“Beyond El Barrio” documents the history and contributions of Indianapolis’s early Latino community

Day in and day out, Indiana Humanities’ grantees and partners are bringing the humanities to life for Hoosiers across the state. From small towns like Jasper to big cities like Fort Wayne, our grantees are creating thoughtful programs, bridging divides, and inspiring Hoosiers to think, read, and talk. As part of our ongoing efforts to uplift the work of our partners, we’re highlighting past and present grantees and sharing their stories of impact.  

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In the 1960s, as planners and developers constructed interstates across the nation, they paved over much of our history and cultural heritage, especially in heavily populated inner-city areas. Indianapolis was no exception, witnessing significant destruction in the Black community surrounding Indiana Avenue, the Fletcher Place and Fountain Square neighborhoods, and other parts of the city. 

One community impacted was a compact but once-thriving Latino neighborhood on the near-east side of the city, referred to by former residents as El Barrio. Centered near the intersection of Market and Pine Streets, it became an early hub of Indianapolis’s Latino population beginning in the 1940s, and over the next couple of decades it grew, with members from about a dozen Mexican and Mexican-American families living, working, and socializing in the area. Construction of Interstate 65/70 in the mid-to-late 1960s, however, destroyed homes and businesses and dispersed the neighborhood’s residents.

Historian and archivist Nicole Martinez-LeGrand began learning about and sharing El Barrio’s stories after she joined the Indiana Historical Society (IHS) as its multicultural collections coordinator (now curator) during Indiana’s bicentennial in 2016. Martinez-LeGrand’s Latino roots run deep in northwest Indiana, and she knows the northwest Indiana Latino community’s history well. But, she said, she “always felt that the Indianapolis story line was lacking” and that it was “something I felt strongly that people should know.”

Martinez-LeGrand first became aware of El Barrio when she heard about El Nopal Market, a prominent grocery that once operated in the neighborhood. She met the children of the proprietors, Feliciano “Felix” and Maria Espinoza, and recorded oral histories with them. The Espinozas introduced her to others who had lived in El Barrio, including some whose parents had participated in a 1990 oral-history project about Indianapolis’s emerging Hispanic/Latino community. After Martinez-LeGrand came across digitized copies of the 1990 interviews at the IHS, she began making connections and realized that El Barrio’s history and its influence meant that she had a much bigger story to tell.

Martinez-LeGrand wrote a couple of blog posts about El Barrio for the IHS in 2020 and 2023, but she said that she felt the community and its story deserved more. Many people were expressing  an interest in the history of El Barrio, and she thought she’d create a short informational video. In the end, she and her colleagues produced a documentary nearly 23 minutes long. Indiana Humanities provided support with one of our grants, allowing the IHS to provide stipends to interviewees, incorporate drone footage, and translate the film into Spanish.

Beyond El Barrio tells the stories of the people who lived in the neighborhood, the places they worked and worshiped, the bonds they formed, and the impact they had on Indianapolis’s cultural fabric. It premiered to a large audience, including former residents and their descendants, at the IHS on May 1, 2025. A post-screening discussion with IHS staff and neighborhood residents added additional insights. In the year since, the IHS has made the film available on its YouTube channel and has screened it at the Indianapolis Public Library, in several classrooms (elementary through college), and at camps and festivals. Martinez-LeGrand said that speaking to schoolchildren has been especially rewarding as they’re the most excited to learn about this history.

Martinez-LeGrand noted that the producers of Beyond El Barrio were working to accomplish big goals with a small budget, and she said that Indiana Humanities’ grant allowed the IHS to make the project more equitable and accessible. She also called out the collaborative nature of the Indiana Humanities team. “With an Indiana Humanities grant,” she said, “you know you are also in partnership with their extremely supportive staff. That is hard to place a monetary value on.”

Part of Indiana Humanities’ mission is to spark curiosity, and that’s at the heart of what Martinez-LeGrand does. She observed that “culture and contribution are intrinsically connected and rooted in the history of our towns, cities, and state,” and she said that it’s important for historians and storytellers to uncover the lost stories we’ve paved over, including those of underrepresented communities, so that “everyone can have a deeper understanding of our rich collective history.”

“By doing this work, I am broadening the perspective of what it means to be Latino in Indiana and the contributions they have made to the city and state,” Martinez-LeGrand said. “My work is for the curious, and I am always happy to feed into that curiosity.”

For information about how Indiana Humanities and our grants program can help your community uncover and share its untold stories, visit our website. To learn more about El Barrio and to watch the documentary, follow the links in the story above and explore the Indiana Historical Society’s website. Martinez-LeGrand acknowledges the Indianapolis Foundation for its financial support; Dr. Edward Curtis, Ted Green, Jordan Ryan, and Dr. Wendy Vogt for their guidance and direction; and the residents of El Barrio, who she feels are like extended family.