Noe Montoya

66, Hollister

Tonatiuh, the Aztec sun god and patron to Jaguar and Eagle warriors, was among the first roles that Noe Montoya embodied for the Bay Area theater company El Teatro Campesino.

The year was 1972 and, as the sun, a teenage Montoya rose majestically behind a pyramid for the group’s first TV special in Los Angeles.

The role would eventually lead to many more within the troupe, including that of Juan Diego — the man who witnessed the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe — in El Teatro’s biennial production of “La Virgen del Tepeyac” at the Old Mission San Juan Bautista. He played the role of Diego from the 1970s to 2008.

Before the pandemic hit, his last role was Benito Juarez in the premiere of “Adios Mama Carlota” at San Jose Stage.

A cultural warrior, musician and civil rights champion, Montoya marched alongside Cesar Chavez and connected his audiences with indigenous music he played for the United Farm Workers. He always performed while wearing the union’s emblem — a black eagle stylized as an inverted Aztec pyramid.

The theater was founded in 1965 as the cultural arm of the union, specializing in Spanish- language performances about the struggles of agricultural laborers. Montoya was the “blood and bone” of the company, his fellow performers said.

“The COVID 19 pandemic has been merciless to an extreme, especially among farm workers, so it comes as no surprise that despite the risk, Noe did his utmost to alleviate the suffering of our fellow campesinos, continuing to make appearances to sing at car caravans organized to raise food for the workers,” Teatro founder Luiz Valdez wrote on the group’s Facebook page.

“His great heart was always at the core of his humanity and commitment to our community.”

On Nov. 19, Montoya announced on Facebook that his coronavirus test came back positive: “I got careless for a moment and I apologize to all of you,” he wrote.

His symptoms included body aches and fatigue. He planned to isolate for 10 days. Three days later, he said he was feeling better and encouraged fans to “please stay safe, wear your face covers, wash your hands and social distance.”

He died on Thanksgiving Day at the age of 66.