Is Zack related to Beto de la Rocha?
Beto is Zack’s father. He was a founding member of Los Four, a group of Chicano artists who created murals in Los Angeles and was crucial to the early Chicano mural movement. He had a breakdown in 1983, during which he and a young Zack destroyed all of his work. He then isolated himself in his house, becoming devoutly religious. When Zack would visit him on the weekends he was forced to take part in his fasting and other activities, generally very detrimental to a young boy. Beto has since reemerged and runs an ice cream shop in LA and has performed poetry with Zack. After experiencing his son’s work, he has taken up painting and writing once again. Beto’s ice cream can be found at: 560 N.
