Chicano tattoo art: A blend of culture and history

EDINBURG, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Hispanic culture is represented and expressed in various forms, ranging from food and celebrations to art and tattoos.

While tattoos can be considered taboo in the Hispanic culture, the Chicano tattoo art style carries historical roots and cultural references embedded within its iconography.

Alamo tattoo artist Kandi Kasket specializes in Chicano-style artwork.

Kasket began her tattoo artistry journey in 2020 as an apprentice, but her love of art has been with her since childhood.

Kasket told ValleyCentral the first tattoo artist she was intrigued by was Kat Von D, a well-known Mexican-American tattoo artist featured in shows such as LA Ink and Miami Ink.

"Since I was like a little kid, the first tattoo person I ever saw was Kat Von D. I'm not really a fan of hers, but when I was a little girl, that was the first tattooed woman I ever saw," Kasket said. "I remember just thinking, 'I want to look like her, I want to do what she does, she's so cool.'"

Her passion for art followed her to college, where she obtained her bachelor's degree in art. Kasket is currently pursuing her master's degree in art.

Being surrounded by her culture, such as attending lowrider car shows, has inspired her to create Mexican American art.

"I feel like there's always been a Chicano influence in my work," Kasket said. "Even when I first started tattooing, my first tattoo I ever did was a heart with an eye that was crying. I feel like that was a Chicano-inspired. I always loved everything that is a part of my culture."

She added that she always felt drawn to Chicano tattoos, from the thin lines to the shading; she always loved the art style.

However, when did this art style start?

When did the Chicano art style begin?

During the 1920s through the 1940s, migration had peaked, and many Mexican Americans faced issues of racism, classism, and discrimination in the United States.

In the 1940s, the Chicano youth were part of the Zoot Suit Riots, which caused the death of many young Latino men in Los Angeles.

Approximately in the 1950s, the Pachuco lifestyle began to decline and the Mexican American youth traded their Zoot Suits for sharply creased khakis, white undershirts, black belts and bandanas, creating a new style of streetwear.

This new style of streetwear was a symbol of pride and patriotism.

From clothes to cars, the Chicano style can not be mentioned without the famous lowriders. Lowriders became popular from the 1940s to the 1970s, when Mexican Americans would modify their cars with low suspensions, paint vehicles with vibrant colors, and add details, such as roses and filigree script.

Lowriders are a key point to Chicano history and identity as they portray resistance and pride that can be seen through various types of art forms such as music, movies, fashion, tattoos, and paños.

What are Paños?

In the 1940s to the 1950s, prison inmates and the Pachuco gang culture were the core of the history behind Chicano tattoos.

The inmates began using very few materials available in prison to express their life experiences through art.

An example of how inmates told their story through art is by creating paños.

Inmates began creating paños, a prison art form made from linen sheets or handkerchiefs, as a way to communicate with the outside world.

Before tattooing, they would draw on a handkerchief with colored pencils or ballpoint pens to illustrate their lives before being imprisoned.

They would draw scenes from their barrio, experiences they had from gang life, beautiful women, lowriders, religious figures, or cartoons on these Paños.

In some instances, inmates would create these Paños with religious figures or cartoons as gifts for their loved ones from behind bars.

What is a Chicano tattoo?

From linen to skin, the Paños slowly began to transition to being permanently inked into the skin as inmates pieced together a homemade tattoo machine using only materials available in prison.

The Chicano art style is distinct, characterized by black and grey shading, religious/cultural figures, and Old English/cursive lettering.

Inmates would use handmade tattoo machines, which were made from ballpoint pens, needles, guitar strings, and parts from old boomboxes. Instead of having vibrant, colored tattoos, which are more frequently seen in the current tattoo generation, inmates would often use black ink from pens they had in prison.

In order to obtain a different color, they would water down the black ink to create a gray shade, which was used for shading and dimension.

Lowriders, praying hands, lettering, teardrops, payasas, La Virgen De Guadalupe, the sacred heart, roses, skulls and rosaries are among the most popular Chicano tattoo designs.

_{Chicano tattoo stencils created by tattoo artist Kandi Kasket. (Courtesy of: Kandi Kasket art)}

Each tattoo is also known to have its own meaning. For example, a payasa tattoo, inspired by the dramatic and comedic masks, can signify the balance of hardships and happiness in life.

Religious tattoos, such as rosaries and La Virgen de Guadalupe, are usually tied to strong Catholic beliefs.

Teardrop tattoos often signify sorrow, loss or grief of a loved one. However, it can also have a meaning of a life taken or a violent death.

The evolution and cultural significance of Chicano tattoos

In the 1960s, Chicano-style tattoos represented pride, gave a story, and expressed their culture with religious figures, roses, mythological figures, pop-culture icons, and elements of street life.

^{Tattoos created by tattoo artist Kandi Kasket. (Courtesy of Kandi Kasket Art)}

In the late 1990s to early 2000s, new forms of Chicano art began popping up, including a well-known collectible figure called "Homies."

Homies, created by David Gonzales, were initially sold in vending machines and on local store shelves. Gonzales was inspired to create this figure from a lowrider magazine from the 1970s, early 1980s, as well as featured characters based on his friends and himself.

Homies are a group of Chicano friends from a fictional gang called "Quiensabe barrio" from East Los Angeles, dressed in creased khakis, white undershirts, black belts and bandanas.

Soon, these figures not only were being tattooed but also inspired a new wave of art designs, such as the Chicana Looney-Tunes characters, Betty Boop, and others.

Kasket told ValleyCentral she is currently working on a Chicano fusion of Looney-Tunes characters such as Lola Bunny, Baby Looney-Tunes and Precious Moments.

Chicano My Melody hybrid tattoo by Kandy Kasket. (Courtesy of: Kandy Kasket art)

Tattoo artist Kandi Kasket (Courtesy of: Kandi Kasket art)

"I have [tattooed] Baby Looney-Tunes before, but now I want to do a fusion of Chicano Looney-Tunes like Lola Bunny, something girly," she said. "I've also [tattooed] Precious Moments, I would like to revisit that and create a more of a Cholo twist, maybe with little clowns."

Although this style of art form may have included new, more modern pop culture designs, it still has an impact on Mexican American history.

While some may get a Homies tattoo or Chicana Tweety-Bird, many still get cultural or religious symbols such as Aztec imagery and La Virgen De Guadalupe to represent pride and heritage.

Kasket told ValleyCentral that as a Chicana tattoo artist herself, it means a lot to her to do this line of work and represent her culture, but she can relate to the pressure one can feel in this industry.

"I've heard a lot of people say, 'I want to get a good tattoo but I need to leave the Valley' and I'm like, 'What are you talking about? The Valley is full of amazing artists,'" she said. "I love [tattooing], but there's pressure to it; I just want to make sure everything I do benefits [the community]. I wouldn't want to represent my culture in a bad way."

Those interested in booking a tattoo from Kasket can visit her Instagram page @kandi.kasket or schedule a consultation at Trenton Point Tattoo, located at 2105 W Trenton Road in Edinburg.