Poch@teca: Re-understanding the Historical Trajectory of a Proto-Chican@ Identity

Abstract

Chapter 5 traces the etymological connection between poch@ and pochteca by examining the traveling merchant role of the pochteca that crossed territories and spoke in the tongue of the foreign territory. The historical origin of poch@ outlines a salient re-understanding that provides context for the contemporary reclamation by poch@ pop artists. As the site of analysis, Gómez-Peña’s collaborative Codex Espangliensis provides a generative demonstration of how the integration of historical tropes resists colonial rhetoric about Latin@s in popular culture, drawing on Mesoamerican literacy practices. The visually-oriented text brings the conversation full circle by looking at comic-like representations that critically juxtapose mainstream pop culture icons like Mickey Mouse with images from the Conquest of the Americas.