In the Court of the Conqueror

In the Court of the Conqueror revolves around the over 200 year-old history of U.S. Supreme Court rulings that have profoundly diminished the tribal sovereignty of Native Nations. The piece also delves into Sanchez’s journey around his own indigenous identity while being raised in an Ecuadorian immigrant household and encountering their embedded bias and prejudice. As a part of Sanchez’s artistic research for this piece he enrolled in, and obtained, a Masters in Legal Studies in Indigenous Peoples Law out of the University of Oklahoma during the Covid lockdown. The visual narrative displayed across three screens was created by the visual artist Patty Ortiz. Together they traveled across hundreds of miles to photograph and research the overarching historical context of the piece’s content.

The performance premiered at Abrons Arts Center in March 2022, and it has toured to six states since its premiere. It will be presented at the Moss Art Center at Virginia Tech in April 2025.