The adjective Chicano is used to describe a citizen of the United States who is of Mexican origin . Chicanos, therefore, are Americans who have Mexican parents or ancestors.
For example: "The Chicano artist will perform again tomorrow at the city theater" , "I was in a relationship with a Chicana woman for five years, but it finally didn't work out" , "The owner of the restaurant is a young Chicano who trained as chef in London » .
In its origins, the concept was used to refer to Hispanics who lived in regions of the United States that in the past belonged to Mexico , such as Arizona , California , Texas or New Mexico . Over time , the notion began to focus on individuals born in Mexico and naturalized Americans and on subjects who were born in the United States but come from families of Mexican origin .
Chicanos make up more than 10% of the US population. Many of them communicate in Spanglish , a speech modality that combines elements of English and Spanish. Chicanisms , on the other hand, are known as the deformation of certain words in English to be used in Spanish, such as parkear (derived from park : "to park" ) and baica (from bike , "bicycle" ).
Actor Edward James Olmos and singer and actress Selena Gómez are two Chicano stars known worldwide. It should be noted that, depending on the context and personal perception, the term Chicano can be considered offensive or, on the contrary, a reason for pride that highlights identity .
In addition to those aforementioned characters, there are many other Chicanos who have managed to become a reference in the United States and around the world. We are referring to figures such as the following:
-Actress Eva Longoria, known for her role in the series "Desperate Housewives."
-The actress, singer and songwriter Demi Lovato, who rose to fame for her work in the film "Camp Rock."
-Actress Jessica Alba, known for her performances in films such as "Sin City" or "The Fantastic Four."
-The actress Salma Hayek, who is a relevant figure on the international film scene thanks to productions such as "From Dusk Till Dawn" or "Frida."
In addition to all of the above, we cannot ignore the fact that in the decade of the 60s and 70s what was called the Chicano movement gained great value. Basically it was a movement at a political and cultural level, fundamentally, that had the objective of giving value to Mexican origins, ending discrimination against Mexicans in the United States, gaining political weight in different spheres...
César Chávez, Reies López Tirajana, Dolores Huerta, Héctor P. García and Rodolfo Corky Gonzáles were some of the leaders of the aforementioned movement, which carried out everything from student strikes to action in the agricultural sector and promoting the so-called Chicano art. In the latter they achieved great weight from Patssi Valdez to Luis Jiménez through Carlos Almaraz or Judithe Hernández.