THE EVOLUTION OF THE CONCEPT OF ‘CHICANO’

The identity of people of Mexican origin in the United States has undergone constant change over more than a century, refl ecting both demographic changes and struggles for recognition and political representation. Currently, Mexicans constitute a larger number that has positioned itself as the second largest demographic segment in the United States with sixty million (including illegal and undocumented immigrants), the “NEW MEXICANS” have even surpassed the African-American population, which only numbers forty-four million (LET'S GO NEW MEXICANS, I HAVE A NEW DREAM), (Jalife-Rahme, 2020). This demographic reality, together with the historical limitations of the term “Chicano” and new sociocultural contexts, has given rise to the emergence of a renewed identity proposal: the birth of the “New Mexicans” (Arango, 2025).

This concept emerges as an alternative that seeks to unify, empower, and redefi ne the experience of Mexican descendants in the United States, transcending the negative connotations of the past and establishing a more inclusive and contemporary narrative (García, 2021). Cesar Chávez would be proud that his movement evolved sixty-fi ve years later. We are in the 21st century, the world has changed, He would also be pleased that over the decades, great fi gures have emerged as “NEW MEXICANS,” including astronaut Jose Hernandez, who learned to speak English at the ACTUALIDAD

age of twelve, and current California Senator Alex Padilla, whose parents are from Jalisco and Chihuahua, respectively, among millions of “NEW MEXICANS” who are spread throughout the United States. to whom we must be grateful, as their functional system has led to the development of hundreds of eminent personalities in all fi elds, from politics and sports to gastronomy. At Disney, there are better-tasting pambazos than at a street stand in Mexico City (Isabel la Católica and Lorenzo Boturini). OR THE NUMBER ONE TACOS AL PASTOR IN NEW YORK, WHICH TASTE BETTER THAN THE TACOS IN OCOTLÁN, JALISCO (PLACE OF THE APPARITION OF THE LORD OF MERCY IN THE SKY IN 1847).

The adoption of the term “New Mexican” upon its emergence overcomes the negative connotations associated with the term ‘Chicano’ in the past. The term “Chicano” was used in some contexts in a pejorative manner to describe people of Mexican descent in the United States, which led to a negative reaction to the term (Arango, 2025).

Progressive aspects

- Inclusion: The birth and evolution of the “NEW MEXICANS” creates a bond among all people of Mexican descent in the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, emphasizing their shared heritage and promoting solidarity. (Arango, 2025)

- Cultural evolution: The birth and evolution of the “NEW MEXICANS” refl ects the development, progress, and growth of Mexican culture in the United States. (Arango, 2025)

- Empowerment: The birth and evolution of the “NEW MEXICANS” is the adoption of a term that celebrates the identity that empowers people to feel proud of their heritage and their contribution to American society, which should be given due recognition because its functional system gave rise to: the evolution of the concept of ‘Chicano’ and the birth of the “New Mexicans” with a new  identity. (Arango, 2025)