, July 1972. Photograph by Danny Lyon.]] Chicano (feminine Chicana) is another word for Mexican American (in the sense of native-born Americans of Mexican ancestry, as opposed to Mexican natives living in the States). The terms Chicano and Chicana are used specifically by and regarding Americans of Mexican descent. The term Chicano Etymology The origin of the word is debatable. One Mexican researcher Villar Raso attempted to trace the origin to 1930s and 1940s California, although most Chicanos believe the terms far predates that assessment. Nevertheless, according to Raso, the term supposedly stems from "the inability of native Nahuatl speakers from Morelos state to refer to themselves as Mexicanos, and instead spoke of themselves as Mesheecanos, in accordance with the pronunciation rules of their language." The pronuncia