The story behind the name, the coin, the wings and the woman.

In 1964, the male powers that were decided it was time for a change—to the 25 cent coin, that is. Back then, Guatemala’s currency, the Quetzal (named after the stunning bird), was still tied to the U.S. dollar. Up until then, every coin and bill featured images of powerful men. So, in a gesture that could be seen as progressive or tokenizing—or a bit of both—they chose to put a woman’s face on the 25 cent piece.

And so began a search for “the face” in the town of Santiago Atitlán. Rather than recognizing cultural significance, wisdom, or contribution, they photographed young women like a beauty contest. That’s when they found Concepción Ramírez Mendoza, known to her family as Chonita. She was only 17 years old. The artist Alfredo Gálvez Suárez selected her image, and legend has it she was paid around two bucks for the honor.

But Chonita was much more than a pretty face. She was Tz'utujil, born in Santiago Atitlán, and the only indigenous woman ever to appear on the currency of a country. She lived a life marked by loss and resilience. Married in 1965, she lost her husband, Miguel Ángel Reanda Sicay, to the violence of 1990. In her own words:

“Violence left my home in mourning, as my father was tortured along with 27 other people on January 7, 1980. I have managed to support my children only by doing domestic work and weaving traditional costumes.”

That 25 cent coin became known as a “Choca”, slang for “blind,” because the depiction of Chonita only shows one eye. It’s the coin every school kid carries in their pocket for snacks. And it’s the coin that inspired our band’s name.

The word Choca—meaning “blind”—resonated deeply with the roots of blues music. Think of Blind Lemon Jefferson, Blind Willie McTell, Blind Blake, Blind Boy Fuller—all legendary blues musicians whose lack of sight gave way to a heightened sense of sound. The blues is about feeling, about hearing what’s under the surface. In English, you might even call us a "two-bit" blues band—25 cents worth of soul and sound.

But we’re more than that coin.

When we started playing together, something lifted. Something opened. We added the wings to our logo because that’s how it felt—like we were flying. That magical place you get to when you’re all “in the zone” together on stage.

• The circle in our logo stands for wholeness, completion.
• The coin is value, worth, and also humility.
• And the wings are dreams, aspirations, elevation.

Funny thing—our frontwoman, the fabulous Delta Dina, is known to enjoy a good glass of wine. One day, our friend Mike surprised us by bringing coins from different years for our collection. Among them was a Choca from 1981… and we all did a double take. Embroidered into Chonita’s headband that year was something that looked unmistakably like a wine glass. Only the 1981 coin has it. 

We are Choca Blues.
A band of three women and one man, soaring together with sound, honoring the stories that came before us. Our name holds history, humor, heartbreak and healing. Every time we step on stage, we remember Chonita. We honor the resilience of the women before us, and we play with the spirit of those blues legends who couldn’t see—but felt everything.