Pachuco style was a dominating trend among Mexican-American youth in the 1930s-40s. Pachucos became known for their distinguished look, dialogue, and actions. Pachucos dressed in recognizable Zoot suits, and often styled their hair into ducktails.

Initally an African American youth fashion, closely connected to jazz culture, the zoot suit was co-opted by a generation of Mexican American kids, who made it their own. The oversized suit was both an outrageous style and a statement of defiance.

Caló (also known as Pachuco) is an argot or slang of Mexican Spanish that originated during the first half of the 20th century in the Southwestern United States. It is the product of zoot-suit pachuco culture that developed in the 1930s and ’40s in cities along the US/Mexico border.

pachucos
Mexican and Mexican American youths who wore these outfits were called zoot-suiters. These individuals referred to themselves as pachucos, a name linked to the Mexican American generation’s rebellion against both the Mexican and American cultures.

: a young Mexican-American having a taste for flashy clothes and a special jargon and usually belonging to a neighborhood gang.

“The word ‘pachuco’ originated as the local Mexican Spanish slang term for a resident of the city of El Paso, probably early in the 20th century. Even today, El Paso is still called “El Chuco” or “El Pasiente” by some.

The direct translation to English for the Pachuco is “The Zoot Suiter.” Zoot Suits are the custom dress of Pachucos. A Zoot Suit consists of high-waisted pants and long blazers, with excess fabric through the width of the pants and arms sleeves. The suits are often accompanied with fedoras and chains hanging from the waist.

Pachuco culture in America was at its height during World War II. The Wartime Productions Board in 1942 thought it necessary to cut back on fabric consumption, so they enacted regulations on the amount of fabric used for suits.

In order to survive in a hostile climate, they relied on the strategies, listed by Durán as: “The pachuco’s strategies for survival, resistance and appropriation are seen through their physical appearances and performances. This includes language (caló), hairstyles, tattoos, clothing, and dance” ( Durán 2002: 42 ).

People migrating to El Paso would say, in Spanish, that they were going “pa’ El Chuco.”. These migrants became known as pachucos. The name “Pachuco” is quite possibly derived from the name of the city of Pachuca, Hidalgo, Mexico. There have long been migrants from Hidalgo state living in Texas.