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Thematic Classroom Packages
Chicano Literature and Culture
Spanish-influenced poetry encompasses works by many diverse groups. Among these are Mexican-Americans, known since the 1950s as Chicanos, who have lived for many generations in the southwestern U.S. states won from Mexico in the Mexican-American War ending in 1848. Among Spanish Caribbean populations, Cuban- Americans and Puerto Ricans maintain vital and distinctive literary traditions. For example, the Cuban-American genius for comedy sets it apart from the elegiac lyricism of Chicano writers such as Rudolfo Anaya. Recent immigrants from Mexico, Central and South America, and Spain constantly replenish and enlarge this literary realm.
Chicano, or Mexican-American, poetry has a rich oral tradition in the corrido, or ballad, form. Recent works stress traditional strengths of the Mexican community and the discrimination it has sometimes met with among whites. Sometimes the poets blend Spanish and English words in a poetic fusion, as in the poetry of Alurista and Gloria Anzaldúa. Their poetry is much influenced by oral tradition and is very powerful when read aloud.
Some poets write largely in Spanish, in a tradition going back to the earliest epic written in the present-day United States -- Gaspar Pérez de Villagrá's Historia de la Nueva México, commemorating the 1598 battle between invading Spaniards and the Pueblo Indians at Acoma, New Mexico.
A central text in recent Chicano poetry, Rodolfo Gonzales's (1928- ) I Am Joaquin (1972), laments the plight of Chicanos.Nonetheless, many Chicano writers find sustenance in their ancient Mexican roots. Thinking of the grandeur of ancient Mexico, Lorna Dee Cervantes (1954- ) writes that "an epic corrido" chants through her veins, while Luis Omar Salinas (1937- ) feels himself to be "an Aztec angel." Much Chicano poetry is highly personal, dealing with feelings and family or members of the community. Gary Soto (1952- ) writes out of the ancient tradition of honoring departed ancestors, but these words, written in 1981, describe the multicultural situation of all Americans today.
Chicano poetry has achieved a new prominence, and works by Cervantes, Soto, and Alberto Rios have been widely anthologized.
Source: Outline of American Literature, Chapter 7: American Poetry Since 1945: The Anti-Tradition
Learning Resources
- Teacher Cyber Guide: "I am Joaquin" by Corky Gonzales.
This unit is an introduction to the Chicano Power Movement through its literature. The students will read the poem written by Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzalez, a famous Chicano poet and activist.Through this poem students will research the historical period of the Chicano Movement, its impact and importance. The Chicano Movement opened many doors to many Chicanos/Mexicans. The Internet allows the teachers and the students to do in depth research on this subject. - TACO BELL and Latino Stereotypes. By Maria Martin
- Latino Music in Review. By Chuy Varela
This material was prepared by Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture which is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective. It is a production partnership of KUT Radio and the Center for Mexican American Studies at The University of Texas at Austin.
There is an audio version and a printable version on the web site.
Background Resources
Statistics
U.S. Hispanic Population 2000
In 2000, 32.8 million Latinos resided in the United States, representing 12.0 percent of the total U.S. population. 66.1 percent were of Mexican origin, 14.5 percent were Central and South American, 9.0 percent were Puerto Rican, 4.0 percent were Cuban, and the remaining 6.4 percent were of other Hispanic origins.
Latinos of Mexican origin were more likely to live in the West (56.8 percent) and South (32.6 percent). Mexican households were most likely to have five or more people (35.5 percent).
Educational attainment varies among Latinos. Among Hispanics, Cubans and other Hispanics were most likely to have graduated from high school (73.0 percent and 71.6 percent, respectively) compared with Mexicans (51.0 percent).
Similarly, the proportion who had attained a bachelor’s degree ranged from 23.0 percent for Cubans to 6.9 percent for Mexicans.
(Source: U.S. Census Bureau 2000)
Hispanic Population in the United States 2000
This web site includes a slide show presentation, an interactive pop quiz, the text version of the pop quiz as well as several data tables and further information.
