Customer Reviews

500 Anos Del Pueblo Chicano / 500 Years of Chicano History: In Pictures

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include Mexican revolution history as their history? I just started laughing. I said, ay mami! I said, do you consider me Mexican, she said yes, i said do you consider me American, she said yes, I said, do you consider me both, and she said yes, and I said, then both histories are part of my history, except that my history is different that just american history, so this book shows in pictures people I need to learn about, and stories I need to hear. She said, ok mija.... but anyway, this book is great. An old High School Teacher from El Cajon High School in San Bernardino teaches his spanish class with this book. It was $25 dollars back then, but this book is wonderful. It teaches us how we learn most easliy. I mean, most people like me who come from indigenous backgrounds learn orally and visually their traditions, and this book helped me learn about my history visually and literally too because it is bilingual. It has great poems from I am Joaquin to excerpts from Gloria Anzaldua, and of course all your favorite farm labor activists, and chicano activists from the 70's. I love this book. Its definately a must buy for all chicanos who want to teach their kids about their history. z

I truly enjoyed reading through this book. I do have to say though, that it's sad to read about the Centro Cultural de la Raza in San Diego when it was a thriving grassroots Chicano arts and culture venue. Just three years ago, it succumbed to a corporate takeover throwing the original artists/founders out as a result. The place still operates but it's not a true Chicano venue by any means. It's Disney Mexico-Land at best. It's clear the struggle is far from over, and although many think the Chicano Movement is no longer necessary (yeah, believe it or not, I've heard it said!), I beg to differ.

The information in this book could be the news of today, and in some ways, things have gotten worse. This book was written pre-NAFTA, pre-expanded xenophobia since 9/11 and pre-expanded anti-immigrant (Mexican) sentiment in California, so who could have believed things could actually get worse! But they did. Time to rev up the movement again.

This book was very eye opening, it opens the minds of people to ideas that are not in the our American "HISTORY" books. Besides reading about the struggles that Chicanos faced, it also has pictures (to visualize). The book is not only informative but empowering. Anyone working for Justice should read this book, because it encourages the reader to fight the fight.