Grupo Raíz came together at La Peña Cultural Center in Berkeley, California, at the beginning of 1980. The groups extended the work of two of its members who had been singing Latin American music at peñas and solidarity events in northern California for over a year, forming a versatile six member performing group with a broad instrumental and vocal repertoire. The goals of the group were twofold: to make known the music and culture of the Latin American people, and to give support through their music to the resistance movement in Chile and to liberation movements in Latin America and throughout the world.