In the churning debate over immigration, there are perhaps no words as loaded or controversial as Aztlan, the name of the mythical Aztec homeland.
For many it carries potent political overtones, for others it is a romantic ideal, and to those most opposed to illegal immigration it represents a strategic effort to reclaim land that was once part of Mexico.
"Aztlan is a state of mind for some people. It's a point in history. For some it's a political place. For some it's a separate nation," said Armando Navarro, chairman of UC Riverside's Ethnic Studies Department, whose views have generated controversy. "It represents land lost. You are sitting in a city, Riverside, that used to be in Mexico. That gives us a sense of entitlement. This was our land."
Though its very definition is murky, the term has found use in today's immigration battles -- mostly by those demanding a crackdown on the undocumented.
In Aztec folklore, Aztlan was believed to have been in northern Mexico, possibly along the western coast. Other accounts put it farther north, perhaps in what is now Arizona, Colorado or New Mexico.
During the Chicano rights movement of the 1960s, Aztlan became a powerful rallying cry for militants who spoke of a \o7reconquista\f7, or reconquest, of the U.S. Southwest, turning it into an independent homeland for Latinos.
Now, a generation later, the word has largely lost its radical edge among Latino activists but continues to trigger strong emotions on both sides of the immigration debate.
"Up until recently I dismissed the idea as a kooky fringe element, but if you look at the demonstrations and see the flags and hear people chanting that this is stolen land and 'We are reclaiming our lost land,' it sounds more serious," said Ira Mehlman, spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which supports tough immigration enforcement.
John Kobylt, co-host of the "John and Ken" talk radio program on KFI-AM 640 in Los Angeles, said listeners often express concern about a \o7reconquista\f7.
"They see an invasion," said Kobylt, who strongly opposes illegal immigration. "I think economic opportunities drive them here, but what gives them the spiritual lift is they feel the land is theirs."
That feeling may stem from Mexico's huge territorial losses after its defeat in the Mexican-American War. In 1848, it signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, ceding California, Utah and Nevada, and parts of Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and Wyoming to the United States.
