aztlan

The San Patricio Batallón: Aztlan’s Irish heroes (4 music videos)

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🇲🇽 ❤️ 🇮🇪

This corrido by Orange County Celtic-rock homies The Fenians tells the tragic story of the San Patricios, the St. Patrick’s Battalion.

The unit of 200 mostly Catholic Irish immigrants deserted the United States Army and fought with the Mexican Army against the U.S.A. in the Mexican–American War.

Scots-British post-punk The Wakes Band offer their version of the story next. The video’s not much to look at but the lyrics are killer, so read along below:

Mas…The San Patricio Batallón: Aztlan’s Irish heroes (4 music videos)

The most popular names in California? Garcia, Hernandez, y Lopez

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We’ve been mocking Ancestry’s DNA test commercials for a while because we can.

Ancestry also has a lot of vital data from its members and research, like what surnames are most popular in the 50 states.

Turns out California tops Texas in the Reconquista; the most popular names in Califas are Garcia, Hernandez and Lopez. Texas has a SMITH stuck between Garcia and Martinez, while New Mexico represents with Garcia, Martinez and Chavez. Make your own jokes about Arizona.

PREVIOUSLY ON ANCESTRY DNA:

Mas…The most popular names in California? Garcia, Hernandez, y Lopez

The San Patricio Batallón: Aztlan’s Irish heroes (4 music videos)

by

🇲🇽 ❤️ 🇮🇪

This corrido by Orange County Celtic-rock homies The Fenians tells the tragic story of the San Patricios, the St. Patrick’s Battalion.

The unit of 200 mostly Catholic Irish immigrants deserted the United States Army and fought with the Mexican Army against the U.S.A. in the Mexican–American War.

Scots-British post-punk The Wakes Band offer their version of the story next. The video’s not much to look at but the lyrics are killer, so read along below:

Mas…The San Patricio Batallón: Aztlan’s Irish heroes (4 music videos)

RIP y QDEP: Ramón ‘Chunky’ Sanchez, pocho hero of San Diego

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lalo_chunky_sanchezI was sad to hear that San Diego and Barrio Logan Chicano icon Ramón “Chunky” Sanchez passed away Friday at the age of 65.

Born in 1951 in Blythe, California, Chunky learned to play music from his family, and lived his childhood as a migrant farmworker. He left the farm he worked with his father soon after hearing the owner tell his dad that Chunky would make a great foreman when he was gone.

He decided to go to college, and eventually landed at San Diego State. Chunky and his brother Ricardo’s band Los Alacranes Mojados were a fixture when I was a MEChista at San Diego State; I can’t tell you how many events they played for us and for the entire movimiento.

Mas…RIP y QDEP: Ramón ‘Chunky’ Sanchez, pocho hero of San Diego

True Story: I was a teenaged guera, white like Jesus too

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bigblondejesusIn 1969, my mother registered to vote as a member of La Raza Unida, an independent “third party.”

When she came home and shared the news with her father — declaring that she was a “Chicana” — he grew angry.

He told her never to use that word, since “Chicano” was a derogatory term when he was growing up.

Despite my mother’s defiance of the patriarchal family regime that day, she never talked much about the importance of our Mexican heritage or exploring the values of Xicanisma.

Mom did send me to an all-girls Catholic high school, however, and maybe that was an attempt at showing me empowerment for women. The school was in 75% white Glendora, though, so our Jesus statues were white (photo, above), just like our feminism. 

Mas…True Story: I was a teenaged guera, white like Jesus too

The San Patricio Batallón: Irish heroes of Aztlan (4 music videos)

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This corrido by Orange County Celtic-rock homies The Fenians tells the tragic story of the San Patricios, the St. Patrick’s Battalion.

The unit of 200 mostly Catholic Irish immigrants deserted the United States Army and fought with the Mexican Army against the U.S.A. in the Mexican–American War.

Scots-British post-punk The Wakes Band offer their version of the story next. The video’s not much to look at but the lyrics are killer, so read along below:

Mas…The San Patricio Batallón: Irish heroes of Aztlan (4 music videos)

El Vez live at the Tiki Oasis: He’s going to ‘Aztlan’ (videos, toon)

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The Tiki Oasis, San Diego, Califas 2014: El Vez is going to Aztlan — that’s where he wants to be. “The Mexican Elvis” (real name Robert Lopez) is from Chula Vista, Califas, so he’s already there. POCHO world headquarters — in East Los — tambien!

Here’s the studio version, from his album Gracias Land:

Mas…El Vez live at the Tiki Oasis: He’s going to ‘Aztlan’ (videos, toon)

Bienvenidos a Minneapolis, Minnesota, Aztlan (photos)

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zootsuitsDuring the National Association of Black Journalists Convention in Minneapolis last weekend I decided to take a break and visit East Lake Street.

That’s the heart of the city’s Mexican and Somali immigrant communities. I had tacos at Taqueria Los Ocampo then strolled down East Lake and discovered scenes one might find in East Los Angeles, Houston’s Northside or Albuquerque’s South Valley.

The murals were a reflection of a people who came north…way north.

I like these photos especially:

Mas…Bienvenidos a Minneapolis, Minnesota, Aztlan (photos)

The San Patricio Batallón: The Irish heroes of Aztlan (music videos)

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This corrido by Orange County Celtic-rock homies The Fenians tells the tragic story of the San Patricios, the St. Patrick’s Battalion.

The unit of 200 mostly Catholic Irish immigrants deserted the United States Army and fought with the Mexican Army against the U.S.A. in the Mexican–American War.

Scots-British post-punk The Wakes Band offer their version of the story next. The video’s not much to look at but the lyrics are killer, so read along below:

Mas…The San Patricio Batallón: The Irish heroes of Aztlan (music videos)

Ask A Mexican: Should Mexicans move to the South? (video)

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It’s complicated, but Gustavo ¡Ask A Mexican! Arellano considers the future of Mexican-Americans in the South and suggests it’s the new, unconquered Aztlan ripe for the Reconquista Part II. After all, paisas and good ole’ boys are the same with the horses and the whiskey and the marrying their second cousins, right? (Gustavo’s art courtesy Memo Nerricio’s Tex[t]-Mex Gallery and Steve Alvarez’ Mexington.

Al Madrigal is a coconut on a quest for identity: ‘Half Like Me’ (video)

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alcoconutPOCHO Migrant Editor Al Madrigal’s epic quest for identity — Half Like Me — debuts on FUSION next Thursday.

Coconut Madrigal (white inside, brown outside) knew turning an intensely personal journey into a docu-comedy wouldn’t be one easy trick, but he never anticipated what happened next.

“I set out to dial down my pocho level from a ten to a five,” he told POCHO in a text message Tuesday night, “and ultimately something much greater and unexpected happened. I ended up not giving a shit.”

“I encourage others to try it, feels great.”

Al got some help from three mostly-reliable sources:

Mas…Al Madrigal is a coconut on a quest for identity: ‘Half Like Me’ (video)

The Irish heroes of Aztlan: The San Patricio Batallón (music videos)

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This corrido by Orange County Celtic-rock homies The Fenians tells the brave and tragic story of the San Patricios, the St. Patrick’s Battalion, formed and led by Jon Riley, a unit of 200 or so mostly Catholic Irish immigrants who fought as part of the Mexican Army against the United States in the Mexican–American War. Most of the battalion’s members had deserted or defected from the United States Army. (Wikipedia.)

Scots-British post-punk The Wakes Band offer their version of the story next. The video’s not much to look at but the lyrics are killer, so read along below:

Mas…The Irish heroes of Aztlan: The San Patricio Batallón (music videos)