From Indians to Chicanos: The Dynamics of Mexican-American Culture

A landmark text in Chicano studies, From Indians to Chicanos offers students a sweeping yet accessible ethnohistorical account of the Mexican-American experience. Drawing on five centuries of cultural transformation, James Diego Vigil traces how indigenous lifeways were reshaped through conquest, colonization, nationalism, immigration, and the struggle for civil rights. Organized into four historical stages—from the pre-Columbian era through the Spanish colonial period, Mexican independence, and the modern Chicano movement—the book uses Vigil’s innovative “Six C’s” model (Class, Culture, Color, Contact, Conflict, and Change) to clarify the dynamics of cultural adaptation and identity formation. The new edition extends the story into the twenty-first century, providing students with the tools to understand how historical legacies continue to shape contemporary debates over immigration, race, and national belonging. Read more