I enjoy reading your blog from time to time. Your perspectives are challenging and inquisitive, a clear mark of intellect in my opinion.

That being said, I’d like to share some of my opinions about this particular post.

You, like many others, have indirectly offered a definition of what it means to be Chicano when you stated that Sor Juana is not one. By that logic, then, there should some essence of what it means to be Chicano, because if some people can be, and some people can’t be, then who draws the line, and where is it drawn?

In your biographical information on this blog, you describe yourself as a Xicana, yet go on to say that you feel more Mexican than Chicana, which is a valid and relevant point. So, then, you know first hand that all of these terms are shady at best, with large gray areas.

Personally, I believe that one can conceive of Chicanismo as an expression of culture (of Mexican and US, that is), as one that contests and erases borders, boundaries, limitations. I have, in fact, dedicated my career to this belief. It is for this reason that authors such as Fuentes, Sor Juana, Cabeza de Vaca, and Paz are often included in Chicana/o anthologies. As a result of their relationship with the United States (or Anglo culture), their cultural experiences and worldviews have surpassed what elitists would call a “pure Mexican” culture. They have unique insights to offer on Chicanismo, and we would do well to read them in that vein.

Likewise, there are many of those who were, at one time, excluded from Chicano letters for different reasons (Jon Rechy-homosexuality, Richard Rodriguez-assimilationist discourse, Jose Antonio Villarreal-assimilationist discourse, Josephina Niggli-Caucasian). To dismiss these authors based on their lifestyle, ideology, or race, is to only listen to half of the issue at hand. Are these authors any less Chicana/o because someone else says that they don’t “fit the mold?” What about the way they feel?

I believe Sor Juana, like others that you mentioned, might not have considered herself Chicana, but her discourse does indeed mirror that of modern-day Chicanismo as she attempts to destroy artificial borders and limitations.

I will, at some other point, comment on the whole Aztec issue also. But I fear I have let myself go on too long in this comment. I apologize for that. But like you, I am passionate about this subject, and it is obvious that we both have a lot to say.

Animo con tu blog. It’s great to see la raza out there thinking about these things.