Chicano spirituality in the construction of an imagined nation: Aztlán

Abstract

The authors focus on the creation, by Mexicans born in the United States, of an ‘imagined nation’ named Aztlán. Having arisen in the struggle of the Chicanos for recognition of their cultural citizenship, it has now found a new significance in the revival of an ancestral religiosity. This nation is based on the creation of a mythic spirituality with both political and cultural meanings. The authors analyze the symbolic efficacy for the Chicano population of various strategies: a) the construction of a symbolic lineage based on tradition and the experience of the Aztec Conchera dance, a syncretic ritual in popular Mexican Catholicism; b) a reproduction or reenactment of the founding myths of the Mexican nation as a way to legitimize the existence of a spiritual nation that spreads over both sides of the international border; c) the appropriation of territories where the Chicanos can practice their rituals.

Translating Spirituality: Universalism and Particularism in the Diffusion of Spiritual Care from the United States to Israel

“…While this dance was first adopted by the movement to rescue Mexicanism in Mexico, it soon became an anchor of a “supra‐ethnic” identity for the Chicano movement—that is, people of Mexican descent residing in the United States. These actors used the dance as a tool that enabled Mexicans in the United States “to gain recognition as citizens belonging to an ethnic minority” (De La Torre and Gutiérrez Zúñiga :222, 223). These dances, however, received different interpretations and did not necessarily serve as identity markers as they traveled to Mexico or to Spain.…”

“…We pay particular attention to case studies that can shed light on how different positions between particularism and universalism (including national, ethnic, and cosmopolitan identifications) lead to various translation attempts in different parts of TSFs. Examples include the Aztec Conchera Mexican‐Catholic dance, mindfulness meditation, and yoga (De La Torre and Gutiérrez Zúñiga ; Kucinskas ; Strauss ). We return to these case studies in the discussion.…”

The New Age and the awakening of a decolonial consciousness from Mexico

“…The practice of dance, which includes the experience of the rhythm of music produced with ancestral instruments, makeup and indigenous attire constitute an embodied experience of ‘being Indian’. Along with the Chicano muralist expressions, it has become a tool for the appropriation of territory and the affirmation of their right to be different (De la Torre and Gutiérrez Zúñiga, 2012, 2013).…”

A Chicano’s Poetic Exploration: Usando mi autohistoria-teoría para ver los lobos, correr con los coyotes, y vivir como el zorro

“…We belong here in the academy; we belong in this microcosm of society just as in any other. In remembrance of Corky, de la lucha, del movimiento, this is my revolutionary cry, mi grito, to call upon my peers to join me in the quest to reclaim the spaces that are our lineage and systems of learning, to be Indigenous Chicanos of one community (De La Torre & Zúñiga, 2013). A new revolutionary rallying cry por nuestra raza, por nuestra gente to the academy (De La Torre & Zúñiga, 2013;García, 2010;Gunckel, 2016).…”