The creators of MAYO, Los Cinco (meaning "the five"), consisted of José Ángel Gutiérrez, Willie Velásquez, Mario Compean, Ignacio Pérez, and Juan Patlán.
MAYO and its political organization, Raza Unida Party, played an important part in Texas history during the late 1960s and early 1970s.
It was the brain child of five young Chicano student activists-José Ángel Gutiérrez, Mario Compean, William "Willie" Velasquez, Ignacio Perez, and Juan Patlan.
At the Fountain Room, a barseveral blocks form Saint Mary's, Los Cinco (as they became known), over the course of several weeks, met on a regular basis and held a number of study sessions, which culminated in MAYO.
Founding member of MAYO Willie Velásquez was posthumously given the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1995 by President Bill Clinton for his work with voter registration.