Quetzal was formed in East Los Angeles in 1993 by Quetzal Flores and features the vocals of Martha Gonzalez. Their work is inspired by traditional son jarocho music of Veracruz, Mexico, and spiked with urban rhythms, rock and R&B.  Quetzal emerged out of a particularly contentious time generated by events such as the 1992 Los Angeles uprising, the 1994 Proposition 187 campaign (to deny medical and public services to undocumented immigrants and public education to undocumented children), and the repercussive reach of the Zapatista insurrection in Mexico. These events spurred a powerful synergy, in which avenues of expressive culture such as music and public art emerged as platforms from which to voice marginalized people’s desires, opinions, and resistance to the conditions in which they found themselves.

The proactive strategy of Quetzal and other artists was to maneuver through the societal problems that were affecting the communities in which these artists were living. As a prominent force in this East L.A. creative culturescape, Quetzal vividly portrays how music, culture, and sociopolitical ideology come together in a specific place.  Quetzal released 'Imaginaries', its 5th album and 1st for Smithsonian Folkways, in Feb. of 2012.