More than one million Mexicans are of African descent, yet this heritage is often forgotten, denied, and many times stigmatized, both in Mexico and in Chicanx communities in the United States. INVISIBLE ROOTS is an intimate look at Afro-Mexicans living in Southern California as they discuss complex issues of racial, national and cultural identities.

The Herrera family in Pasadena proudly performs the famous “La Danza de los Diablos”, or “The Dance of the Devils.” One of the performers explains the origins of the dance: “We have been told by our ancestors that the dance came from Africa, but when they were enslaved and brought over here, the dance became a way to make fun of the overseer.” Meanwhile, the Cisneros family makes sure to keep alive the spiritual traditions and culinary secrets that they brought from Costa Chica, Mexico. Lastly, college student Yismar is embracing his newfound identity, and explains that “being proud of being Black has boosted my self-esteem, but before when I didn't know that, I was just Mexican. That didn't boost my self-esteem because people would always make fun of me.”

INVISIBLE ROOTS, the first documentary about Afro-Mexicans in Southern California, features interviews with historians Alva Moore Stevenson and Daniel Cendejaz Mendez; and music by Kemo the Blaxican.