Where the term "Chicano" comes from
Clip: 10/6/2026 | 40sVideo has Closed Captions
The term "Chicano" has mysterious origins.
The term "Chicano" has mysterious origins, but it is believed to have been derived from how Indigenous people would pronounce the word "mexicano."
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Support for American Masters is provided by AARP, The Rosalind P. Walter Foundation, Thea Petschek Iervolino Foundation, Burton P. and Judith B. Resnick Foundation, The Philip and Janice Levin Foundation,...
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Where the term "Chicano" comes from
Clip: 10/6/2026 | 40sVideo has Closed Captions
The term "Chicano" has mysterious origins, but it is believed to have been derived from how Indigenous people would pronounce the word "mexicano."
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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- "Chicano" like the word "pachuco," like the word "zoot suit," is of mysterious origin.
Nobody seems to really know where it came from.
- The term Chicano originally started out as an insult from Mexicans to other Mexicans living in this country.
There were something else.
They were something smaller.
There were Chicos, little Chicanos, you know, little satellite Mexicans.
(light guitar music) - [Narrator] Word on the street is, it goes back to how the indigenous would say Mexicano.
Mechicano.
American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez
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Discover filmmaker and playwright Luis Valdez, a founding figure of the Chicano Movement. (2m 10s)
Luis Valdez's farmworker origins
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Luis Valdez was born in a farm labor camp in Delano, California to farmworker parents. (57s)
Luis Valdez's play commented on identity and assimilation
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Luis Valdez's play, "Los Vendidos," or the sellouts, was a commentary on assimilation and identity. (3m 6s)
When "Zoot Suit" reached Broadway
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Luis Valdez's "Zoot Suit" was the first Chicano play on Broadway. (1m 12s)
Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship
Support for PBS provided by:
Support for American Masters is provided by AARP, The Rosalind P. Walter Foundation, Thea Petschek Iervolino Foundation, Burton P. and Judith B. Resnick Foundation, The Philip and Janice Levin Foundation,...