Cheech Marin, a comedian actor and activist, said, “You have to want to be Chicano to be Chicano.” What Cheech Marin means by this is that being Chicano is something Chicanos feel and think instead of letting others give them that title. Before there were Aztecs and Chicanos there were the Mexica. The Mexica were natives who migrated all through out what is now known as Mexico. They each spread to different parts of the land. Most ended up in what is now present day Mexico City. Those Mexica later became the Aztecs. The Aztecs had a myth of how the earth and all living things were created. In the myth the Aztec sun god and the goddess of Earth both created all living things. Hence, making all Aztecs royalty. The city was then destroyed by the Spanish conquistadores. Although the Spaniards won the Aztecs didn’t go down without a fight. …show more content…
Cinco de Mayo is usually confused with Mexican Independence day but that day is when Mexico fought French invaders. During 1910, Mexico revolted against its repressive rulers and adapted its new constitution. They came up with the term for those who were told in Mexico they weren’t Mexican and in America who weren’t American. They wanted to belong to both. While the Civil Rights movement is mostly known to give African-American rights but, Chicanos also fought for their rights. The term Chicano first became accepted during the Chicano Movement. Thus, Chicanos have many things to be proud of. Their Aztec ancestors were intelligent people who built a city on water and made all Chicanos royalty. Along with their Mexican ancestors won two revolutions and won against the huge French army. Trinidad Sanchez Jr., a poet, wrote about Chicano pride in his poem, “Why Am I so Brown?” Sanchez wrote the poem in order to call attention to that all should be proud of their skin color. His poem talks about Chicanos having honor in their skin color by using imagery, metaphors, and
Many Mexicans immigrated to the United States throughout the 1920’s forming their own communities like East Los Angeles. Throughout the years, they overcame hardships like segregation, bad stereotypes, etc. They created a movement for civil rights, where their culture began to flourish around the country, known as the Chicano Movement. One big contributor to the Chicano Movement is Cheech Marin. “Being a Chicano in Hollywood, my experience is that you're not given credit for any sophistication... You're just kind of some guy that just crossed the border, you know, on the back of a truck and that's it (Cheech Marin).” Cheech Marin has brought many talents to the Chicano community from the 1970’s to now. He is an author, actor, director, writer, and art collector. His most famous works include the famous comedy duo Cheech and Chong, his solo film Born in East L.A., and his wide-range collection of Chicano art.
Also, when the Aztecs were in Spain they began to adapt how the Spanish speak and write. After some time the Aztecs people and the Spanish people got married and their kids would be a mix of Aztec and Spanish blood and their child would be called a Mestizos. Something same, like the First Nations because when a First Nation and a European marry their child would be called a Métis. Though, before the land of the First Nations and Aztecs get conquered, this how they met. When the Europeans first meet the First Nations, they had a good trade relationship, but the Europeans were ethnocentric, and after a long time trading the First Nations, the Europeans wanted their land, so a war happened and in the middle of the war the First Nations began to have disease which caused the death of many people and warriors, so in the end they lost and that’s how the Canada’s Indigenous peoples land got taken over. Now, it’s a different, yet sort of the same situation with the Aztec, because when the Spanish or Cortés came onto the land of Tenochtitlan, the Aztecs greet them with gifts and also thought that Cortés were God
The term "Chicano" has for decades been used to describe the Mexican American people present in California. Though, these individuals have been very influential to the development of California for much longer than the origin of the term. Rooted in the emergence of Mexican California in the 1800s, Chicanos have contributed greatly to the changes that California has experienced since then and into the twentieth century. At this time, California was at the forefront of social change unlike anything that the state had seen before. As people were entering the state, the population began to see a heightened array of diversity. The widening of race and class polarization gave birth to a new sense of possibility for these ethnic groups. In this, a series of social movements emerged as a stance for change in the way these groups were treated. For the Chicano movement, a symbol of change and new opportunities emerged for Mexican Americans. Throughout California history, the Chicanos embodied the desire to enhance Chicano culture, through identification, politics, and attempts to improve their socio-economic status.
In the beginning of the movie the students have a day camp where the main teacher and supporter, Mr. Sal Castro motivates them to raise the Mexican American graduate rate. He reads the poem “I am Joaquin”, a poem that reflects the hardship that Mexican Americans and Chicanos have lived throughout the years. This poem was a very important part of the Chicano movement. It is a very strong and empowering poem and makes you proud to be Mexican American. Also another scene that truly shows Chicano power is in the third walkout. The students walk out of the school, but are blocked by policemen and are not allowed pass them. However, you then see the student’s family, mothers, fathers, siblings, grandparents. All united together holding the Mexican flag as well as the American flag. This is a very touching scene that I believe shows the unity of Mexican Americans, and how there is a lot of pride in being Mexican
Growing up in a marginalized minority is a difficult task because there are a lot of differences between cultures. In the Mexican American culture, family is crucial, this is where one comes when one needs someone to talk to. In my experience, I had was raised being stuck in the middle of two different cultures I had to know what my identity was through, family, school, and through my travels.
A significant part in being Chicano is embracing your roots and fighting for your rights. Chicano culture was at its peak in the 60’s and 70’s when Chicanos were exhausted of being oppressed. Chicanos young and old, decided that it was time to take a stand by not only expressing their feelings but their pride. This inspired the rise in Chicano art coming out at that time as well as a bunch of sayings going around like “Brown pride” and “We didn’t cross the border, the border crossed us”. Most of my mom’s side identify as Chicano, especially the ones that were growing up at that time. They appreciate the movement, the art, and the lifestyle. In fact, I know that at least one of my tias participated in the school walkouts for Chicano rights. When I’m at a family party, I still notice that Chicano pride even in my older cousins who were born years after the peak. I understand that to some, Chicanos are perceived as cholos. There are some but not all, but all the older ones do show off their pride as I’ve seen.
According to their own history, the Aztecs, who called themselves the Tenochca or Mexica, started as a small nomadic tribe originating from a place called Aztlan. Aztlan existed somewhere in the southern part of California or the north west of Mexico. At this time they were Nahuatl speaking. During the twelfth century they started a period of wandering and in the thirteenth century they came across Mexico's central valley. There they decided to settle.
The 1960s was a very progressive era for the mexican americans that inhabited the United States, It was very a progressive era but with every progressive era there are also a lot of hardships leading up to it there were also a lot of tough battle to be fought. The 1960s was a tough time for Mexican Americans living in America, They were discriminated for their cultural differences and were stripped of their rights because their parents weren 't Native born.
Cinco De Mayo ( the fifth of may) is well mistaken for Mexican Independence Day, The celebration of the remembrance of how Mexico held victory over France in 1862.Even though it was Mexico's victory, Los Angeles actually has the biggest celebration than Mexico itself.
The Chicano community has endured and overcome many struggles since the conquest by conquistador in 1491 and eviction from Atzlan. Race was used by the white community as tool to structure inequality for the Chicano community by classifying the Chicano community as white but treat them as a minority community. Chicano activist during the Mexican American generation found community self-determination by becoming actively involved in their community and taking hold of their own destiny. The Mexican American activists created a new way of seeing themselves by taking the term Chicano and making the term a symbol for who they truly are and who they want to become. The new ethos of the new identity of a Chicano is community self-determination; it is a community that is in total control of its own destiny.
The Chicano Art movement is the attempts that are made by a Mexican- American artist who formulated a unique artistic identity in the US. Most of the art pieces are influenced by the Chicano movement that began in the late 1960s. This art was mostly influenced by the ideologies of the post-Mexican revolution and the pre-Columbian art, it was accompanied by the European printing technologies and the Mexican- American political, cultural as well as social issues.
The Chichimecas were considered to be less civilized than the Nahua groups. This may have been because they were still living in caves, wore animal skins, and used bow and arrows for hunting. The Mexica were the last group of the seven to arrive in Aztlan. In some accounts, the Aztlan is viewed as a paradise, but in others, such as the Codex Aubin, the Aztlan were under the rule of the tyrannical Chicomoztoca. To escape, the people of Aztlan fled the land, led by a priest. In the legend, the god Huitzilopochtli told them they could not use the name Azteca, and would be known as the Mexica. Huitzilopochtli, a hummingbird god, told them it was their destiny to find the chosen land, and they needed to leave Aztlan. He provided them with the technological innovations to leave the island and live off the land. The migration from Aztlan to Tenochtitlan is fabled to have started on May 24, 1064. During the migration, they people zig zagged across the land, spending long periods in places, often being kicked out of them by previous inhabitants. They were frequently captured and prosecuted by others they came across. The first group of people to arrive in the already occupied Valley of Mexico were the Acolhua, Tepaneca, Culhua, Chalca, and Xochimilca around 1200 AD. The Second group occupied the
Everyone needs something that identifies them, a space where they can truly be themselves without peering eyes and judgement. The idea of Chicano and the community behind is no exception. To have a personal space where community of similar opinions are included are part of their space. History has seen its prejudice against Mexican Americans, through its unequal treatment and demeaning of cultural ideas. Authors and writers, such as Gloria Anzaldua, Rosa Linda Fregoso, and W.E.B. Du Bois attempt to shed light and represent the Latino community that has gone through historical oppression and struggle. To define “Chicano” is impossible, the root idea of it extends far and beyond words and illustrations, as it builds independently inside one’s
Since the 60s, some Mexican Americans have used the word Chicano to identify themselves. For me, the word Chicano defines the unique experience of navigating and balancing between two cultures, customs, and languages. Although I was born in Mexico, my parents and I immigrated to the United States when I was a year old. In high school, I tried to understand my identity because I found myself in the middle of both worlds. It was very frustrating at times to not understand either world fully so I took courses that would give me knowledge about my Mexican roots. This has led me to see the contributions and struggles of Mexicans in the United States. In learning about the people who have navigated through two different worlds, it has led me to understand
Much of Chicano history is not really known and it's not taught almost anywhere, and what is not known is that much of our history is rooted from other group of people such as the Arawaks, Indigenous people from Hispaniola and African people brought as slaves from the motherland we call Africa. In order to understand Chicano history we have to understand their history, and the inequality of race, social and economic inequality and how whiteness is implemented as soon as Columbus arrives in Hispaniola and how this all connects to our own history. When Columbus set foot in Hispaniola, his first goal was to find gold and his first way of doing it was to enslave the Arawaks to help him find the gold. Since there was no gold, he colonized Hispaniola