He was the founder, director and curator of the Mexican Museum in San Francisco, and a co-founder of the Galería de la Raza.
[5] From 1968 to 1969, Rodríguez moved to the Tlalpan neighborhood of Mexico City, learning about culture and local arts.
[5] That same year in 1970 he co-founded the Galería de la Raza,[5] with Chicano Movement artists Ralph Maradiaga, Rupert García, Francisco X. Camplis, Gustavo Ramos Rivera, Carlos Loarca, Manuel Villamor, Robert Gonzales, Luis Cervantes, Chuy Campusano, Rolando Castellón, and René Yañez.
[11] Rodriguez died on July 1, 2016, at the age of 90 at the Laguna Honda Hospital in San Francisco.
[5] On July 19, 2016, Rodríguez's legacy was celebrated in San Francisco when they unveiled the cornerstone of the new museum, with Nancy Pelosi and Claudia Ruiz Massieu in attendance.