The Rain God - Chicano Literature

Chicano Literature

Chicano is a cultural identity for persons who live in the US and have a strong sense of Mexican-American ethnic identity and an accompanying political consciousness. Prior to 1848 states like California, Nevada, Utah and parts of Wyoming were parts of Mexico and later bought by the US.

They signed a treaty to guarantee that all inhabitants of those regions would be treated like US citizens which proved not to be the case and so influenced the Mexican culture and stories. So basically 'Chicano' was used as a synonym for Mexican immigrants in this treaty.

Topics of chicano literature:

• Identity
• Social and political protest against exploitation
• Immigrant experience
• Life in the barrio
• Unity of all Hispanic people

Identity is one of the integral parts in Chicano literature since it is a sort of handling of the problems of the immigrants to not be fully accepted. Facing prejudices, racism and problems with adjusting themselves to the new life helped to shape their literature in ways that symbolize their proud heritage. Often there is a mixture between English and Spanish.

History:
Chicano literature is relatively young since it has taken shape in the generation after the conclusion of the Mexican War in 1848. Still there are roots that lead back to the 16th century when the Spanish conquistadores explored and colonized large parts of the American continent, spreading their culture, language, lifestyle and institutions all over the land. Key features of the Conquistadores were their courage and audaciousness but also brutality. Those features influenced their literacy since they were avid story tellers who told legends, tales and sang songs but also composed events that were used for celebration to show their pride and their success in conquering the land. Such events were also often influenced by (cultural) conflicts they had with the natives and early Americans. Great parts of these features can also be found in the Chicano literature as they often show that they're proud of their heritage by referring to themselves as Aztec or Maya gods or using terms like 'la raza' which symbolize that the blood of their famous Spanish ancestors still runs through their veins.

Chicano poetry: Famous writers and their work:

• Abelardo Lalo Delgado – Stupid America
• Trinidad Trino Sanchez – Why am I so brown?
• Rodolfo Corky Gonzales – Yo soy Joaquin (I am Joaquin)

Topics of Chicano poetry:
Chicano poetry often deals with the existence of Chicanos in the US, the racism they had to face and the dreams they had when they came to that country and how they vanquished after their arrival. Also there are often allusions of past Mesoamerican civilizations and how those survived in the Chicanos. In this context we find the word 'maztizo' which means something like 'hybrid' and shows that a part of the great Spanish conquistadores has survived in them, which is why they often refer to themselves as ancient gods or even Cortés the great conqueror of the Spanish empire.