Born Diana López in Los Angeles, Isabella Ríos adopted the name of her maternal grandmother as her penname. The oldest of nine children, Ríos’s father was a New Mexican Native American, whereas her mother descended from an old “Californio” family. From her mother and other women in her family, she soon learned about her ancestry and the story of the “Californios” – the Hispanic inhabitants of Mexican California who lost their lands to the Anglos after California became part of the United States following the Mexican-American War. Ríos grew up in the Hispanic community of Oxnard, California, until she was four, when the family moved to Ventura. Though Ventura is geographically close to Oxnard, the move represented a cultural shock for Ríos – not only did people not speak…

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Citation: Gomez-Galisteo, M. Carmen. "Isabella Ríos". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 05 May 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=12090, accessed 19 March 2024.]

12090 Isabella Ríos 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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