What Is Chicano Traditional Tattoo?

Chicano traditional tattoos are a style of body art that originated among Mexican Americans in the United States. This type of tattoo art is unique, in that it often incorporates both traditional Mexican and Aztec imagery as well as Americana and Chicano imagery. It is said that the Chicano traditional tattoos were born in the 1940s and 1950s in the prisons of California, where Mexican-American inmates created tattoos that combined elements of their cultural heritage with the American culture they were living in. Chicano traditional tattoos often feature bold, bright colors, and traditional symbols such as eagles, crosses, skulls, roses, and hearts.

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