Term Chicano derived from Indigenous radical successful Mexico

SAN ANTONIO – The word Chicano is derived from Indigenous groups, and portion it’s been utilized for decades, it’s an identifier that has been precocious reborn.

The word Chicano became fashionable during the U.S. Civil Rights question and specifically during the Mexican-American Civil Rights Movement known arsenic the Chicano Movement.

This societal and governmental question lasted from the 1940s to the 70s and was an important infinitesimal successful the past of galore Mexican-Americans.

“Out of that question came this benignant of consciousness raising of Americans of Mexican descent who felt this this caller consciousness of pridefulness successful being indigenous Americans. Trying to bring to airy was that we don’t person to assimilate,” said Dr. Lori Rodriguez, adjunct prof of Mexican American studies astatine Palo Alto College.

While that question was based connected absorption and improving social, economical and moving conditions for Mexican-Americans, the word Chicano has a affluent past that dates backmost to Mesoamerican cultures earlier the accomplishment of the Europeans.

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“That’s wherever the word Chicano comes from. It’s from the Mexico, the Indigenous Mesoamerican empire,” Rodriguez said. “We look astatine the word similar Mexico erstwhile it comes successful the Mexica, which is the archetypal word for the Aztecs successful that area.”

Many historians judge the connection Mexico came from the Nahuatl-speaking Indigenous radical of the Valley of Mexico who ruled the Aztec empire.

Rodriguez said arsenic the Chicano question ended, the word Hispanic was introduced successful census information by the U.S. authorities arsenic much of a broad term. This led to a displacement distant from the usage of Chicano.

“Instead of changing the system, it was benignant of trying to acceptable into the system, saying we’re American, Hispanic, which benignant of privileges Spain. So you spot the authorities down these terms, which is wherefore I consciousness similar it’s truly important for america to recognize them,” Rodriguez said.

But the word Chicano has continued to evolve, adjacent diving deeper into Indigenous cultures.

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“Then there’s xchicanx starting with an x. It starts and ends with the x and the x honors the Nahuatl language, which mostly had the x arsenic the ‘ch’ sound,” Rodriguez said.

The Nahuatl radical are the largest Indigenous radical successful Mexico and much generations of Mexican-Americans are connecting with the past.

“I emotion teaching it due to the fact that students get truly excited and past they privation to larn more, and their identities commencement shifting with however they spot themselves and however they spot themselves successful the satellite and successful narration to different cultures,” Rodriguez said.

(Dr. Rodriguez besides antecedently discussed the word Latinx connected KSAT News Now. You tin ticker that treatment below.)

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About the Authors:

RJ Marquez has been astatine KSAT since 2010. He's covered a assortment of stories and events crossed the San Antonio area, and is the pb newsman for KSAT Explains. He besides covers the Spurs for on-air and integer platforms. You tin spot RJ regularly connected KSAT Explains and Good Morning San Antonio. He besides writes a play Spurs newsletter.