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Rogelio Smiley Rojas Moctezuma passed away in San Antonio, Tejas on December 26, 2025 at the age of 73. He is survived by his children Itzpapalotl, Ehecatl, and Kuautli and his partner/significant other Trina. Smiley was born in Chicago, Illinois on August 20, 1952. In 1970, he began moving back and forth from Chicago to San Antonio. In his teens, he garnered the nickname Smiley. This was the result of a slightly older gang member attempting to jump/ initiate Smiley into a local gang. But the gang member was not able to commit to hitting Smiley/ Rogelio due to the huge nervous smile on Rogelio's face. The gang member then said that Rogelio's name should be Smiley. In that moment the nickname was born and stuck forever more. In 1973, he relocated from San Antonio to big bad Califas/California. There he started a family in the mission town of San Juan Bautista -- where he had his firstborn Itzpapalotl and second born Ehecatl, with his first wife Olivia Chumacero. They divorced after nearly 10 years. In 1992, he married again. This time with Cristal Gonzalez, whom he was with for 17 years. With Cristal he had his third born, Kuautli, and had been a stepfather to Ixchel Gonzalez. In 1998, he relocated one final time, moving back to San Antonio, where he returned to the very first home his family had purchased in the 1970s. It is the house that remained his home until his passing. In 1990, Smiley received his bachelor's degree in theater, performance, and social change from the New College of California in San Francisco. In 2000, he received his master's degree in bilingual education ESL/Spanish from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Smiley was a very multifaceted person. A founding member, jefe, talent, and compadre in numerous circles/societies. These include El Teatro de la Raza in Chicago, IL (1970), El Teatro de los Barrios, & La Raza Unida Party in San Antonio, TX (1970-1972), El Teatro Nacional de Aztlan Quinto Festival De Los Teatros Chicanos-Primer Encuentro Latinoamericano in Mexico City, Teotihuacan, and Tajin (1974), El Teatro Campesino in San Juan Bautista, CA (1972-1998), El Teatro Familia Aztlan (1985-1998), California Art Council Residency (1982-1998), United Farm Workers with Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta (1972-1998), Jazz Poets of San Antonio (2006-2014), and Grupo Danza Xinachtli in California and Texas for five decades. No matter the space, time, and place, Smiley was a proud Chicano through and through. His pride in his identity, por la Raza, en la causa, and sociopolitical activism shined through in his lifelong passion for the arts, teatro, acting, dance, music, writing, education, and even as a fire breather. His fellow teatristas, activistas, and loved ones affectionately joked that Smiley looked like Carlos Santana, or with a beret on his head, he could pass for Che Guevara. "Que viva la revolución. Que viva." Smiley and his partner/significant other Maria Trinidad Delgado came together in 2017 and bonded over originally being Chicagoans that attended the same high school in the 60s. Though they knew of each other back then, it wasn't until their elder years that they became a couple, eventually rebuilding a home and living together in San Antonio for 8 loving years, until Rogelio's passing Smiley leaves behind his children Itzpa Rojas Rau, Ehecatl Chumacero-Rojas, and Kuautli Gonzalez Rojas and his grandchildren Sofia Alysa Mata, Gabriella Itzal Rojas Rau, Diego William Rojas Rau, and Oziel Sol Pedroza Chumacero. He was preceded in death by his sister Mary Ellen Boruck Rojas, his father Raymond Rojas, and his mother Maria Elena Garcia Rojas. The celebration of life will be held at San Fernando Cemetery II in San Antonio, TX on Friday, January 2, 2026 at 11:30am. Community, loved ones, friends, and family are welcome.

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Rogelio Smiley Rojas Moctezuma

August 20, 1952 - December 26, 2025