Items List

A wedding party exiting the Church Roma, circa 1940s.

Dolores Portillo Sitting for Portrait and mother of David H. Portillo.

Portrait of Atanacio Portillo resident of Ciudad Barrios and father of Mr. Portillo

Three women in Ciudad Barrios (Right - Josefina Portillo, middle - unknown, left - Arminda Portillo)

Children in Ciudad Barrios stop to get their picture taken on the side of a dirt road.

Children Pose on Horse for Picture in Ciudad Barrios

Portrait of Arminda Portillo of Ciudad Barrios and sister of Mr. Portillo.

A woman and two young children pose for their portrait.

Three young girls pose for their portrait.

Children at El Salto waterfall in Ciudad Barrios

Children at El Salto waterfall in Ciudad Barrios

Portrait of Josefina Portillo, Ciudad Barrios

Notes on Back of Josefina Portillo's Portrait, Ciudad Barrios

Portrait of Arminda Portillo, Ciudad Barrios

Notes on Back of Arminda Portillo's Portrait, Ciudad Barrios

Portrait of Canda Portillo, Ciudad Barrios

1960's portrait of David H. Portillo of Ciudad Barrios

David H. Portillo's grandmother Esther Portillo

David H. Portillo's grandmother Esther Portillo

David H. Portillo's grandmother Mariana Portillo

Class picture taken at the atrium of Church Rome (Iglesia de Roma) on June 24, 1929 in Ciudad Barrios.

"Memory of the Official Boys' School taken in the church atrium on the 4, Ciudad Barrios June 24, 1929—David Humberto Portillo—Pedro Zuleta, Oscar Zuitiros, Oscar Romero"

The motel on Gillette Street revealed a wonderful juxtaposition of life and death, resilience and decay. In the foreground, remnants of a monument or pedestal base are visible. To the right of the photograph was the Lion House, known for the lion statues that once stood there.

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Two members of my "Houston A Look At 4th Ward 1987" Facebook page identified this structure at Ruthven and Wilson as the Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church—one of the historic Freedmen's Town congregations whose roots date back to the 1890s.

Patrons outside of Albert Woods' Cafe (1987).

We met Monica (at right) and her sister Johnese at Wiley Park. Monica asked me if I would take their photograph. But she first had to change her little sister. They found us again on Andrews Street, and I took their picture standing on the historic Freedmen's Town Bricks.

We made our way to the row houses on Victor Street. Six wonderful examples of shotgun houses and a testament of the architectural treasures all around us. These homes were quite small, skillfully made, and perfectly laid out.

Mrs. Mayola Baldwin instantly graced the Leica camera with her beauty. Her image was the very first frame I documented in Fourth Ward.

Residents congregating in the afternoon (1987).

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The Cooper family outside their row house cottage (1987).

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As we stood in the middle of the courtyard of identical buildings, the building to the right had tenants, and utility meters hooked up, but the building to the left was just a shell, with the only sign of life being this gorgeous tabby.

This photograph of Cecelia fanning herself with a hanky was my attempt to capture the extreme heat and humidity melting us with every step. It didn't work because she looks beautifully cool!

Formerly enslaved people and their descendants had handcrafted the bricks. They had laid the bricks in patterns to reflect West African religious traditions and possibly secret messages for the community.

Playing basketball at Wiley Park (1987).

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We arrived at the end of our journey at the corner of Andrews and Genesee. The bricks had guided us through Fourth Ward from one end of the street to the other.

Freedmen's Town in Houston: A 1987 Photo Chronicle

El Diario de Hoy Nov 28, 1939 describes a student, David H. Portillo, falling ill from ingesting medicine for stomach pain.

A San Salvador newspaper reported that Dolores Portillo returned to Ciudad Barrios after looking after her son who fell ill.