Huero

It was on my homeboy's dad. he was from a old gang called lomita maravilla, from east LA.
He had a topless girl ina sombrero, just her torso. I think some roses too. She had a rifle in her hand, her nipples were covered by a ammo belt.
On the other forearm he had this little dude in a sombrero, but you could just see his feet, his mustache, some shotgun barrels, and that big sombrero. it said MARAVILLA in gang writing, arched above the hat. Youd see writing like that all over and I used to try and copy it or write my name in those letters too like in schoolwork I'd write the answers like that, or my name all crazy like that and they'd get pissed.
Anyways I'd always try and look at those tattoos when I'd go to his house, but they were old and sort of faded. He was a garbage man, and sort of a scary lookin dude, or was back then and i didnt wanna hassle him or fuck with him about it. Years later I asked to see em, and got a good look.
Another friend had a older punk rocker sister with a pachuco cross under her eye, but that was later, and I found out it was make up. Lots of punk rockers would do that with a ballpoint pen or mascara if they hung in certain scenes.

Anytime I see someone with an old tattoo, I ask to see it, and talk to them about the background of that tattoo.
I'm working on documenting old prison and homemade tattoos in Los Angeles.

roots of "Chicano tattooing" can be traced back a long way, but what was really influential on the art form was the tradition of public murals, especially in east LA in the mid to late 1960s.
These murals were scattered all over Los Angeles, in nearly every barrio neighborhood, but you had a concentration of them in the projects. Places like Ramona gardens, Estrada courts, aliso village, dogtown (not the venice dogtown, butthe dogtown projects, by the LA river, near chinatown) Sometimes they were political. The themes generally revolved around racial pride, community disenfranchisement, Aztec and mayan mythology, Lowrider culture, pachuco culture etc. Tattoos were and are an extension of that tradition.
That was the era. The end of the viet nam war, a massive increase in the prison population in California and the rise of biker culture. It just happened that Cartwright and negrete and Rudy where there at the right time in the right place. They had credibility in the broader tattoo culture, and exposed that style far beyond califas. It was seen as an underworld, undesirable thing, then it became chic for a time.

Anytime I see someone with an old tattoo, I ask to see it, and talk to them about the background of that tattoo.
I'm working on documenting old prison and homemade tattoos in Los Angeles.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNY3_00p180

Post images of things and people that you find rad, gnarly, far-out or inspirational. I'll go first...  [images removed after they became broken..]

I am a lifelong bachelor. I don't believe in monogamy and marriage. It makes no difference whatsoever to me if I dealing with a tattooed girl or not. I've been seeing a girl lately who is heavily tattooed, face, neck, hands, etc. But tattoos in and of themselves don't make a woman more attractive. An ugly girl with tattoos is still ugly.
I don't even notice tattoos anymore really. It's more unusual when someone doesn't have them.
What matters is how tolerant they are and open they are to that lifestyle. I was seeing a girl without a drop of tattoo on her, and I was getting heavily tattooed at the time, and she was cool with it. That's what matters. Openness.

Post images of things and people that you find rad, gnarly, far-out or inspirational. I'll go first...  [images removed after they became broken..]

What's going on on your leg? Is that from the tattoo?

What's going on on your leg? Is that from the tattoo?

I love tattoos like that. I'd rather look at one of those over a 1,000 Bert Krak panther heads or Daniel albrigo Navajo blanket tattoos.
Offensive tattoos, racist tattoos, religious tattoos, drifter, hobo tattoos, Political tattoos, obscene tattoos. Tattoos done in garages, motel rooms, Russian penitentiary tattoos, south African gang tattoos, british soccer hooligan tattoos, handpoked punk tattoos, facetats, poorly thought out names on necks. I've always loved ugly tattoos, and I always will.

I love tattoos like that. I'd rather look at one of those over a 1,000 Bert Krak panther heads or Daniel albrigo Navajo blanket tattoos.
Offensive tattoos, racist tattoos, religious tattoos, drifter, hobo tattoos, Political tattoos, obscene tattoos. Tattoos done in garages, motel rooms, Russian penitentiary tattoos, south African gang tattoos, british soccer hooligan tattoos, handpoked punk tattoos, facetats, poorly thought out names on necks. I've always loved ugly tattoos, and I always will.

It was on my homeboy's dad. he was from a old gang called lomita maravilla, from east LA.
He had a topless girl ina sombrero, just her torso. I think some roses too. She had a rifle in her hand, her nipples were covered by a ammo belt.
On the other forearm he had this little dude in a sombrero, but you could just see his feet, his mustache, some shotgun barrels, and that big sombrero. it said MARAVILLA in gang writing, arched above the hat. Youd see writing like that all over and I used to try and copy it or write my name in those letters too like in schoolwork I'd write the answers like that, or my name all crazy like that and they'd get pissed.
Anyways I'd always try and look at those tattoos when I'd go to his house, but they were old and sort of faded. He was a garbage man, and sort of a scary lookin dude, or was back then and i didnt wanna hassle him or fuck with him about it. Years later I asked to see em, and got a good look.
Another friend had a older punk rocker sister with a pachuco cross under her eye, but that was later, and I found out it was make up. Lots of punk rockers would do that with a ballpoint pen or mascara if they hung in certain scenes.

I love tattoos like that. I'd rather look at one of those over a 1,000 Bert Krak panther heads or Daniel albrigo Navajo blanket tattoos.
Offensive tattoos, racist tattoos, religious tattoos, drifter, hobo tattoos, Political tattoos, obscene tattoos. Tattoos done in garages, motel rooms, Russian penitentiary tattoos, south African gang tattoos, british soccer hooligan tattoos, handpoked punk tattoos, facetats, poorly thought out names on necks. I've always loved ugly tattoos, and I always will.

I love tattoos like that. I'd rather look at one of those over a 1,000 Bert Krak panther heads or Daniel albrigo Navajo blanket tattoos.
Offensive tattoos, racist tattoos, religious tattoos, drifter, hobo tattoos, Political tattoos, obscene tattoos. Tattoos done in garages, motel rooms, Russian penitentiary tattoos, south African gang tattoos, british soccer hooligan tattoos, handpoked punk tattoos, facetats, poorly thought out names on necks. I've always loved ugly tattoos, and I always will.

It was on my homeboy's dad. he was from a old gang called lomita maravilla, from east LA.
He had a topless girl ina sombrero, just her torso. I think some roses too. She had a rifle in her hand, her nipples were covered by a ammo belt.
On the other forearm he had this little dude in a sombrero, but you could just see his feet, his mustache, some shotgun barrels, and that big sombrero. it said MARAVILLA in gang writing, arched above the hat. Youd see writing like that all over and I used to try and copy it or write my name in those letters too like in schoolwork I'd write the answers like that, or my name all crazy like that and they'd get pissed.
Anyways I'd always try and look at those tattoos when I'd go to his house, but they were old and sort of faded. He was a garbage man, and sort of a scary lookin dude, or was back then and i didnt wanna hassle him or fuck with him about it. Years later I asked to see em, and got a good look.
Another friend had a older punk rocker sister with a pachuco cross under her eye, but that was later, and I found out it was make up. Lots of punk rockers would do that with a ballpoint pen or mascara if they hung in certain scenes.

It was on my homeboy's dad. he was from a old gang called lomita maravilla, from east LA.
He had a topless girl ina sombrero, just her torso. I think some roses too. She had a rifle in her hand, her nipples were covered by a ammo belt.
On the other forearm he had this little dude in a sombrero, but you could just see his feet, his mustache, some shotgun barrels, and that big sombrero. it said MARAVILLA in gang writing, arched above the hat. Youd see writing like that all over and I used to try and copy it or write my name in those letters too like in schoolwork I'd write the answers like that, or my name all crazy like that and they'd get pissed.
Anyways I'd always try and look at those tattoos when I'd go to his house, but they were old and sort of faded. He was a garbage man, and sort of a scary lookin dude, or was back then and i didnt wanna hassle him or fuck with him about it. Years later I asked to see em, and got a good look.
Another friend had a older punk rocker sister with a pachuco cross under her eye, but that was later, and I found out it was make up. Lots of punk rockers would do that with a ballpoint pen or mascara if they hung in certain scenes.

roots of "Chicano tattooing" can be traced back a long way, but what was really influential on the art form was the tradition of public murals, especially in east LA in the mid to late 1960s.
These murals were scattered all over Los Angeles, in nearly every barrio neighborhood, but you had a concentration of them in the projects. Places like Ramona gardens, Estrada courts, aliso village, dogtown (not the venice dogtown, butthe dogtown projects, by the LA river, near chinatown) Sometimes they were political. The themes generally revolved around racial pride, community disenfranchisement, Aztec and mayan mythology, Lowrider culture, pachuco culture etc. Tattoos were and are an extension of that tradition.
That was the era. The end of the viet nam war, a massive increase in the prison population in California and the rise of biker culture. It just happened that Cartwright and negrete and Rudy where there at the right time in the right place. They had credibility in the broader tattoo culture, and exposed that style far beyond califas. It was seen as an underworld, undesirable thing, then it became chic for a time.

I don't think it's a strictly "Chicano" thing, or a "black" thing (actually you didn't see tattooing making much of an inroads in the black community in general until reletively recently, and prior to that the tattoos they'd have we're very basic, and almost never photo realistic portraits. Blacks in general were very conservative anout tattoos until the mid 2000s. Before that You'd see political tattoos, black power, racial themes or tribal, pan african themes, on them, very basic lettering, maybe old English.)
Whites and hispanics in the california prison system got them. It came from the same genre as fantasy themed tattoos, Aztec motifs and Viking imagery (if the wearer was on a white power trip). Stuff inmates had, bikers had, sometimes military, gang members had.
Portraits were a 1970's thing and southern California thing specifically. It came from prison and was disseminated into the public sphere informally through home tattooing, and then formally through various influential tattooers and tattoo magazines.

I don't think it's a strictly "Chicano" thing, or a "black" thing (actually you didn't see tattooing making much of an inroads in the black community in general until reletively recently, and prior to that the tattoos they'd have we're very basic, and almost never photo realistic portraits. Blacks in general were very conservative anout tattoos until the mid 2000s. Before that You'd see political tattoos, black power, racial themes or tribal, pan african themes, on them, very basic lettering, maybe old English.)
Whites and hispanics in the california prison system got them. It came from the same genre as fantasy themed tattoos, Aztec motifs and Viking imagery (if the wearer was on a white power trip). Stuff inmates had, bikers had, sometimes military, gang members had.
Portraits were a 1970's thing and southern California thing specifically. It came from prison and was disseminated into the public sphere informally through home tattooing, and then formally through various influential tattooers and tattoo magazines.

roots of "Chicano tattooing" can be traced back a long way, but what was really influential on the art form was the tradition of public murals, especially in east LA in the mid to late 1960s.
These murals were scattered all over Los Angeles, in nearly every barrio neighborhood, but you had a concentration of them in the projects. Places like Ramona gardens, Estrada courts, aliso village, dogtown (not the venice dogtown, butthe dogtown projects, by the LA river, near chinatown) Sometimes they were political. The themes generally revolved around racial pride, community disenfranchisement, Aztec and mayan mythology, Lowrider culture, pachuco culture etc. Tattoos were and are an extension of that tradition.
That was the era. The end of the viet nam war, a massive increase in the prison population in California and the rise of biker culture. It just happened that Cartwright and negrete and Rudy where there at the right time in the right place. They had credibility in the broader tattoo culture, and exposed that style far beyond califas. It was seen as an underworld, undesirable thing, then it became chic for a time.

I don't think it's a strictly "Chicano" thing, or a "black" thing (actually you didn't see tattooing making much of an inroads in the black community in general until reletively recently, and prior to that the tattoos they'd have we're very basic, and almost never photo realistic portraits. Blacks in general were very conservative anout tattoos until the mid 2000s. Before that You'd see political tattoos, black power, racial themes or tribal, pan african themes, on them, very basic lettering, maybe old English.)
Whites and hispanics in the california prison system got them. It came from the same genre as fantasy themed tattoos, Aztec motifs and Viking imagery (if the wearer was on a white power trip). Stuff inmates had, bikers had, sometimes military, gang members had.
Portraits were a 1970's thing and southern California thing specifically. It came from prison and was disseminated into the public sphere informally through home tattooing, and then formally through various influential tattooers and tattoo magazines.

roots of "Chicano tattooing" can be traced back a long way, but what was really influential on the art form was the tradition of public murals, especially in east LA in the mid to late 1960s.
These murals were scattered all over Los Angeles, in nearly every barrio neighborhood, but you had a concentration of them in the projects. Places like Ramona gardens, Estrada courts, aliso village, dogtown (not the venice dogtown, butthe dogtown projects, by the LA river, near chinatown) Sometimes they were political. The themes generally revolved around racial pride, community disenfranchisement, Aztec and mayan mythology, Lowrider culture, pachuco culture etc. Tattoos were and are an extension of that tradition.
That was the era. The end of the viet nam war, a massive increase in the prison population in California and the rise of biker culture. It just happened that Cartwright and negrete and Rudy where there at the right time in the right place. They had credibility in the broader tattoo culture, and exposed that style far beyond califas. It was seen as an underworld, undesirable thing, then it became chic for a time.

I don't think it's a strictly "Chicano" thing, or a "black" thing (actually you didn't see tattooing making much of an inroads in the black community in general until reletively recently, and prior to that the tattoos they'd have we're very basic, and almost never photo realistic portraits. Blacks in general were very conservative anout tattoos until the mid 2000s. Before that You'd see political tattoos, black power, racial themes or tribal, pan african themes, on them, very basic lettering, maybe old English.)
Whites and hispanics in the california prison system got them. It came from the same genre as fantasy themed tattoos, Aztec motifs and Viking imagery (if the wearer was on a white power trip). Stuff inmates had, bikers had, sometimes military, gang members had.
Portraits were a 1970's thing and southern California thing specifically. It came from prison and was disseminated into the public sphere informally through home tattooing, and then formally through various influential tattooers and tattoo magazines.

One of the most slept on of the single needle old guarde, and among my favorite tattooers. Did I mention tony olivas? Him too.