Music of the Chicano Movement

Lesson Hub 1:

¡Yo soy Chicano!

César Chávez addresses a rally during a strike by the National Farmworkers Association. Behind him stands a crowd of supporters, some holding NFWA banners; an American flag and a cross are also evident.

The overarching essential question for Lesson 1 is:

​What is Chicano/a identity and how is it expressed through music?

Yo soy Chicano, by Malaquías Montoya. Smithsonian American Art Museum.

This screenprint depicts two male figures in yellow against a brown background, holding or wearing broken shackles. It is symbolic of the Chicano movement’s break with the past and newfound pride at being identified as Chicano. The words "Yo Soy Chicano" appear in white at the upper lefthand corner of the print.

¡Yo soy Chicano!

Path 1

What Is Chicano/a?        

MUSIC LISTENING

20+ MIN

Path 2

What Was the Chicano Movement?

HISTORY & CULTURE

15+ MIN

Path 3

Exploring Cultural Identity through Music

CREATIVE CONNECTIONS

30+ MIN

The same screenprint, "Yo soy Chicano," by Malaquías Montoya, appears on the right of this slide.

Lesson 1: ¡Yo soy Chicano! / Path 1: What Is Chicano?

Path 1

What Is Chicano/a?

25 minutes

Chicano Pride Logo, designed by Custom Creations.

A round logo pictures the emblem on the Mexican flag: a Mexican golden eagle on a prickly pear cactus devouring a serpent, an image from the legend of the founding of Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital. The eagle image is cradled by the words “Chicano Pride” above and below, all in black with a black circular border.

Lesson 1: ¡Yo soy Chicano! / Path 1: What Is Chicano?

What Is Chicano/a? ​

It’s complicated . . .

  • This term gained popularity in the late 1960s.

  • It is associated with the Chicano movement.

  • The term generally describes people with Mexican heritage living in the United States.

  • However, this term’s true meaning is complex and deeply personal.

 

The logo for Chicano Pride again appears on the top right.

Lesson 1: ¡Yo soy Chicano! / Path 1: What Is Chicano?

What is Chicano/a?

The term Chicano/a relates to the formation of both individual and group identities.
 

Importantly, it expresses feelings of pride about this element of cultural heritage.

Brown and Proud, by David Silva. Smithsonian American Art Museum.

The black, white and color drawing on a cotton cloth panel shows a man with a green headband, moustache, and goatee standing in front of a woman with pink pants, a yellow shirt, and long hair. Her left arm is linked through his right arm. Two red roses and a butterfly decorate the right side of the panel. A banner reading “To Debbie” appears at the top; on the right, a carved wall figure of a saint reads “Brown and Proud.”

Lesson 1: ¡Yo soy Chicano! / Path 1: What Is Chicano?

Listening for Lyrical Meaning: “Chicano”

  • Listen to “Chicano,” performed by Rumel Fuentes and Los Pingüinos del Norte in the late 1960s.
  • Follow along with the lyrics and fill in the blanks with the missing words
  • Discuss:

Do these lyrics reveal anything about the meaning of this term for people who identified as Chicano during this time?

Click for lyrics

Lesson 1: ¡Yo soy Chicano! / Path 1: What Is Chicano?

"Chicano": Lyrical Analysis

To this songwriter, the term "Chicano" meant:

  • Mexican heritage pride
  • Brown is beautiful
  • Not ashamed to be unique
  • A desire to be heard
  • Awareness of stereotypes and discrimination
  • Feelings of unity/togetherness
The screenprint, "Yo soy Chicano," by Malaquías Montoya, appears on the right of this slide.

Click to play

Lesson 1: ¡Yo soy Chicano! / Path 1: What Is Chicano?

Listening for Musical Sounds: "Chicano"

  • Play a short clip from the same recording (30-45 seconds)
  • Discuss:

Do you associate these musical sounds with a particular geographic region? Why or why not?

Lesson 1: ¡Yo soy Chicano! / Path 1: What Is Chicano?

"Border Music"

This type of music is most commonly heard along the Texas-Mexico border.

United States-Mexico Border Stations, by David Dilts. Family Search Wiki.

A map of a section of the Texas-Mexico border, showing the states of Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas in the US and Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and Tamaulipas in Mexico, highlights areas in red in which “border music” is common.

"Border Music": Música Norteña and Conjunto

Lesson 1: ¡Yo soy Chicano! / Path 1: What Is Chicano?

"Border Music": Música Norteña and Conjunto

Música norteña, or music of the north, is an accordion-based genre that originated in northern Mexico.

A more specific term for this accordion-based music on the Texas side of the border is conjunto.

Hohner Corona II, signed by Flaco Jiménez. National Museum of American History.

A yellow button accordion with red lettering is pictured, halfway open. On the right are 12 buttons in 2 rows and on the left, 31 buttons in 3 rows. Flaco's signature is just above the buttons on the left.

Lesson 1: ¡Yo soy Chicano! / Path 1: What Is Chicano?

Listen to the excerpt again.

What instruments do you hear besides the accordion?

Lesson 1: ¡Yo soy Chicano! / Path 1: What Is Chicano?

In addition to the accordion . . .

This recording includes:

  1. Voice
  2. Steel-string guitar
  3. 12-steel-string guitar
  4. Tololoche (string bass, or contrabajo)

Los Pingüinos Del Norte 1970 (tololoche), photo by Chris Strachwitz. Arhoolie Records.

A musician wearing a hat from the Tex-Mex band Los Pingüinos Del Norte holds a large string bass (tololoche) inscribed with the name of the band in large white letters around the upper portion of the instrument’s body.

Lesson 1: ¡Yo soy Chicano! / Path 1: What Is Chicano?

About the Performers

This version of the song "Chicano" was recorded by Rumel Fuentes, with Los Pingüinos del Norte in 1976.

Rumel Fuentes was an important Mexican American singer/songwriter during the time of the Chicano movement (1960s–1970s).

Los Pingüinos del Norte was a música norteña ensemble from northern Mexico.

Left: Rumel Fuentes. Right: Los Pingüinos del Norte. Photos by Chris Strachwitz. Arhoolie Records.

In a black and white photo, Rumel Fuentes wears glasses, a vest with patterns typical of mexican blanket motifs, and a hat and holds a guitar.
In this excerpt from one of their album covers, three members of the band Los Pingüinos Del Norte dressed in festive clothing perform on their instruments: a guitar, accordion, and tololoche. The band name is written arched over their heads in orange lettering.

Lesson 1: ¡Yo soy Chicano! / Path 1: What Is Chicano?

Watch Rumel Fuentes and Los Pingüinos del Norte playing the song "Chicano"

Chulas fronteras,  by Les Blank and Chris Strachwitz. Les Blank Films.

Lesson 1: ¡Yo soy Chicano! / Path 1: What Is Chicano?

Chicano/a Identity

Discussion:

Why do you think some people in Mexican American communities continue to identify as Chicano/a?

The screenprint, "Yo soy Chicano," by Malaquías Montoya, appears on the right of this slide.

Lesson 1: ¡Yo soy Chicano! / Path 1: What Is Chicano?

Learning Checkpoint

  • What are some meanings of the term Chicano/a?
     
  • What is the typical instrumentation for música norteña / conjunto music and where was this type of music popularized?

Lesson 1: ¡Yo soy Chicano!

End of Path 1! Where will you go next?

 Continue to Path 2:

What Was the Chicano Movement?

History and Culture

Take a shortcut to Path 3:

Exploring Cultural Identity through Music

Creative connections

Return to the Pathway Homepage:

Estoy Aquí: Music of the Chicano Movement

Advance to the next Music Listening Path:

Historical Symbols and Musical Sounds

Music of the Chicano Movement - Lesson 2, Path 2

Lesson 1: ¡Yo soy Chicano! / Path 2: What Was the Chicano Movement?

Path 2

What Was the Chicano Movement?

15+ minutes

Poster with "Chicano Power" and "Viva la Raza" over a Mexican Flag, Platt Poster Company. National Museum of African American History and Culture.

A horizontal rectangular poster features the Mexican flag with the words “Chicano Power,” above a clenched fist and wrist bound by a shackle. The words “Viva La Raza” are inscribed below the clenched fist.

Lesson 1: ¡Yo soy Chicano! / Path 2: What Was the Chicano Movement?

What Was the Chicano Movement?

  • Beginning in the late 1960s and early 1970s, it was an important social movement in United States history.
  • It can be understood as a collective response to issues of discrimination, oppression, and other injustices members of Mexican American communities were facing.

During this time, people decided it was necessary to take action steps to fight for justice and equal rights.

Chicanos in California, unknown artist. Smithsonian American Art Museum.

The poster for the exhibition entitled Chicanos in California features a black and white print of a large group of men wearing or holding sombreros and marching with three large banners that span the width of the marching group. One banner reads “Chicano,” a second reads “Mexican,” and the leading banner reads, “Somos Un Pueblo."

Lesson 1: ¡Yo soy Chicano! / Path 2: What Was the Chicano Movement?

The primary goal of the Chicano movement . . .

. . . was to create a more just and equitable society (Montoya, 2016).

 

In some ways, the Chicano movement was inspired by the African American civil rights movement, which was happening around the same time (1960s–1970s).

Southern Christian Leadership Conference Poor People's Campaign poster, Justice Is Our Need... unknown artist. National Museum of American History.

The poster pictures two large green arrows pointing in opposite directions. The words “Justice is our Need” are painted in white on one green arrow. “This Land is our Heritage” is painted in white on a second green arrow. White lettering on a green background between the arrows spell out Alianza. A narrow green strip at the bottom attributes the poster to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference Poor People’s Campaign.

Lesson 1: ¡Yo soy Chicano! / Path 2: What Was the Chicano Movement?

Listening for Meaning: “Yo soy tu hermano, yo soy Chicano”

  • Listen to “Yo soy tu hermano, yo soy Chicano” (I Am your Brother; I Am Chicano) by Conjunto Aztlan.

  • Follow along with the lyrics/translation and circle or underline words that provide clues about why these musicians (and many other people) felt like collective social action was necessary during this time.

  • Discuss

Conjunto Aztlan, photo courtesy of Juan Tejeda. Smithsonian Folkways Recordings.

This photograph of Conjunto Aztlan, a musical group that emerged from the Chicano Movement in Texas in the 1970s, pictures four young men performing at an outdoor bandstand. One holds a guitar, another an accordion, a third stands facing the first two holding a bass guitar. In the foreground a fourth person might be focused on the sound equipment. Many microphones and amplifiers are evident.

Click for lyrics

Lesson 1: ¡Yo soy Chicano! / Path 2: What Was the Chicano Movement?

Lyrical Clues in "Yo soy tu hermano, yo soy Chicano”

“They steal lands [colonialism], they steal jobs [unemployment]; hunger and poverty [financial inequity]; they killed my brother over there in Vietnam [fallen Mexican American soldiers]; cops and rangers are disgraceful [police brutality] . . ." ​

Vietnam/Aztlan, by Malaquías Montoya. Smithsonian American Art Museum.

This poster suggests solidarity between the causes of the Chicano movement in the US and what the Vietnamese are experiencing during the war. A Vietnamese worker on the left is next to a Chicano activist on the right. Two different-colored arms reach from each side of the print to hold hands in mutual support. The words Vietnam and Aztlan line the top in white against a green background. In the middle, words in Vietnamese and Spanish promote unity, and at the bottom, the word "fuera" appears in large black letters against a red background.

Lesson 1: ¡Yo soy Chicano! / Path 2: What Was the Chicano Movement?

Optional Extension Activity: Issues and Images

In subsequent lessons you will learn more about specific goals of the Chicano movement. Three of these were: Rights for farm workers, restoration of land, and education reform.

  • Find and print historical photos from the 1960s–1970s that illustrate these goals.

  • Use the collected photos to create a class collage.

  • Alternatively, students can write a statement or skit based on characters developed from the images.​

Above: Braceros Picking Lettuce, photo by Leonard Nadel. National Museum of American History.

In a black and white photo, four figures are shown bent over and harvesting seemingly endless rows of lettuce.

Left: Resurrection City: Untitled, photo by Jill Freedman. National Museum of African American History and Culture. 

A black and white photo shows a group of people standing in protest behind several signs. One on the left reads "We want our land back."

Right: Ayuda para Colegio Cesar Chavez, by user Movimiento. (CC-BY-SA-3.0) via Wikimedia Commons. 

In black and white, four protesters stand in a row, wearing signs. The first, on the left says "Colegio is for todos." The second says MECHA supports colegio Cesar Chavez. The other two are not fully legible.

Lesson 1: ¡Yo soy Chicano! / Path 2: What Was the Chicano Movement?

Learning Checkpoint

  • What was the primary goal of the Chicano movement?​

  • During the time of the Chicano movement, why did people feel like collective social action was needed?

Lesson 1: ¡Yo soy Chicano! / Path 2: What Was the Chicano Movement?

End of Path 2! Where will you go next?

Continue to Path 3:

Exploring Cultural Identity through Music

Creative connections

Advance to the next History/Culture Path:

A History of Displacement

Music of the Chicano Movement: Lesson 2, Path 1

Return to Pathway homepage:

Estoy Aquí: Music of the Chicano Movement

Choose an Intersecting Path:

Sounds of Civil Rights

Civil Rights Movement Pathway: Lesson 1, Path 1

History and culture

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Lesson 1: ¡Yo soy Chicano! / Path 3: Exploring Cultural Identity through Music

Path 3

Exploring Cultural Identity through Music

30+ minutes

Protestors Singing on the Picket Line, photograph by Hub Segur. Smithsonian Folkways Recordings.

In a black-and-white photo, a multiracial, multi-generational group of men and women are standing together and singing. The three in front have their arms crossed and are holding the hands of their neighbors, forming a sort of human chain.

Lesson 1: ¡Yo soy Chicano! / Path 3: Exploring Cultural Identity through Music

¡Yo soy Chicano!

The song we will focus on in this part of the lesson, “Yo soy Chicano,” was composed by a group called Los Alvarados as they travelled by bus to the 1968 Poor People’s Campaign, organized in Washington, DC.

 

This song became an anthem for Chicano movement activists.

Pinback Button, Poor People's Campaign, unknown artist. National Museum of American History.

On a white pin, words curve around the top in black letters saying "Poor People's Campaign," and "1968 Washington, DC" at the bottom. In the middle, an image of a farm team of horses pulling a cart indicates solidarity between workers.

Lesson 1: ¡Yo soy Chicano! / Path 3: Exploring Cultural Identity through Music

What is an anthem?

Merriam-Webster defines anthem as:

“A rousing popular song that typifies or is identified with a particular subculture, movement, or point of view.”
 

Anthems:

• re-affirm ethnic or cultural pride

• serve as a symbol for a particular cultural group

• uplift and celebrate

Lesson 1: ¡Yo soy Chicano! / Path 3: Exploring Cultural Identity through Music

Listening Activity: “Yo soy Chicano”

  • Listen to the song “Yo soy Chicano,” by Los Alvarados

  • Circle or underline lyrics that relate to this guiding question:

Which aspects of Chicano/a culture are celebrated in this song?

Chicano Pride Logo, designed by Custom Creations.

A round logo pictures the emblem on the Mexican flag: a Mexican golden eagle on a prickly pear cactus devouring a serpent, an image from the legend of the founding of Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital. The eagle image is cradled by the words “Chicano Pride” above and below, all in black with a black circular border.

Click for lyrics

Lesson 1: ¡Yo soy Chicano! / Path 3: Exploring Cultural Identity through Music

Lyrical Themes Related to Cultural Pride in "Yo soy Chicano”

  • Honor
  • Defense of the poor
  • Valor/courage
  • Community
  • Ethnicity
  • Masculinity/strength
  • Heart
  • Faith​

Valor paño, unknown artist. National Museum of American History.

On a white piece of cloth, a drawing of the bust of a man in a blue suit with red tie appears in circle in the center. His image is surrounded by a five-pointed star, which is embellished with a chain of jewels or rosary beads in-between the points of the star--both of which are filled with geometric patterns. At the bottom of the star, an emblem with wings, arrows, and talons is drawn on top of a rectangular red box with the word "Valor" in white inscribed inside it.

Lesson 1: ¡Yo soy Chicano! / Path 3: Exploring Cultural Identity through Music

Songs as Cultural Symbols

During the Chicano movement, certain songs, like “Yo soy Chicano,” became powerful symbols for people who identified as Chicano/a.

These anthems united people who were working toward a common goal.

The same black and white photograph from slide 27 of Protestors Singing on the Picket Line, by Hub Segur, fills the right side of the slide.

Lesson 1: ¡Yo soy Chicano! / Path 3: Exploring Cultural Identity through Music

Personal Connections: Cultural Identity Is Complex!

Everyone has multiple facets of cultural identity that can be based on things like:

 

Hobbies

Ethnicity

Geography

Language

Religion

Nationality

Gender

Profession

Neighborhood

Beliefs

Values

Age/Generation

Race

Interests

Sports 

Etc…

Lesson 1: ¡Yo soy Chicano! / Path 3: Exploring Cultural Identity through Music

There Is No One Way to Be Chicano!

​​Even members of Chicano communities continue to discuss and debate how to name and express their cultural identity.​

​​​Written language can express this debate. For example ...

Members of the band Quetzal use the spelling Chican@ to acknowledge that culture is made by both men and women.

Quetzal, by Brian Cross. Smithsonian Folkways Recordings.

In this photo, cropped from the album liner notes, the six members of the band Quetzal are shown standing together from the chest up. There are two women and four men, wearing clothing of different colors, standing in font of a red and blue geometric print.

Lesson 1: ¡Yo soy Chicano! / Path 3: Exploring Cultural Identity through Music

Cultural Identity Creative Activity: Part One

Complete the “My Multicultural Self” worksheet.

Instructions: Place your name in the center and use the outside bubbles to name aspects that are important to defining who you are.

A preview of the "My Multicultural Self" worksheet shows a gray background with five speech/thought bubbles of different colors coming from the center.

(Used with permission from Learning for Justice)

Lesson 1: ¡Yo soy Chicano! / Path 3: Exploring Cultural Identity through Music

Exploring Cultural Identity through Music

Choose one of your identity bubbles to focus on…

 

Can you think of a song (anthem) that reflects this part of your cultural identity?

 

Lesson 1: ¡Yo soy Chicano! / Path 3: Exploring Cultural Identity through Music

Creative Activity: Part Two

Complete the “Exploring Cultural Identity through Music” worksheet

Instructions:

  1. Write out the lyrics to the song you chose.
  2. Can you find a place in the lyrics that celebrates this facet of your identity?
  3. Can you find a statement in the lyrics that is inspiring, motivating, or uplifting?
  4. Write 2-3 sentences that describe why this song serves as a symbol of pride for this facet of your cultural identity.

Exploring Cultural Identity through Music Worksheet

Lesson 1: ¡Yo soy Chicano! / Path 3: Exploring Cultural Identity through Music

Learning Checkpoint

 

  • Why did certain songs become “anthems” for people who identified as Chicano/a during the Chicano movement?

 

  • In what ways can music help us celebrate/re-affirm cultural identity and serve as a symbol of cultural pride?

 

Lesson 1: ¡Yo soy Chicano! / Path 3: Exploring Cultural Identity through Music

End of Path 3 and Lesson Hub 1! Where will you go next?

Continue to Lesson Hub 2:

 A History of Struggle: Precursors to the Chicano Movement

History and culture
Music listening
Music making

Return to the Pathway Homepage:

Estoy Aquí: Music of the Chicano Movement

Find a Different Smithsonian Folkways Music Pathway to Explore!

Choose an Intersecting Path:

Food, Dance, and Music as Culture

Cajun and Zydeco Music: Lesson 10, Path 1

History and culture

Lesson 1: ¡Yo soy Chicano!

Lesson Hub 1 Media Credits

Audio courtesy of​:

Smithsonian Folkways Recordings

 

Video courtesy of:​

Les Blank Films and Argot Productions

 

Images courtesy of:

Archives of American Art

The Arhoolie Foundation

Custom Creations

David Dilts

National Museum of African American History and Culture

National Museum of American History

National Portrait Gallery

Smithsonian American Art Museum

Smithsonian Folkways Recordings

TM/© 2021 the Cesar Chavez Foundation. www.chavezfoundation.org

© 2021 Smithsonian Institution. Personal, educational, and non-commercial uses allowed; commercial rights reserved. See Smithsonian terms of use for more information

This Lesson was funded in part by the Smithsonian Youth Access Grants Program with support from the Society for Ethnomusicology and the National Association for Music Education.

For full bibliography and media credits, see Lesson 1 landing page.

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