Chicano

Mexican-American

The word "chicano" has various means but in the essence of all of them is that it is someone with Mexican heritage born in the United States. Some would claim the Mexican heritage must be before the Mexican-American War (Mexican whom the border crossed), that both parents must be Mexican, or some other such qualification. Generally however, it the more inclusive definition is preferred. The word comes the original pronunciation of the word "Mexico", which in Nahuatl sound more like "me-shi-co". It was shortened and slightly hispanicized to form "chicano".