial constraints. The funding his foundation provides, he attested, is essential for Casa Circulo to continue providing these services.
Casa Circulo counts on its donors, volunteers and community participants to keep the show running. To get involved, visit the organization’s webpage, and be sure to make it out to Casa Circulo’s unmissable 2025 Dia de Muertos event on Nov. 2 at Courthouse Square.