A Chicano is a person of Mexican decent and usually a man or boy. As with most cultures, the people of Mexico have a big sense of pride when it comes to where they are from and their culture. So much so, they brought into the United States to stay. The Mexican culture has impacted the United States in a big way and many people that live here can’t tell the difference of what Mexican culture is or not because it is just a part of life now. Chicanos are extremely prideful and get many tattoos that represent them, their family and where they are from.

These tattoos are done in black and many of them have specific designs based on the culture Chicanos experience. You will often see portraits, murals, religious themes and different fonts tattooed on the body. Every Chicano tattoo can be different and much of it depends on the experiences of the person getting the tattoo. There is a lot of history behind this style of tattooing and a lot of meaning as well.

In this post, we are going to talk about those Chicano tattoos and what they mean to the people getting them. We will also dive into the history of Chicano tattoos and talk about where they came from. We will also talk about some of the more popular variations of the Chicano tattoo and what those symbolize for that person. By the time you finish reading this we hope you have a better understanding of Chicano tattoos and the rich and important history behind them.

History of Chicano Tattooing

The term Chicano or Chicana is a term that was created to classify a group of people of Mexican descent that live in the United States. It wasn’t a term of endearment until the Mexican people took it to be their identity during the 1960’s Chicano movement. Before World War II, the Chicanos were discriminated against but there was an overall acceptance, for the most part, when the men of the Chicano community fought side by side, next to Caucasian men in the war. However, the price of living in the big cities had the Mexican people moving into the suburbs and starting their own communities better known as the “barrios.” From there, a brand new style was born in the Mexican community. The youth of the area created their own style wearing things like disk caps and plumes, large clothes and big chains as part of a way to reflect their economic status. In the 1960’s, one of the ways the Chicano fought back against oppression was with art and they would cover the walls with giant murals that reflected the way they felt at the time. These murals consisted of many ideas which are still used in Chicano tattoos today.