Written by Vanessa Garcia

“It was the secret fantasy of every bato in and out of the Pachucada to put on a Zoot Suit and play the myth…”  Excerpt from the movie Zoot Suit.

The image of the sharply clad, debonair Pachuco, has often been two sided.  While they’ve been viewed in the past as un-ambitious gang members driven by their need to rebel against a society that rejects them, they have also evolved into a mythical modern-day legend of the suave vato who’s polished demeanor has mysteriously become the object of much affection by barrio youth.  The Labyrinth of Solitude, by Octavio Paz, further feeds the misunderstanding of 1940’s youth by claiming they hid behind their clothing, masking their identity due to an inferiority complex.  While on the other hand, the stage plays Zoot Suit and Bernabe, by Luis Valdez, explore the complexity of the Pachuco through examining the society in which he lived, as well as the mythological influence hidden behind his persona.  The Pachuco was not a rebel without cause as Paz suggests, their culture was created by the offspring of Latino immigrants, who were caught between two worlds: the Brown traditions of their parents, and the American mainstream society.  These individuals, through their sense of not completely belonging to either culture combined the two, creating their own identity by claiming their roots in each society, rather than rejecting them both.  Zoot Suit serves as narrative for the Sleepy Lagoon Murder Trial of 1942, giving the audience an insider’s perspective of many worlds occupied by the Pachuco.

From El Paso to East Los, young Latinos chose to identify themselves through the Zoot Suits they wore: an exaggerated suit with baggy pants tapered at the ankles, accessorized with a long chain, and big pompadour hair.   They blended Spanish and English to form what is known as Calo, which is usually only understood by the Pachuco, while remaining foreign to the English and Spanish speaker outside of the socialized Pachuco group.   “Me entiendes, Mendez?” “Nel, Pastel!” “Al Rato, Vato,” and “Que pues, Noes?” are a few of the esoteric expressions of the Pachucada.  In addition, they listened to music from both cultures, but chose swing, as well as other big bands, as their main source of musical inspiration. 

The identity of the Pachuco is seen in many aspects.  While one may claim they were simply gang youth, corrupted by their own poverty and disassociation by the society in which they live, as suggested by Octavio Paz, they’re also seen as predecessors of the Chicano culture.  As with other forms of subcultures, they are defined through their dress, language, and socialization.  

In The Labyrinth of Solitude, Paz claims the nature of the Pachuco identity was to stray from North American popular culture as a form of resistance, because of their rejection by the American mainstream due to their lack of assimilation.  However, their manner of dress, language, and socialization was not a rejection of both cultures, but an imitation of both. 

Their drapes stood as an expression of their appreciation for the dress of a successful individual, whether that be financial, educational, military, or artistic.  Not only does it commend the fashion taste of the Western business man, but is adjusted to fit their own personal style, which allowed them to claim it as their own.   Their manner of dress was often the cause for much ridicule, and their racial ethnicity only further perpetuated violence against them, as they were seen by outsiders as unworthy of wearing such suits. 

While the zoot suit was not despised by itself, it was reviled when worn by the wrong individual:  young Latinos.   It symbolized their claim to North American society, and was a threat to individuals who did not want to see Latinos dressed for success.  Just as Cinderella’s evil step-sisters strip her of her hand made gown out of spite and jealousy, the striping of a young Latino’s zoot suit by a mob of angry sailors in the 1940’s supports the claim that the act was done to humiliate the young man, rather than lay physical harm.  During the Zoot Suit Riots he was stripped of an identity he created because those individuals felt he was unworthy of the outfit.  This hatred was sprung from the racism perpetuated by the press.

The media manipulated the identity of the Pachuco for those who otherwise couldn’t understand them.  Valdez examines the media’s role as racist antagonists who influence the attitudes of Americans about Pachucos.  For example in the movie Zoot Suit, El Pachuco states “the Press has distorted the very meaning of the word ‘zoot suit.’  All it is for you guys is another way to say Mexican….  Because everybody knows that Mexicans, Filipinos, and Blacks belong to the huarache, the straw hat, and the dirty overall.” The media was able to influence the public to believe these individuals were the cause of much of the cities crimes. In fact, many Pachucos were not gang members, but were categorized as such by their dress.  What is interesting is while the Pachuco had been fleeing from this racism, the press maintained to chase down their identity by harboring public negativity against them.  The Pachucos of the 1940’s were further from racist, for they included many elements of the North American culture to create an identity all their own.  The rejection of North American culture would have meant the rejection of themselves as believing they did not belong to that society.

Much of the falsification of the Pachuco image was produced through the mighty wings of racism and ethnocentrism, which trickle these beliefs down a social hierarchy, exacerbating the misunderstandings of that particular group.   The media, being at the top of this hierarchy, influences public opinion which is more often than not, declarations of their prejudice.  The Pachuco culture was a creation all their own by mixing certain aspects of Latino and North American culture.  In addition, the mysticism behind the figure of the zoot suit wearing Pachuco was through the public’s fascination, and misunderstandings, of the creation of their unique culture, language, and dress. Luis Valdez’s Zoot Suit sews together the plethora of obstacles faced by Pachucos the 1940’s by examining their relationship within themselves, their peers, their family, and the media complete with musical entertainment.

Forest Theater Guild presents Zoot Suit by Luis Valdez at the Monterey Golden State Theatre from May 8-11, 2008.  For more information visit http://www.goldenstatetheatre.com/shows.html

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