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Chicano Poetry

This is an overview of Chicano Poetry. From its pre-colonial origins to the Chicano Movement ending in the contemporary body of literature and works.

Náhuatl tradition in Chicano poetry

In developing what would become Chicano Poetry, Alurista sought to craft his poetry by infusing it with pre-colonial imagery and influences from the Aztecs. A big component of this mixture was the use of the "ch" sound for the Spanish language "x" that had been changed to a "j" sound in the Spanish language. The name "Chicano" itself comes from this change in the "x" sound as it comes from the "xicano" in "mexicano" or Mexican. Furthermore, the poetry sought to go back to the Mexica motherland of Aztlán where the mexica (Aztecs) came from. Geographically, Aztlán corresponds to the Southwestern United States, so the renaming of this part of the country as Aztlán for the Chicanos was an act of re-appropriation of land that had historically been sacred to their ancestors.  

Selected Readings

Selected bibliography from WU Catalog

Alveláis Pozos, Luis. Los cantos de Nezahualcóyotl: nuevos enfoques sobre la poesía de Nezahualcóyotl. 1. ed, Instituto Mexiquense de Cultura, 1993.
Asturias, Miguel Angel. Poesía Precolombina. Compañia General Fabril Editora, 1960.
Barro y Canto: Una Mirada Al Pensamiento Náhuatl. Fundación Cultural Armella Spitalier, 2008. catalog.wustl.edu Library Catalog, 
Bierhorst, John, editor. Ballads of the Lords of New Spain: The Codex Romances de Los Señores de La Nueva España. 1st ed, University of Texas Press, 2009. catalog.wustl.edu Library Catalog
Brinton, Daniel G. Ancient Nahuatl Poetry, Containing the Nahuatl Text of XXVII Ancient Mexican Poems. AMS Press, 1969.
---. Rig Veda Americanus: Sacred Songs of the Ancient Mexicans,with a Gloss in Nahuatl. AMS Press, 1969.
Everwine, Peter, et al. What a Word Dreamt: Versions of Aztec Poetry. Sutton Hoo Press, 2005.
Garibay K., Angel María, and Juan Bautista Pomar, editors. Poesía Náhuatl. 1. ed., Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Instituto de Historia, Seminario de Cultura Náhuatl, 1964.
Hernández, Natalio. Canto nuevo de Anahuac. 1. ed, Editorial Diana, 1994.
Leander, Birgitta. In xochitl in cuicatl: Flor y canto; la poesía de los aztecas. 1. ed., Instituto Nacional Indigenista, 1972.
Lee, Jongsoo. The Allure of Nezahualcoyotl: Pre-Hispanic History, Religion, and Nahua Poetics. University of New Mexico Press, 2008.
---. The Allure of Nezahualcoyotl: Pre-Hispanic History, Religion, and Nahua Poetics. University of New Mexico Press, 2008. catalog.wustl.edu Library Catalog, 
León Portilla, Miguel, et al., editors. La tinta negra y roja: antología de poesía náhuatl. Circulo de Lectores, Galaxia Gutenberg ; Ediciones Era : El Colegio Nacional, 2008.
---. Poesía náhuatl: la de ellos y la mía. 1. ed, Diana, 2006.
---, editor. Quince poetas del mundo náhuatl. 1. ed, Editorial Diana, 1994.
---. Trece Poetas Del Mundo Azteca. 1. ed., Universidad Nacional Autonoma de México, Instituto de Investigaciones Históricas, 1967.
---. Trece Poetas Del Mundo Azteca. 2a ed., 1a reimpresión, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Instituto de Investigaciones Históricas, 1975.
Osuna, Rafael. Introducción a La Lírica Prehispánica. Universidad del Zulia, Facultad de Humanidades y Educación, 1968.