Pachucos

Club Los Pachucos, Los Angeles

«Pachucos were Mexican American youths who developed their own subculture during the 1930s and 1940s in the Southwestern United States. They wore distinctive clothes (such as Zoot Suits) and spoke their own dialect (Caló). Due to their double-marginalization stemming from their youth and ethnicity, there has always been a close association and cultural cross-pollination between the Pachuco subculture and the gang subculture. For this reason, many members of the predominant (Anglo) culture assumed that anyone dressed in Pachuco style was a gang member.
The Pachuco style originated in El Paso, Texas and moved westward, following the line of migration of Mexican railroad workers ("traqueros") into Los Angeles, where it developed further.»