- Thesis statement -
My tentative title: Reenvisioning
Mesoamerican Iconography in Chicano Ideology: Another Look or Perspective on
an American Identity
1 - I have become intrigued
by Chicano ideology for some time now. I have always wondered of the claims
of activists on their actual knowledge and understanding of Mesoamerican ideology
as well as iconography. Past identity buidling strategies have been used to
unify a collective workforce for strategic union and labor reforms. Now that
these reforms have passed and "Chicanos" no longer are tied to the
land as was assumed a generation ago, what is the new identity to aspire to?
To me, those old modes of image making no longer apply and need to be updated.
2 - Chicano identity
has been traditionally tied to native groups by borrowing traditions geared
to earth deity complex relationships. The earth mother is invoked and venerated
as the supreme deity who is also manifest as the Virgen de Guadalupe through
the myth/story of Juan Diego. These ideas reinforce steriotypical attitudes
towards Mexican Americans who are treated as second rate citizens and are thought
of as large working class community. There is no longer a need to by tied to
the earth complex as many Mexican Americans no longer speak Spanish much like
other native groups in Mexico that are also monolingual but in their traditional
native tongues: glottal stops and all! With this in mind, I will attempt a new
understanding of Mexican identity building utilizing core Maya calendrical and
shamanistic practices as a primer for the new ideology.