This essay by Chicano artist, José Montoya, describes his experience developing and creating his Pachuco Artseries, which he began in 1969. Montoya notes the inspiration of artist Ricardo Favela and his use of the vato (slang for street dude) figure in his miniature sculptures. Seeing a visual link between Favela’s contemporary figures and the pachuco (Mexican-American zoot suit youth) figures of the 1940s and ‘50s, Montoya set out to create a series of drawings to commemorate the legacy of the pachuco in the Chicano Movement. He details the process of developing and exhibiting the series and describes the intense criticism he received from both Mexican conservative and Chicano “radical” viewers. Montoya argues against both types of criticism, declaring that the series was his attempt at redeeming and reviving the memory of pachucos, whom he calls the first “freedom-fighters” of the Chicano Movement.

José Montoya’s essay serves as the introduction to his 1977 exhibition, Pachuco Art: A Historical Update, and was included in a booklet published by the Royal Chicano Air Force Cultural Affairs Committee—a collective of artists, writers, professors, community activists, and administrators from four different organizations in Sacramento, California. Consisting of groups such as the Centro de Artistas Chicanos, Breakfast for Niños, La Raza Bookstore, and Alkali Redevelopment Office, the Cultural Affairs Committee organized cultural events—including this exhibition—for the public in the late 1970s. Curated by Rene Yañez (artist, curator and the codirector of the Galería de la Raza in San Francisco), the Pachuco Art exhibition was the first major show of Montoya’s pachuco art, for which he became internationally known. Along with outlining the artistic sources for his series, in his essay Montoya also discusses the historical importance of the pachucos, especially to the Chicano Movement. Montoya is known for his portrayal of barrio (neighborhood) residents, yet this series was the first major attempt to portray figures from his past and exhibit them within a historical context. The exhibition featured his paintings, drawings, and photographs as well as documents from the Zoot Suit Riots in Los Angeles, in 1943.