Will They See Me Coming? Do They Know I'm Running? Los Lobos and the Performance of<i>Mestizaje</i>Identity through Journey

Abstract

Los Lobos’ album The Town and The City represents a lyrical narrative and performance of journey. The album's strength and appeal is that it offers a poignant commentary on journey at time when the odyssey undertaken by immigrants to the United States are often demonized, misunderstood, or purposefully manipulated for political benefit. I argue in this essay that the Los Lobos album illustrates and complicates the performance of Chicana/o identity, mestizaje, and hybridity through the metaphor of journey. This metaphorical journey is represented as both a process and event that establishes a sense of connectivity for audiences.