Skip to main content

Plan De Aztlan: Early Chicano Activism

Support Provided By
ave50-bumper

The Chicano social justice movements of the 1960s would evolve into two critical contributions to the conversation about Chicano life, politics, and culture: the Chicano Movement proper and the concept of Aztlan, which emerged in 1969. Aztlan was the notion that the entire Southwestern region of the United States was the spiritual homeland to a Chicano nation, this based on on ancient Aztec historical references to the region, as well as the long, historical presence of Mexican-Americans in the region dating back to before the time of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848.

To Ace Out a Homeboy, mural at Ramona Gardens by Manuel Cruz, for the Mechicano Art Center.
To Ace Out a Homeboy, mural at Ramona Gardens by Manuel Cruz, for the Mechicano Art Center.

El Plan Espiritual de Aztlan, drafted at the Denver Youth Conference of 1969, was perhaps the single most important philosophical document informing early, nationalist Chicano activism. Among the goals of the plan was the implementation of a revolutionary and popular art movement as a means of strengthening the cultural identity of the Chicano community. While this imperative would take on a variety of forms, in the visual arts the two most significant incarnations were the emergence of cultural art centers and public murals. The Chicano Movement and its social justice agenda were in the air, and it was only natural that its energy would influence the arts and vice versa.

Plan de Aztlan - Sybil Venegas - The Manifesto

The Manifesto
Sybil Venegas outlines the Plan de Aztlan Manifesto and how it was received by Mexican Americans.

Plan de Aztlan - John Valadez - Splinters in the Movement

Splinters in the Movement
John Valadez describes the conflicting forces within the Chicano Movement.

Support Provided By
Read More
Ed Fuentes, artwork Colette Miller (preview)

In Remembrance of Arts Journalist and Advocate Ed Fuentes

Collaborator and friend James Daichendt remembers Ed Fuentes, a longtime advocate of the arts, who passed away this week.
mount_baldy_photo_by_daniel_medina

The San Gabriels: The Remarkable History of L.A.'s Threatened National Monument

An exploration of the rich history and culture of the San Gabriel Mountains and its eponymous river.
Boyle Heights Street Vending. Credits: Feng Yuan

Is Los Angeles Finally Legalizing Street Vending?

Trend-setting entrepreneurs versus “illegal” street vendors is a confusing dichotomy that has become the center of many conversations.