About Yermo

Originally from San Diego, California, his father and uncles were musicians and craftsmen. They encouraged him to pursue art as a young man. During the Civil Rights Movement in San Diego As a student and activist, Yermo was inspired to learn about his cultural history and traditional ways. Inspired by the beauty and richness of the cultures of the America’s he learned Danza Azteca, Silversmithing, Pottery, and Sculpture. How to make traditional indigenous musical instruments such as drums, rattles, clack sticks, etc. Everything he learned he has enjoyed sharing with children and youth.

Prior to moving to Santa Cruz County Yermo and his family lived in a small cultural community, called Redwind. It was here he learned to further develop his skills as a craftsman, making drums, working silver with turquoise, jade, opal, or mother of pearl. Gathering natural clays and hand forming vases, pots and small sculpture, which led to his experimentation with methods of firing clay. Kilns that burned wood, or were low reduction fires, techniques using cow dung or sawdust. His work of inlaying stones into silver also went into his clay sculptures. 

Within a year after arriving in Watsonville, Santa Cruz County in 1983, Yermo and his family began to teach Aztec dance. This gave birth to the White Hawk Dancers, and in 1985, they hosted the 1st “Xilonen” ceremony on the West coast. Xilonen is the traditional indigenous rites of passage for young women. This gathering of Aztec dancers continues to this day, the second weekend of July each year. Yermo’s contributions to the White Hawk Dancers have always been on a volunteer basis, and its focus has always been on the youth of our communities. To give youth the opportunity to express themselves in a positive and creative way. In 1995, they were able to take ten (10) White Hawk dancers to Shingu, Japan as part of Sister Cities between the people of Shingu Japan and Santa Cruz, Ca. During that journey, they danced at the World Exposition in Wakayama Japan.

In 1969 as a young artist Yermo apprenticed a muralist from Mexico City while he was studying art at San Diego State. In 1973 while living in San Diego, as a student activist and artist he was able to initiate the first murals at Chicano Park. These murals are now federally recognized and are on The Federal Register of Historic Sites. As a result of his participation in the murals at Chicano Park, he has been interviewed for two (2) documentaries, “Chicano Park” and “Under the Bridge”. “Under the Bridge” was filmed by filming a company out of Manchester, Great Britain. He was invited to go to Manchester for the premiere of this documentary.

In 1986, Yermo did his first mural in this area while he was teaching art at Soledad Correctional Training Facility. In 1990 after the Loma Prieta Earthquake he was asked by the Pajaro Valley Arts Council to paint a mural reflecting the resilience of families and community during this time of crisis. In 1993 a tragic event happened at Freedom Elementary School, the school administrators wanted to change the tragic memories associated with the area of the incident. Yermo was asked to come and paint a mural with the students of the afterschool program. Working by himself, he not only had students from the after school program, but the middle school and high school students returning home from school started to stop and assist with the mural project. There were over three hundred students that participated in painting the mural. From 1993 to 2019, Yermo has done over eighty (80) murals working with youth in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District, C.O.E., Watsonville Parks and Recreation, etc.