Lecturer AY-C, Mexican American Studies
Email
Preferred: gregorio.mora-torres@sjsu.edu
Telephone
Preferred: (408) 924-5472
Office Hours
Location: YUH 36, Fall 2011-Monday -Thursday 2pm-3pm & by appointment
Education
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Doctor of Philosophy, Univ Of Cal-Irvine, 1987
Bio
Professor Gregorio Mora –Torres was born in Tlalpujahua, Michoacan, Mexico and was
raised in the Santa Clara Valley. To help his family, as a youth he worked in agriculture—picking
cherries, apricots, pears, and grapes while also harvesting tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers,
and topping onions and garlic. During high school and college, he worked in various
local canneries, such as Contadina and Del Monte Plant #3.
When Gregorio Mora Torres first went to college in 1972, his goal was to study civil
engineering but he soon discovered that he had a greater talent for history. In 1976,
he graduated from Santa Clara University and then went to the University of California
at Irvine to pursue a MA and PhD degrees in Latin American history, with an emphasis
on Mexican history. In his doctoral dissertation, he studied entrepreneurs in 19th
Century Sonora, Mexico. Beginning in 1988, he has taught at San Francisco State University
(La Raza Studies), the University of California, Davis (Dept. of History), and, since
1989, at San Jose State University (Mexican American Studies Dept). Professor Mora
Torres enjoys working with students--he has mentored some of them, he has given others
career guidance, and he has help others adjust to college life. Often, he joins students
for a cup of coffee to explore topics on history or Chicano Studies or to just simply
discuss the sport of soccer. He also relishes talking to parents and to community
groups about education and history. Finally, he enjoys giving historic tours on Mexican
San Jose.
In addition to teaching, Dr. Mora-Torres has done extensive research and writing on
Northern Mexico and Chicano history. In 2005, he edited and translated the Spanish
language oral memoirs of a 19th century Californio soldier, Don Jose Maria Amador,
published by the University of North Texas Press. At present, he is editing the diaries
of Jesus Maria Estudillo, a young 19th century Californio. He is also working on
a two volume history of Mexicans in the Santa Clara Valley during the 19th and 20th
centuries.