What is a Pachuca girl? Pachucas (from pachuca, the female counterpart to the pachuco
Pachuco
Pachuco refers to a subculture of Chicanos and Mexican-Americans, associated with zoot suits, street gangs, nightlife, and flamboyant public behavior. The idea of the pachuco – a zoot-suited, well-dressed, street-connected flamboyant playboy of Hispanic/Latino heritage – originated in El Pas…
What does Pachucas mean in English?
Pachucas (from pachuca, the female counterpart to the pachuco) were Mexican American women who wore zoot suits during World War II, also known as "cholitas", "slick chicks", and "lady zoot suiters". The suit was a symbol of rebellion due to the rationing of cloth for the war effort.
What does Quilligan Pachucas mean?
Quilligan Pachucas (from pachuca, the female counterpart to the pachuco) were Mexican American women who wore zoot suits during World War II, also known as "cholitas", "slick chicks", and "lady zoot suiters". The suit was a symbol of rebellion due to the rationing of cloth for the war effort.
What is a Chicana Pachuca?
Since the 1940s, Chicana ladies, in towns such as El Paso (known as Chuco Town), Los Angeles, and Tucson, redefined what it meant to be a woman in America. While women at the time were expected to stay home and be good girls, pachucas wore men’s clothes and hung out with their boyfriends.
Are Pachuca’s bloodthirsty?
Since the start of the Zoot Suit Riots, articles of Pachuca’s started to be written as them being bloodthirsty. The Pachuca’s were described as manly and a danger to society. Those articles that were produced in Los Angeles caused a crisis for all Mexican American women in general.
What is pachuca style?
The pachuca style in 1940s Los Angeles was variable; she could wear a cardigan underneath a broad-shouldered jacket, a knee-length skirt, and platform sandals or an actual zoot suit, with dark lipstick and her hair styled in a high bouffant.
What does pachuco mean in slang?
Definition of pachuco : a young Mexican-American having a taste for flashy clothes and a special jargon and usually belonging to a neighborhood gang.
Are Pachucos gangsters?
A 2017 story by a Los Angeles television station had the telling headline “Pachucos: Not Just Mexican-American Males or Juvenile Delinquents.” In fact, the first pachucos weren't usually gangsters, but rather Mexican and Mexican-American teenagers and 20-somethings who developed their own style in the 1930s and '40s.
Where did the Pachucos originate from?
El Paso, TexasPachucos emerged in El Paso, Texas, among a group of Chicano youth who were influenced by African American culture and urban 'hep cats,' although it may have roots in Pachuca, Hidalgo, Mexico, where loose-fitting clothing was popular among men.
What is a pocho?
But what, exactly, is pocho -- and is it a pejorative? Under the most common definition, pocho -- or the feminine pocha -- is slang for a Mexican American who is neither one nor the other, who speaks no Spanish or speaks it poorly, who is adrift between two cultures, or lives comfortably in both.
Do pachucos still exist?
To a large extent, Caló went mainstream and is one of the last surviving vestige of the Pachuco, often used in the lexicon of some urban Latin Americans in the United States to this day. The influence of Valdés is responsible for the assimilation of several Caló terms into Mexican slang.
How do Pachucos dress?
Zoot Suits are the custom dress of Pachucos. A Zoot Suit consists of high-waisted pants and long blazers, with excess fabric through the width of the pants and arms sleeves. The suits are often accompanied with fedoras and chains hanging from the waist.
Are zoot suits illegal?
In Los Angeles, it is illegal to wear a zoot suit. This law doesn't make much sense today, but back in the 1930s and '40s, good fabric was hard to come by because of the war effort. Zoot suits, because of their excessive fabric, were seen as unpatriotic.
What does the pachuco cross tattoo mean?
Pachuco cross tattoos symbolise solidarity and allegiance in Chicano gangsAshley Tyson/The Tattoo Dictionary. “A gang tattoo associated with Chicano (Mexican- American) gang members, a pachuco cross is usually worn between the thumb and the fore finger of the left hand” says Aitken Smith.
What is the Pachuca panic?
Escobedo begins with an overview of what she calls “the Pachuca panic”: the hysteria in the 1940s over Mexican female juvenile delinquency, especially as embodied by the “Pachuca” or young woman who donned the zoot-suit style.
Why are they called zoot suits?
Although its exact origin is unknown, the term “zoot suit” appears to have come from the rhyming slang, or jive, spoken in the African-American community at the time, Peiss says. “They were generally worn by young men of African-American descent, initially,” Peiss says.
What Chicano means?
CHICANO/CHICANA Someone who is native of, or descends from, Mexico and who lives in the United States. Chicano or Chicana is a chosen identity of some Mexican Americans in the United States.
Is it still illegal to wear a zoot suit?
In Los Angeles, it is illegal to wear a zoot suit. Zoot suits, because of their excessive fabric, were seen as unpatriotic. These suits were mainly worn by Hispanics in the Los Angeles area and led to several fights between the Hispanics and whites in the area. The law was passed to stop these large-scale altercations.
Why are they called Zoot suits?
Although its exact origin is unknown, the term “zoot suit” appears to have come from the rhyming slang, or jive, spoken in the African-American community at the time, Peiss says. “They were generally worn by young men of African-American descent, initially,” Peiss says.
What Chicano means?
CHICANO/CHICANA Someone who is native of, or descends from, Mexico and who lives in the United States. Chicano or Chicana is a chosen identity of some Mexican Americans in the United States.
What did the zoot suit symbolize?
Eventually, the zoot suit craze died down, but not without claiming a place in history as a symbol of resistance during a period of spiraling racial tensions.
What is the pachuco culture?
Pachucos are male members of a counterculture associated with zoot suit fashion, jazz and swing music , a distinct dialect known as caló, and self-empowerment in rejecting assimilation into Anglo-American society that emerged in Los Angeles in the late 1930s. The pachuco counterculture flourished among Chicano boys and men in the 1940s as a symbol of rebellion, especially in Los Angeles. It spread to women who became known as pachucas and were perceived as unruly, masculine, and un-American. Some pachucos adopted strong attitudes of social defiance, engaging in behavior seen as deviant by white/Anglo-American society, such as marijuana smoking, gang activity, and a turbulent night life. Although concentrated among a relatively small group of Mexican Americans, the pachuco counterculture became iconic among Chicanos and a predecessor for the cholo subculture which emerged among Chicano youth in the 1980s.
Where did the word "pachuco" come from?
The word 'pachuco' originated as the local Mexican Spanish slang term for a resident of the city of Los Angeles, probably early in the 20th century. ... The word is also said to mean 'punk' or 'troublemaker'.
What were the influences of the Pachuco Zoot suiters?
Pachuco zoot suiters were influenced by Black zoot suiters in the jazz and swing music scene on the east coast. In LA, Chicano zoot suiters developed their own cultural identity, "with their hair done in big pompadours, and 'draped' in tailor-made suits ...
Why did Pachucos wear zoot suits?
This enactment targeted Pachucos in particular because of the excess fabric used in their zoot suits. Pachucos boldly chose not to follow these regulations, demonstrating rebellious attitudes and pride in their culture. Pachucos continued to flaunt zoot suits, now attained through bootleg tailors. As a result, these flashy zoot suits were seen as unpatriotic by other Americans. This controversial series of events helped shape Pachuco culture, and zoot suits became a symbol of cultural pride among Mexican-Americans. It didn't all end well, however, as this also led to rising tension between Pachucos and other Americans, playing a part in the start of the 1944 Zoot Suit Riots.
What did Octavio Paz write about the Pachuco phenomenon?
The Mexican Nobel laureate Octavio Paz writes in the essay, "The Pachuco and Other Extremes" that the Pachuco phenomenon paralleled the zazou subculture in World War II -era Paris in style of clothing, music favored ( jazz, swing, and jump blues ), and attitudes.
What did the Pachucas wear?
Their makeup was heavy, particularly using a red colored lipstick. The preferred colors of clothing were black and gray. Some pachucas wore the traditionally male zoot suit, albeit with modifications to fit the female form. Sometimes, she donned the standard heavy gold pocket chain . Another variation involved a sweater or coat - often a variant on the male zoot-suit finger-tip jacket - over knee-length skirts, plus fishnet stockings or bobby socks and platform shoes. Extravagant dresses were and are also common among pachucas. Like the entire culture, the fashion aesthetic revolved around the concept of "see and be seen."
What is the name of the person who speaks shocking language in Costa Rica?
In Costa Rica the word pachuco refers to a person who has manners that are socially unacceptable and often uses shocking language when speaking. Pachuco is also a pejorative name given to certain colloquial words and expressions. Some consider pachuco and its pachuquismos to be Costa Rica's second language.
Other definitions for pachuca (2 of 2)
a city in and the capital of Hidalgo, in central Mexico: silver mines.
How to use pachuca in a sentence
During one of my recent visits to Mexico, bull fights were got up in my honor at Puebla and at Pachuca.
British Dictionary definitions for pachuca
a city in central Mexico, capital of Hidalgo state, in the Sierra Madre Oriental: silver mines; university (1961). Pop: 333 000 (2005 est)
What do you wear with pachuca and chola?
The result is edgy, moody, and really cool. Makeup artist Cat Soto has just this look. She will pair a green beanie with matching green lips, and black brows and liner with black lips, and don fedoras, flannels, Aqua Net, and T-shirts with Old English font.
What was the pachucas of the 40s?
Pachucas of the ’40s and ’50s (and since) were all about victory rolls, bumper bangs, and pompadours. Pencil skirts, button-ups, and round toe pumps, or their own zoot suit. These pachucas gave Chicanas the inspiration to continue the aesthetic, a mix of Mexican and American style, into what we know as the chola look.
What did Chicana women do in the 1940s?
Since the 1940s, Chicana ladies, in towns such as El Paso (known as Chuco Town), Los Angeles, and Tucson, redefined what it meant to be a woman in America. While women at the time were expected to stay home and be good girls, pachucas wore men’s clothes and hung out with their boyfriends. They spoke Caló, challenged gender norms, and were way ahead of their time. They were also stylish. Pachucas of the ’40s and ’50s (and since) were all about victory rolls, bumper bangs, and pompadours. Pencil skirts, button-ups, and round toe pumps, or their own zoot suit.
What does Winnonah Sarah look like?
Winnonah Sarah looks and dresses like a true OG chola. Her incredibly long hair features bangs and layers that are often styled back away from the face in a ’70s chola style, and her intense black liner and white shadow also bring to mind the 1970s.
Who is the Latinx makeup artist?
Another Latinx makeup artist who brings home the chola/pachuca aesthetic is Alejandra Garcia. The Chicana in Los Angeles wears her hair big, has her acrylics on point, wears her hoops in gold, and dons a flower in her hair and an off-the-shoulder bodycon dress like a vintage pachuca.
Who plays Sad Girl in Mi Vida Loca?
One of the 1993 film’s stars is Angel Aviles, who plays Sad Girl. Today, she is a life coach, motivational speaker, and business owner, but her Instagram page still gives us chola vibes (and inspiration!). You’ll see Angel rocking old school fedoras, big hoops, and brown lipstick with dark lip liner, and sharing cool products that have been emblazoned with her character Sad Girl.
Who is Hella Breezy?
She is the co-founder of the women-owned Somewhere Else Art Space, a member of The Homegirl Syndicate, and a member of the Bay Area chapter of Chulita Vinyl Club. Hella Breezy also models for several dope brands and can be seen rocking white tanks, khakis, black and white Cortez, Raiders jackets, and a Selena tee, as wells as red lips, winged liner, ’40s pompadours, and 1960s inspired hair and makeup.
Overview
La Pachuca
The "Pachuca," the female counterpart of the Pachuco, had an aesthetic sensibility as strong as the male zoot suiter. The Pachuca's hairstyle tended to be a high "coif" or bouffant, with the hair put up in some way (a more pronounced version of the typical hair style of the time) by ratting their hair or affixing hair rats. Their makeup was heavy, particularly using a red colored lipstick. The preferred colors of clothing were black and gray. Some pachucas wore the traditionally male zo…
Etymology
The word "pachuco" is uncertain, but one theory connects it to the city of El Paso, Texas, which was sometimes referred to as "Chuco Town" or "El Chuco." People migrating to El Paso from Ciudad Juarez would say, in Spanish, that they were going "pa' El Chuco." Some say "pa El Chuco" comes from the words Shoe Co., a shoe company that was located in El Paso in the 1940s during the war. The majority of Mexican migrants would cross the border in order to work for this famo…
Style
Pachuco style was a dominating trend among Mexican-American youth in the 1930s-40s. Pachucos became known for their distinguished look, dialogue, and actions. Pachucos dressed in recognizable Zoot suits, and often styled their hair into ducktails. Things like decorative chains and tattoos were also sometimes part of the pachuco look. The unique speech of pachucos was a very important element of their defined style. Consisting of creative phrases and some English …
Culture
It is known that German Valdés” Tin Tan” lived in Cd Juarez Chihuahua Mexico, where the word Pachuco emerged from.
The Mexican Nobel laureate Octavio Paz writes in the essay, "The Pachuco and Other Extremes" that the Pachuco phenomenon paralleled the zazou subculture in World War II-era Paris in style of clothing, music favored (jazz, swing, and jum…
Costa Rica
The term "pachuco" is used in Costa Rica to define Costa Rican slang. It nevertheless differs from the Mexican slang.
In Costa Rica the term "pachuco" refers to someone who has common habits and who is often very rude. In Costa Rica the word pachuco refers to a person who has manners that are socially unacceptable and often uses shocking language when speaking. Pachuco is also a pejorative na…
See also
• Zoot Suit Riots – a confrontation between pachucos and U.S. servicemen in Los Angeles during World War II in which unarmed pachucos were brutally beaten and jailed
• The opening scenes of the film American Me depict confrontations between pachucos and white American soldiers during the Zoot Suit Riots.
Further reading
• Barker, George Carpenter. Pachuco: an American-Spanish argot and its social functions in Tucson, Arizona. University of Arizona Press, 1950.
• Cummings, Laura L. (2003). "Cloth-Wrapped People, Trouble, and Power: Pachuco Culture in the Greater Southwest". Journal of the Southwest. 45 (3): 329–348. JSTOR 40170329.