HEROES AND SAINTS by Cherrie Moraga was a winner of the Dramalogue, the PEN West, and the Critics Circle awards, as well as the Will Glickman Prize for Best Play of 1992.
Set in a fictional town called McLaughlin in California's San Joaquin Valley, Heroes and Saints addresses issues faced by the farmworker community, including exposure to pesticides, poor working conditions, and environmental injustice.
The time period is the late 20th century, and the setting is crucial to the themes of the play, as it highlights the struggles of marginalized Chicano communities in agricultural areas. This setting, along with elements of magical realism, allows Moraga to explore themes of Chicano identity, environmental activism, and social justice within the context of rural California's agricultural industry. The fictional town serves as a microcosm for broader issues affecting farmworker communities in the United States.