| Founded | Founded in 1953 by Juan Santos, Julio Munoz, Fast Eddy, and Joe Gunn in or near Near West Side |
|---|---|
| Founding story | Founded as Imperials then adopted “Latin Kings” in 1960 |
| Formerly known as | Imperials |
| Affiliations | Give details |
| Colors | Give details |
| Primary ethnicities | Latino (Puerto Rican) |
| Symbols | Give details |
| Status | Extinct |
6/23/26 – This page has been updated, also check out my update on my Latin King page!
I have decided the make this page to hopefully clear up some confusion about the Almighty Latin King history that has been a subject of debate for decades. For those that follow this site you may notice me alter the Latin King history continuously, that is because I am a trial and error researcher and I put out my best knowledge until I find better knowledge and sometimes putting it out there as I know it can lead to people reaching out to me to correct me. In a recent development I have learned that there were possibly two Latin King gangs in Chicago and one of them died out while the later group successfully developed and even took in members of the old gang. The stories of the older group that went defunt has dominated Latin King legend for decades but the story remained confusing and with no evidence to support the way it was told on the streets. I made this page to develop an understanding of the older group and how the older later group impacted the newer group. The newer group is the Almighty Latin King Nation and it was founded by King Phil and King Rory on May 15, 1964, and that is it, there is no earlier founding and no prior leaders/founders for the ALKN in particular; however, there is an older group, but they are not ALKN, and I will explain.
As time passes I continue to update the Latin King history and once again I am providing another update as new revelations and new facts come to the surface. After a discussion I had with a long time Latin King of over 30 years, I generated ideas and I want to thank him for that and may mention him when the time is right. I am going to validate some of the old legends that have been passed around and tie this in with the manifesto.
The Lions of the Sun Tribe
There are legends that say the Latin Kings were born out of New York City, this is no true; however, it is possible there is some roots to New York City and I will explain. New York City was the first major city in the United States where Puerto Rican people and many south American and Central American people immigrated to in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Hispanic people began to settle in Spanish Harlem (East Harlem) and Manhattan as early as the mid-19th century but the first major migration wave happened during the first world war. Discrimination and sometimes violence became issues these early Hispanic migrants faced especially Puerto Rican people. These issues only worsened during repatriation in the year 1930 when the U.S. government ordered all migrants that were here on visas to return to their countries now that our nation was in economic despair. Many of these migrants had already established a life for themselves in New York and did not want to return. The federal government had limitations on enforcing this mass deportation; therefore, law enforcement and private citizens took matters into their own hands and began to terrorize the Hispanic community inflicting much violence and discrimination.
I have no evidence for this legend but it makes lots of sense and there is a whole oral tradition behind it just no exact evidence. The legend is that during this repatriation act of 1930, the Puerto Rican men in the barrios banded together to fight back against the hate. Legend has it a leader emerged among them who was called “Lord Bomba.” In 1930, Lord Bomba assembled an organization called “The Lions.” The Lions had a spiritual significance as they stated they were of the “Sun Tribe,” they were the Lions of the Sun Tribe. I do not know what neighborhood in New York City they formed in let alone what streets they were on. The Lions were not a gang, but instead an organization of adult men geared to protect their community. Legend has it the Lions not only protected Puerto Rican people they protected all Hispanic people in their community whether they were Mexican, South American, Central American or even from Latin American islands. Legend also has it the Lions even protected African American and white people in their communities. The Lions protected all the economically disadvantages people under attack in their community and they were not a criminal organization. There are no documents or any proof of their existence, hence, why I cannot fully validate their existence. I don’t know what happened to the Lions of the Sun Tribe but I believe they existed at least through the 30s.
The legend of Juan Rodriguez and the first possible Latin Kings of Chicago
I have heard from multiple people over time that the Latin Kings started in Chicago in the year 1940. I always thought that it was a bullshit claim because I just couldn’t come close to proving that but recently I learned that Puerto Rican people began migrating to Chicago from New York City as early as the 1920s. Puerto Rican New Yorkers from more upscale backgrounds would come to Chicago to attend our universities then once they would graduate they would either return to New York or go back to Puerto Rico. Some would come straight from wealth and prestige in Puerto Rico and study in Chicago. According to Wikipedia, a slightly significant cluster of Puerto Rican New Yorkers came to Chicago in the late 1930s to study and they settled mostly in an enclave in the Douglas community, an African American neighborhood at the intersection of 35th Street and Michigan Avenue. This was the first enclave of any sort in Chicago for Puerto Ricans and the settlement did not last long, by World War II it was no longer Puerto Rican. Given that this settlement existed in the late 30s and early 40s, it is highly possible that this was where members of the Lions of the Sun Tribe settled as they fought back against crime in the area and the fact they faced racial battles with African Americans. Legend has it that Juan “Red” Rodriguez was the man from New York City that started this Latin King group but legends have not told where this started…I am the one saying it could have been at 35th & Michigan, but I have no proof nor will I completely confirm this, I can only claim it as a theory for now but it makes sense. One thing I will confirm is that Rodriguez did not mean for the “Latin Kings” to be a gang or an organization of its own let alone even an organization called the “Latin Kings.” The term “Latin Kings” mainly meant to be a way of life and a way to live by or perhaps a code of conduct. If this all is true then it is a strong possibility that Rodriguez spun off the Latin King belief system from the Lions of the Sun Tribe. If you look at Latin King symbols they use the lion and the sun. I have heard multiple times that Latin Kings did have ties to or came from the Lions of the Sun Tribe and Juan Rodriguez. All of these legends can come together and can make sense; however, I will not go out on a limb and officially declare that Latin Kings come from these origins.
King of Kings
Legend has it that Juan Rodriguez took his own life in 1962 and I have no idea what came of him before that happened. The legends of Ramon or Juan Santos as a founder have never talked about Santos claiming to ever be the founder. In fact, in the YouTube videos with Joseph “Lil Rat” Carrillo, Carrillo said he was Papo’s body guard in prison around 1983 and Papo said he did not start the Latin Kings. This would make sense for the Latin Kings coming from Juan Rodriguez in 1940. Somehow, Santos was taught about Latin Kings and everything from New York. So many legends say Santos came from New York City and/or had ties to New York, this could explain Santos coming into contact with Juan Rodriguez and learning about being a Latin King.
Juan “Ramon” “King Papo” Santos was born sometime between 1938 and 1940. I was once emailed by an alleged family member of his that told me Santos was born on August 28, 1940 but after I asked more about it he ghosted me; therefore, I cannot validate for certain Santos was born on that date. Every legend I have heard states that Santos was not born in the United States and it is said he was born in Cuba and was Cuban by blood but lived in Puerto Rico as a youth then migrated to Chicago in 1952. Santos and his family moved to the Presidents Row area of the Near West Side community. Santos lived in a large yellow building at the intersection of Laflin Street and Van Buren Street. Santos was close with his older brother Edwardo Gonzalez A.K.A “Fast Eddy.” The two boys were not fully related and were perhaps half-brothers. Gonzalez was born March 24, 1938 and I have had a mug shot of him from the 2000s printed on a piece of paper for years not knowing who this old Latin King was. The tattoos in his mug shot said he had a “crown” and “LK” tattooed on his left arm according to the IDOC. It was later confirmed to me that he is the legendary Fast Eddy. Eddy eventually got out of prison at an old age then passed away. According to multiple people that grew up at Laflin and Van Buren in the 50s, the two boys formed the “Imperials” gang but more importantly they were claiming to be “Latin Kings” as of 1954. It is said the Imperials formed in 1953 and the boys began claiming “Latin Kings” in 1954; however, the Latin King thing was not totally represented by them as it was still just a way of life and/or a belief system. This is very possible because it can be likely that Santos was passed down the “Latin Kings” from Juan Rodriguez. There is zero proof of a “Latin Kings” in any documentation prior to 1964 in the city of Chicago and this is likely because their organization was not officially called the “Latin Kings.” The name “Imperials” does not exist in any documentation either; however, that can be because they are mixed up with African American gangs that have “Imperial” in their name and there were multiple. Gonzalez and Santos were Puerto Rican by nationality with Gonzalez being Puerto Rican by blood and Santos as Cuban by blood.
In a matter of no time the two brothers recruited two more youths into their group, a Mexican known as “Joe Gunn” and another Puerto Rican Julio “Compa” Munoz. I don’t know much about Joe Gunn other than that he was Mexican and he was shot to death in the early 60s. Julio Munoz was a well-known Latin King that was born in 1936. I now for sure Munoz was born in 1936 because of the Chicago Tribune July 22, 1981 article about the murder Compa did that got him put in prison until he died in 2012. The article states that his age was 45 years old at the time of the article in 1981. Munoz is the oldest known Latin King in history. According to the King’s manifesto, the Latin Kings were started in the “sixth decade of the 20th century” which is the 1950s. This is proof that Latin Kings formed in the 50s; however, it does not exactly prove the “Almighty Latin Kings” started in the 50s, just the “Latin Kings.” Santos, Gonzalez, Munoz and Gunn are the original Latin Kings or “King of Kings” and for some time they were the only ones.
The purpose of the Imperials was for neighborhood protection from violent African American and white gangs that haunted their community. The Imperial’s neighborhood stretched from Madison Street to Van Buren Street and from Laflin Street to Paulina Street. This area of President’s row had much poverty in the 50s and was full of street gangs and criminal groups, the original Imperials/Latin Kings protected this area and were often seen hanging out at the Greasy Spoon restaurant that once was located at Laflin and Van Buren. Other members that joined this original group were “Bald Spot Slim,” “Weasel,” and Santo’s cousin Billy Roman.
Stories of the original Imperials/Latin Kings died out in the later 50s as I have heard no stories from anyone on these guys until the death of Joe Gunn in 1960. I theorize these guys did some time in juvenile or adult prisons during this time and no stories about them would re-emerge until the later 60s. There was definitely some kind of activity in the early 60s not only because Joe Gunn was killed but, in the same year Gunn was killed in 1960, a few old school greasers came forward that included the founder of the Gaylords that remember a group called the “Latin Kings” in the exact year 1960.
The first evidence of “Latin Kings” 1960
In the year 1960, the Latin King name finally appeared on the streets of Chicago but not in social service documents or police files, the name was only known in detail by opposing gangs. I have found two pieces of solid evidence on social media to support this 1960 claim. One has been on the internet since the year 2000 on YouTube called “Great American Youth (Part 1 of 4) Documentary” that can be found in this link (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjUv0Vf6sag&t=1s). This is the founder of the Gaylords 712 gang, Anthony “Johnny Boy” Anarina” who was about 60 years old at time telling the story of the founding of the Gaylords in his own words. He talked about his first encounter with the “Latin Kings” in 1960. Anarina said one of the Gaylords was beaten badly and needed to be taken to a downtown area hospital because some Hispanic guys beat him up. Anarina and his friends went to Milwaukee Avenue (somewhere between Bucktown and Wicker Park) to find out who did it because the police wouldn’t do anything. He said in the video that they encountered a group of Puerto Ricans that were “giving them the fingers” and claiming they were the “Latin Kings coming from New York.” He said he met the leader and did not go into more details. His story is full of confusing and contradictory info such as him saying he was a Korean War vet but he also said he started the Gaylords as a teenager in the later 50s making him far too young to be in the Korean War. The second source is a clearer one and comes from the bloodline of the Biedron family that had strong involvement in the original Simon City gang that later had some part in the founding of the notorious Simon City Royals. Andy Biedron was a leader of Simon City until he was killed in Vietnam and his family was members and knows the stories well and lived them. I kept a screenshot from a Facebook group of him interacting with another member telling his story about witnessing the “Latin Kings” in the Kedzie and Ohio area in West Humboldt Park in the exact year of 1960. Biedron said “Todge” a Warlord from the Jokers gang found out about a “Latin Kings” group in the neighborhood and walked over to them and demanded they stop being Latin Kings immediately or be beaten the next day. The other person asked if he was recalling the Latin Kings retrospectively which was a great question and Biedron said no, it was 1960. This is a more credible source than Anarina but then again Anarina is the founder of the Gaylords. Two sources point to their personal encounters with a “Latin Kings” in the same year of 1960. To make sense of this it appears Santos and his crew attempted to make the Latin Kings official in 1960 but there was too much push back. Back in 1960, Puerto Rican people were just moving to Wicker Park and West Humboldt Park; therefore, they likely faced heavy opposition trying to push the name onto the streets. Another thing to understand is back then using a name like “Latin Kings” was highly scandalous in a mostly racist community full of whites; therefore, they likely did not have the momentum to keep it up and disbanded, all stories ended in 1960. Joe Gunn was shot to death on the streets in 1960 and maybe this ended the older Latin King group.
One thing of interest to point out from the Anthony Anarina story is that he said these guys claimed to be “Latin Kings from New York.” If indeed, Johnny Rodriguez brought the Lions of the Sun Tribe from New York in the 40s and passed the beliefs to Papo in the early 50s, this can explain their claims about New York. If Papo indeed created the Latin King beliefs or adopted those beliefs in 1954 he would have certainly prophesized all he was taught from Rodriguez from New York. There were “Latin Kings” in New York City as far back as 1955 but that mob has zero to do with Chicago and that group died out later in 1955. A new Latin Kings group emerged in New York City in 1959 but that group also had nothing to do with Chicago either and this is a fact. The New York Latin Kings of the 50s are not ALKN and never were. The guys representing on Milwaukee Avenue in 1960 were certainly not New York Latin Kings. As I stated earlier, “Latin Kings” in Chicago was a way of life and belief system but not an organized mob, it was more or less just a name.
The Royal Kings
There are several legends around Juan “Ramon” Santos and I have been hearing about them since I was a kid in the mid-90s when he was referred to as “Papa King” and I grew up in the suburbs. Many Latin Kings I knew paid homage to him and it took me until I was much older to find out the name and pictures of this man called “Papa King” and later learned he was actually “King Papo.” I had heard since I was young that he was the founder of the Almighty Latin King Nation and for many years I have supported that and wrote about it on my main Latin King page but recent evidence has shown that he was not THE founder of the nation and according to some he never claimed he was, it seems as if the streets painted a picture as him as the founder and the story got passed around for decades. Juan Santos was on record with George W. Knox’s “Gang Profile: The Latin Kings” he wrote for the NATIONAL GANG CRIME RESEARCH CENTER in the year 2000; however, Knox withheld Santo’s name and only referred to him as “Papa Santos.” According to his research oral legends pointed to Santos starting the Latin Kings at 18th and Wabash which is in the South Loop community. I have heard of something involving him on 18th Street but legends of Latin Kings starting on 18th street have always been much weaker compared to Laflin and VanBuren claims. Knox also said Santos lived at Leavitt and Schiller next, but street legends I had encountered have said that is untrue and the founders of the ALKN did not associate with Santos at Leavitt and Schiller at all when they were running the nation in the mid-60s. Knox also mentioned a documented gang called the “Royal Kings” but no one I have talked to or anyone I’ve seen post on Facebook recalls a “Royal Kings” and I did not see them on the 1959 list of gangs made by social services that the Chicago History Museum gave to me; therefore, Knox must have possession of police files or other social worker gang lists the public does not have. I must admit, my older versions of the Latin King history including my time with Chicagogangs.org used this reference made by Knox as one of my biggest sources, but now I have learned the source has flaws but it still is a great read and Knox did a good job researching the best he could in an era with far less sources. He also listed the original Latin Kings as: Jose Rivera (now out of prison, AKA “Cadillac Joe”), Eddie Rodriguez (AKA “Tiger), Joe Gunn, and Fast Eddy. Joe Gunn if for real and was killed in 1960. Eddie Rodriguez is for real and was an older Latin King. Fast Eddy I know nothing about and Jose Rivera was way too young to be an original Latin King so that part if not true. It is true that Rivera joined in 1964 as soon as the ALKN was formed but he was only 12 and just a pee wee member from Leavitt and Schiller so he is not one of the top original guys, his time would begin in the 70s. Knox also listed Santos but there was no mention of Compa which is a huge omission (https://www.ngcrc.com/ngcrc/page15.htm). Knox had access to the criminal aspect of the Latin Kings but not with the guys that never went to prison and had no real criminal history like King Phil and King Rory as examples.
In George Knox’s Latin King genesis section he mentions the “Royal Kings” as a gang from the Near West Side mainly in the area of Harrison Street to Roosevelt Road, and from Loomis Street to Ashland Avenue with hangouts at Polk Street and Laflin Street and a snack shop at Loomis Street and Fillmore Street. Knox said members were 16-22 years old which would have been Santos’ crew age for the oldest age of the Royal Kings. Knox points out that the Royal Kings fought with Ambrose just like how Latin Kings fight with Ambrose and tried to establish a link. He also stated the “operating area” of the Royal Kings was Madison Street to 26th Street and from Halsted Street to Western Avenue. This is a huge area and extends from Presidents Row to Pilsen but this area does not include 18th and Wabash. Knox did not say this group had anything to do with Latin Kings but showed that they could have. The Royal Kings indeed were close to Laflin and VanBuren and was part of their “operating area.” Although not documented with social services there was the “MarKings” or “Marshall Kings” that were in existence by 1962 in the Little Village community and the Near West Side. The Near West Side MarKings is documented in the book by Jinx titled “Compliments of Chicagohoodz: Chicago Street Gang Art & Culture” on a page showing a drawing made by a teenage non-gang member in 1962 that grew up in the Near West Side and made a roughly drawn map with the gang names on each block. He wrote “Markings” at Newberry Avenue and Taylor Street. The same artist wrote “Taylor Kings” for Fillmore and Loomis which is supposed to be Royal King hood according to Knox. At Polk and Laflin he wrote “Vicounts” which was another hangout for Royal Kings according to Knox. This either means the Royal Kings were already extinct by 1962 or broke up into other gangs. The MarKings got their name because they were from 24th Street and Marshall Boulevard in Little Village and were the first Mexican gang in Little Village that were from the first Mexican families to arrive in Little Village and fought against racism from white gangs. I had heard that Raul “Baby King” Gonzalez was part of this group before becoming a Latin King. It puzzles me that the MarKings were on Taylor Street which says to me that they were becoming a serious group and perhaps they decended from the Royal Kings and maybe even Santos Latin Kings, it is legend that Santos had a strong connection to the south side and had some kind of attachment to the Little Village area (The Boulevards). This can also explain the legends that say Imperials and MarKings came together to start the Little Village Latin Kings (Boulevards), perhaps the Royal King network if what brought them into contact?
Two different Latin Kings
What I am gathering from all these pieces of the story is that “Latin Kings” prior to 1964 was not exactly a gang in and of itself and perhaps was a term used for several different gangs. Perhaps it was an overall term for a league of gangs from multiple neighborhoods all over the city. This was the first Latin King nation but it was a nation that did not pan out and went extinct. In the year 1964 King Phil created the “Latin Kings” that are the black and gold wearing guys that we know today that are in all 50 states and in other countries with several thousand members world wide. King Phil previously ran a gang called the “Skulls” from 1958-1964 in Eckhart Park in the Noble Square community. Phil moved to Leavitt and Schiller in 1964 in Wicker Park and got together with his friends and his allies from the Kedzie and Ohio Boys from West Humboldt Park and during a vote made on May 15, 1964 they elected to call themselves the “Latin Kings” and history was made and the ALKN was born. These guys had the balls to use the term “Latin Kings” on the streets proudly during a time when it was forbidden and they were well organized while it appears Santos’ older group was not organized enough to use that name. Phil and the guys kept their mob at Kedzie and Ohio and Leavitt and Schiller for two years exclusively which gave them the chance to strengthen themselves and build a solid existence, they also knew how to make youths excited to want to be a Latin King instead of creating a criminal empire. Santos and his crew were too much older to have experienced the racial changed in West Town and Humboldt Park in the 60s at the youth level; therefore, he likely could not relate as well to the youths like Phil did. Santos and his crew found out about the Latin Kings and instead of claiming they were first and rightfully owed the organization they simply joined the Latin Kings and established Laflin and VanBuren in 1964 for the ALKN but their “Latin Kings” group was completely extinct at that point and they would need to represent the black and gold mob now and they did carry it on leading many to believe the ALKN started there but it did not. Laflin and VanBuren was not recognized by Phil or his circle as a ALKN branch even though Santos and his crew were repping it because I don’t think Phil and Santos had any interactions and may not have even known each other.
The Boulevards
In the year 1966, the Latin Kings connected with the Boulevards in Little Village and turned them Latin Kings and many say Santos was involved but according to the originals around Phil and several others, Don Juan was sent to Little Village to make this happen not Santos and the stories behind Don Juan are far more colorful than with Santos which is always just a quick mention. After the Boulevards was created Freddie of the Ohio and Kedzie Latin Kings turned out the Division and Kedzie area Noble Knights which would include Beach and Spaulding. Since the Kedzie and Ohio area once had “Latin Kings” in 1960 before Freddie and the Ohio and Kedzie Boys got started this is why many say Beach and Spaulding is the motherland because that area of Kings later turned out Beach and Spaulding in 1966, but it was likely not the same group of Latin Kings, this was Freddie’s group and it is a fact that Freddie, the founder of Ohio and Kedzie was not linked to Santos, the group before him in the same area that called themselves “Latin Kings” that Todge and Jokers encountered was a different group. I have also heard that Fast Eddy was the one who brought the Latin King beliefs to West Humboldt Park and to Beach & Spaulding area. I can 100% believe this about Eddy because I heard he was a long time resident of Humboldt Park and he very likely was the one that taught Freddie all about being a Latin King; therefore, Fast Eddy likely inspired Kedzie & Ohio to form in 1960 and perhaps Fast Eddy even inspired the Noble Knights of East Humboldt Park to adopt to Latin King beliefs.
After King Phil and Rory walked away from running the Latin Kings in the later 1960s, King Papo took over the organization because he had family and friends at Leavitt & Schiller and he came preaching about the ways of the Latin Kings he was in charge of. Santos was much older than King Phil’s group as Phil’s original group was born in the late 1940s and Papo’s group was born in the late 30s. Guys like Compa and Fast Eddy were street legends that many younger ones looked up to.
King Papo, the new leader of the ALKN
The building of the Latin King empire credit goes much to Santos because after he took over, he networked in several neighborhoods around the city to grow the Latin King nation. Santos had an activist side and criminal side. On the activist side Santos connected in politics and even connected with the Black Panthers, Young Lords and many other groups to advance the Latin Kings politically. On the dark side the Latin Kings became heavily involved in drug trafficking and drug use which was originally meant to fund political advances and to protect members but turned into trafficking. As Santos was growing the nation in the late 60s he personally robbed drug dealers in the neighborhood but got high on the supply he took. Santos was using heroin with Spanish Lord founders and this is possibly what led to a bloody war with Spanish Lords between 1968-1969. Santos did not live at Leavitt and Schiller in the earlier 60s, in 1966 he began dating a girl from there for a while and that’s how he linked to Leavitt and Schiller and by then Phil and the others had moved out. Latin Kings would open major sections in Lincoln Park (Armitage), Uptown and Logan Square (Lawrence and Kedzie) in 1969 during the reign of Santos and even in Pilsen along 18th Street (the Coulters) and this is why the legacy of Phil and the guys was swept away because Santos became the main face of the mob and told his stories as the first group of Latin Kings that has been misunderstood and told incorrectly through the decades putting him as the founder even though Santos himself did not exactly claim to be the founder of the ALKN but his stories of the older group of Latin Kings may have brought confusion. A Latin King by the name of “Cookie” from Kedzie and Ohio came up with the term “Latin Kings” for the name that was finally voted on in 1964 but there was no mention of where he got that name, it is possible that when Cookie was just a kid he heard the name used by the older group but that would be the only link the old group had to the foundation of the ALKN, other than that the older group of Latin Kings around Santos joined Phil’s creation. Compa joined the ALKN and was put in prison for murder in the 70s until he died behind bars in 2012, he was always considered a senior member and an original.
The final years of King Papo
Santos would run the nation until 1972 when he got so bad on heroin that he was forced out of a leadership role and Leavitt and Schiller was closed. Santos took over Leavitt and Schiller after the originals departed and Santos promoted Gustavo Colon (Hercules, Hippie or Lord Gino) and Lord Gino became a nation leader in 1972 as a replacement for Santos while behind bars for the murder of a Vice Lord. Raul Gonzalez (Rayo or Baby King) was promoted to run the Boulevards and all south side while he was locked up for the murder of a Bishop. Many legends have mistaken these two men as Latin King founders but they were just like Jose “Cadillac Joe” Rivera, just kids that happened to join during the debut year of 1964 but were not founders. Santos would carry on in life moving from one place to another around the north side until he ended up in prison for a long time from at least 1980 to the later 80s. When Santos got out in 1988 it was said he wanted to regain some kind of control until the Cardona family killed him in Humboldt Park that summer.
When Santos was removed from leadership in the year 1972, the Kings Manifesto was written as the official constitution with sets of bylaws from Latin Kings to live by. In this document is where it was stated that the Latin Kings were founded in the Sixth decade of the 20th century and were born on the first week or March. With this wording, it appears King Phil’s story is pushed out but this is because the influence of Santos would have overlapped Phil at that point. The Manifesto also explains about the lion and the sun and it seems as if the lion and sun did not become Latin King symbols until the Santos era in the late 60s or maybe not until the Manifesto was written. Phil and his Latin Kings brought about the crown but the lion and the sun may have come about later. It is possible the lion and the sun may have derived from the Lions of the Sun Tribe which would have been brought by Juan Rodriguez in 1940. I am not going to completely validate any of this because I have no proof to back this up but I feel some clarity is needed because the legends of the Latin Kings being founded in the 40s and 50s is strong within many generations of older members and some of this story is woven into the manifesto. Some advocate that King Papo’s story is insignificant while others say Phil’s story is not correct, I am strong advocate that both are true and both versions can completely be true and is highly probable.
