PERSPECTIVES

In this article we want to explain the point of view that Mexicans and Americans have about the phenomenon of Chicano people. It’s not easy to include thousands of opinions into one to define the others, but we find some interesting opinions in general.

In his book La lucha de los Chicanos y la revolución proletaria en Estados Unidos (2001), the PCR mentions that the oppression and discrimination of Chicanos have two principal reason: the first one is the historical oppression of a people "conquered"; and the second one is international, with the globalization USA play the role of oppressor over the south of Texas. USA uses Texas as a source of migrant workers, when in the reality Texas citizens should have the same rights since they actually have the American nationality. As Abigail Calleja says in the newspaper El Cotidiano (p. 90) Mexican discrimination exist since century XIX, when the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo generated thousands of Mexicans wake up in a different country without even know. With the sale of more than half of Mexico's territory, people who stayed in the new American territory were treated like second hand citizens and called ‘’wet-back’’ because of the immigration by the Rio Bravo. Discriminatory attitudes of society to the Mexican American community and Mexican accrued in the community need to organize for self-defense. That is how the struggle for the rights of Chicanos and Mexicans started. (p. 75)

On the other hand we have the Mexicans perspective; according to Rodriguez (2005) Mexicans and Chicanos does not have a good relationship with each other. From one part Mexicans believe that Chicanos are denationalized individuals and that they just want to be like American citizens, however this vision has changed after emergence of the Chicano movement which raises awareness and solidarity of Mexicans “from the other side” as they are called in Mexico. At the same time Chicanos have that feeling of incomprehension and resentment about Mexicans since they don’t have any support they must live with that oppression and keep fighting for their rights as they are doing it since the 60`s. (p. 16)