by Ernest Hogan
Just when it looked like they were going to forget about us Chicanos and go blowing up the world, we get a bombshell bullseye right in La Cultura.
I’m talking about the César Chávez revelations.
It’s amazing how fast the bureaucratic entities got to cancelling. Why couldn’t they do that to the perpetrator in the White House? But I’m not here to complain about double standards in law enforcement, I’m dedicating this post to the ruined holiday and what to do with the mangled remnants, and offer some Xicanxfuturist visions.
César Chávez Day was always awkward. Cinco de Mayo was hijacked by the alcoholics (there are a number of Aztec gods dedicated to alcohol consumption with appropriate rituals that could be revived, but that's a whole other pendejada). The truth is, nobody ever knew what to do or C. C. Day. Barbecue? Tacos? Too bad there’s no TV coverage of the ancient ball game that is undergoing a revival in the Yucatán . . .
The problem was César’s saintly image. It was always supposed to be serious business. There aren’t many pictures of him smiling. How are we supposed to have any kind of fun?
The media and academia packaged him as their token Chicano: “See kids, he believed in nonviolence, so resist any genetic predisposition you may have to stabbing anyone. Now, back to the wonderful story of Western Civilization . . .”
We could honor Dolores Huerta, Raquel Welch, Linda Ronstadt, Gloria Anzaldúa, and other Chicanas. And what about remembering Frida Kahlo, Claudia Sheinbaum, and even Spaniard Olga Casado and the New Wave of women who are rocking the world of bullfighting?
There have been a helluvalot of Chicanos—and Chicanas!—who have done a lot of amazing things. Heroic things. Things that are just plain interesting.
As a writer I find it all great material. It’s what makes my work so original.
And not just heroes to worship—I personally believe that’s a bad idea. We don’t need no stinking cults of personality. Why not celebrate us?
Farmworkers Day? Sí Se Puede Day? Chicano Day? Chicana Day? Xicanxfuturist Day? Hmm . . .
Then, as I was brainstorming this piece, Arizona Highways came out with its April 2026 issue "Celebrating Mexican Heritage in Arizona.” And right there on the cover ESCARAMUZA! Check out Anita Snow’s article, “Reins Supreme," about teams (with the Amazonas and Corazón as part of their names) based in Phoenix. It’s got gorgeous photos by Adriana Zehbrauskas.
For those of you who don't know about the sport, it’s the female
sector of charrería, Mexican rodeo. (Didn’t the cowboy thing start with Mexican vaqueros? What language is the word rodeo, anyway?) Eight charras (more than cowgirls) in colorful adelita dresses (¡Viva La Revoluçión!), riding sidesaddle, come at each other in a dangerous way that will get your adrenaline pumping faster than any feature-length Hollywood horse opera.Gets me fantasizing about the Surrealistic Burrito Western of My Dreams . . . How about a climactic scene with a rapist trapped in the middle of all those charging hooves?
Maybe, if we don’t let the fascists have their way, there will be coverage of a Dolores Huerta Escaramuza Tournament on March 31 and maybe combined with an ancient ball game championship and some toreras practicing their art. The fiesta of the future!
Ernest Hogan is busy with the business of being a Xicanxfuturist and the Father of Chicano Science Fiction.
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