Dancing Throughout Mexican History (1325-1910)

Sanjuanita Martínez-Hunter earned her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in Dance from Texas Woman’s University. A life-long educator, Martínez-Hunter began her career teaching physical education at Lamar Junior High School in Laredo, Texas and then at the American School Foundation in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico. At these institutions she directed the dance teams known as the Lamar Prancers and the Monterrey Darlings while teaching at her own dance studio. Then, she taught at the University of Texas at Austin (UT) as a Dance faculty for over twenty years where she inspired countless students. Here, she was the faculty sponsor for many dance organizations such as the UT High Steppers and El Grupo de Danza y Arte Folklorico de la Universidad de Tejas en Austin also known as the UT Ballet Folklorico. During the politically tumultuous 1970s, Martínez-Hunter was relentless in fighting administration for the acceptance of the UT Ballet Folklorico as a student organization within the Recreational Sports Division. Founding student members of this organization include: Roy Lozano and Michael Carmona. Roy Lozano would go on to dance with the Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernández and then start his own professional dance company in Austin, Texas called Roy Lozano’s Ballet Folklorico de Tejas. Michael Carmona would direct the UT Ballet Folklorico for many, many years. This writing represents her doctoral dissertation which was completed in 1984 and is entitled The Development of Dance in Mexico (1325-1910). Throughout her life, Martínez-Hunter longed to see her research in print so that it could reach a wider audience. After her death, her niece Gabriela Mendoza-García edited this manuscript as a way of commemorating her life’s work.