Rebecca Muñoz Gutierrez Photographs

Rebecca Florian Muñoz was born to Esau Perez Muñoz (1884-1967) and Febronia Calderon (Florian) Muñoz (1885-1970) in Torreon, Mexico on June 17, 1916. She was one of eight children, including Rosalio (1913-2004), Lucinda (Muñoz) Perez (1914-1982), Elizabeth (Muñoz) Grijalva (1918-1995), Josefina (Muñoz) Rodriguez (1920-2005), Maria Estela (1924-1928), Solomon (1921-2001), and Abel (1922-1998). Rebecca Muñoz, her parents, and her three oldest siblings entered the United States at El Paso, Texas on the El Paso Electric Railway on November 13, 1918. The family initially lived in Texas but relocated to Arizona in the 1920s.

Rebecca Muñoz attended Arizona State Teachers College, graduating on May 30, 1939 with a Bachelor of Arts in Education. During her time at the college she and siblings Rosalio (BA 1936, MA 1939), Lucinda (BA 1939), Elizabeth (BA 1953), and Josephine (BA 1941) were early and active members of Los Conquistadores. This club was organized by Mexcan-American students in 1937 to promote education in their communities and thus improve socio-economic conditions and combat racism and discrimination. It is recognized as the first Mexican-American student club formed at the College. Rebecca Muñoz was also involved with the Mexican American Movement (MAM), where she met her husband, Felix Joaquim Gutierrez. The couple married in Las Vegas in 1941.

After graduation, Rebecca Muñoz taught school in Mesa, Arizona before marrying and moving to Los Angeles. Here, she taught in the city's schools until the mid-1960s, when she moved into counseling and testing. In this position, she developed translations of standardized tests in order to prevent Spanish-speaking students from being disadvantaged in the testing process. Gutierrez retired from the school system in 1972 but continued her consulting and testing work in private practice. She died in Los Angeles on March 14, 2000.