Pachuco Style

Pachuco Is a youth subculture within the Mexican American community. The media portrayed Mexican Americans as unpatriotic delinquents.  Pachuco arose from conflicts Mexican youth faced when interacting with the American culture. The upheaval of the Mexican Revolution along with the exploitation of the Mexican people created tension.  This subculture formed along the U.S.-Mexico border during the late 19th and early 20th century. The term pachuco means from the border city: "del pachuco". The subculture provided a community and space for Mexican Americans to push back against the prejudice and injustice they faced in the U.S.

The subculture is distinguished by its unique language and dress. Early Pachuco used the Caló language influenced by combining English and Spanish creating colloquial terms to help conceal conversations. The clothing is a loud form of self-expression. This clothing was a protest of American tradition. The men wore suits with wide lapels and shoulder pads and high-waisted trousers. The dress was inspired by the suit suits from African American communities in Harlem.  The zoot suit was seen as unpatriotic by Americans and considered an excessive waste of fabric. These outfits became symbols of resistance to popular American culture. Women would wear tight skirts with hair tied up high and heavily applied makeup, especially around the eyes. Accessories included hats, feathers, and chains. The Pachuco subculture also had its distinct music that protested the criminalization of Mexican American youth.