Spanish Lords

The Spanish Lords’ history began in the year 1964 in the Bucktown area of the Logan Square neighborhood.  The motherland was at Moffett/Milwaukee and Oakley.  Original members were Corkey, Speedy and Big Gato.  These men were about 13 or 14 years old when they started the Spanish Lords.  Their original colors were cardinal red and the original emblems were a shield with a eagle in the middle with a Puerto Rican flag and gold crown on each side.  Big Gato was the first leader of the Spanish Lords and could even be the founder.  The Spanish Lords formed as Puerto Rican people were moving into the Bucktown area and were met with racial discrimination from the mostly white community.  White gangs often preyed upon Hispanic youths and the Spanish Lords were formed as a protection.

In the year 1968 Spanish Lords first opened territory in the Wicker Park neighborhood at Hirsch and Western right outside of Tuley High School.  This section was founded by Israel and Henry. This group called themselves “The Horsemen” and wore black and baby blue colors.  The colors didn’t last long until the Maniac Latin Disciples came and asked for the colors that year which became the permanent colors of the MLDs.

In the 1968 the Spanish Lords expanded to Holstein Park in Bucktown, Pulaski Park and Cortland and Oakley Park (now Ehrler (William) Park).

In the year 1969, the Spanish Lords, Latin Kings, Warlords and some others created the United Neighborhoods alliance which was an agreement for all Hispanic gangs to not fight against each other, instead they fought white greaser clubs like C-Notes, Chi-West, Taylor Jousters, Gaylords and the Simon City gang.  This was not a well-known alliance and there were often severe issues with the relationship between Latin Kings and Spanish Lords, there was even bloody conflict between 1969 and 1970.

By the mid-1970s the Spanish Lords were fighting with Spanish Cobras and Latin Disciples (MLDs).The Cobras and Disciples were not all about pledging into the United Neighborhoods alliance and instead became a force against the alliance.  Spanish Cobras became the aggressors that started a war with the Insane Unknowns which was a strong ally of the Spanish Lords in 1975.

The Spanish Lords eventually moved one block over to Claremont and Potomac and then by the mid 1970s they moved to North Avenue and Claremont.  Around this time Corky was running the Spanish Lords and would for a long time until the early 1990s when he passed away then Rico took over.

Somewhere in the 1970s the Spanish Lords established a group of young members called “Future Spanish Lords” that was ran by “Flaco” in the Bucktown area.   Later in the year 1978, the Spanish Lords were allowed to join the People Nation alliance because they were really close to Latin Kings and Insane Unknowns.  Over time the Spanish Lords developed a deep hate for Latin Disciples and Disciples became their arch enemies.

Eventually, the Spanish Lords at some point spread all over the Bucktown section of the Logan Square neighborhood at Armitage and Western, Charleston and Western, Mclean and Oakley, Shakespeare and Oakley (Holstein Park), Armitage and Oakley, and Damen and Dickens.  They also opened turf at Diversey and Artesian just north of Bucktown but still in Logan Square.  Spanish Lords also opened at Berteau and Damen in the North Center neighborhood.  All the way on the south west side, the Spanish Lords opened at 87^th and California which is on the border of the Ashburn neighborhood and outside the city limits in the suburb of Evergreen Park.

In the year 1988 the Spanish Lords opened a section at Keeler and Potomac in K-Town area of the West Humboldt Park neighborhood where they hung out with the K-Town Insane Unknowns.  This section would last until 1993.  In 1993 this section moved to Hirsch and Karlov.  During the years of 1988 and 1993 the Spanish Lords were deep at Keeler and Potomac and spread to Keeler and Division and Augusta and Karlov.  By 1994 the K-Town Spanish Lords had closed down.

In the year 1992, the Spanish Lords erupted into a vicious gang war with the Insane Unknowns and Latin Kings who were previously close allies.  The reason for the Spanish Lords warring with Latin Kings is because the Kings took the side of the Unknowns in a dispute with the Unknowns or maybe it was the other way around, I am not sure.  In 1994, the Spanish Lords and Latin Kings stopped warring with each other, but the rivalry with the Unknowns never stopped to the point where they became Arch enemies.

The Spanish Lords would eventually lose their satellite chapter in North Center.  The Lords would also eventually lose their original Wicker Park hood along with some of Bucktown because of gentrification in the area of yuppies and hipsters buying out the neighborhood for top dollar rates.  This is all I know about Spanish Lord history.

Please send in 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s pics!

Questions:

What year did 87th and California open?

Known sections of the Spanish Lords past and present

Ashburn neighborhood 90s, 2000s

Sections of Ashburn

87^th & California 90s, 2000s

Avondale neighborhood 80s 90s

Sections of Avondale

Diversey from Artesian to Campbell 80s 90s

Bucktown neighborhood Established 1964-present years

Sections of Bucktown

Armitage from Oakley to Western 70s-present years

Charleston & Western

McClean & Oakley

Shakespeare & Oakley (Holstein Park)

Damen & Dickens (Shared with Insane Unknowns) 90s, 2000s

Dickens & Honore 90s

Milwaukee & Western

Moffet/Milwaukee & Oakley Established 1964

Cortland & Wilmot Established 1968 (Ehrler (William) Park)

Charleston & Damen (Shared with Insane Unknowns) 90s, 2000s

North Center neighborhood

Sections of North Center

Berteau & Damen

West Humboldt Park neighborhood Established 1988-1994

Sections of West Humboldt Park

Hirsch to Augusta, Keeler to Karlov (Keeler & Potomac 1988-1993) Established 1988-1994

Wicker Park neighborhood Established 1968-1993

Sections of Wicker Park

North Ave & Claremont Established 1975-1993

Hirsch & Western (Tuley High School) Established 1968-1975

North Ave to Potomac, Claremont the Western Established 1968-1993

Suburbs
Evergreen Park

Joliet

Melrose Park 16^th & Division