A Throwback Look At Chicana Culture In The ’90s

Veteranas and Rucas is an Instagram account dedicated to the SoCal ’90s party crew scene, which Guadalupe Rosales—New York-based, Los Angeles-raised—fanatically documents as part of her Map Pointz archive.

Apart from reconnecting to a past she misses dearly, Rosales’ Instagram brainchild acts as a political manifesto of sorts. “Most of us have been criminalized and misrepresented in the past. For that, it is difficult to be proud of our upbringings, our histories and our daily life experiences,” she told Latina. “Veteranas and Rucas creates an opportunity to reframe and represent ourselves the way we want to be represented, and it creates a voice many of us can relate to.”

The account is a hodgepodge of photo submissions from many of the 83.8K followers it’s garnered, and their crews from the ‘90s and earlier. Take a gander at these vintage bad boys and get inspired.

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Ladies Of East LAs Aztek Nation crew at a party in East Los Angeles, California late 90s Photo : @myr0se Hello this is Guadalupe Rosales founder/curator of the digital photo archive, @veteranas_and_rucas taking over the @newyorkerphoto as I document the Latina / Chicana youth culture in Southern California (90s and earlier) It was an honor taking over the feed for a week. Thank you all for the support! Until next time!

A photo posted by New Yorker Photo (@newyorkerphoto) on May 16, 2016 at 1:40pm PDT

Yolanda hanging out in front of her porch in Santa Ana, OC 1994 Hello this is Guadalupe Rosales founder/curator of the digital photo archive, @veteranas_and_rucas taking over the @newyorkerphoto as I document the Latina / Chicana youth culture in Southern California (90s and earlier)

A photo posted by New Yorker Photo (@newyorkerphoto) on May 15, 2016 at 8:11pm PDT

Four young women from Santa Ana California 🌹 Photo taken around 1998/99 Photo courtesy of: @aries_babyyy Hello from Los Angeles, California. This is Guadalupe Rosales founder/curator of the digital photo archive, @veteranas_and_rucas taking over the @newyorkerphoto as I document the Latina / Chicana youth culture in Southern California (90s and earlier)

A photo posted by New Yorker Photo (@newyorkerphoto) on May 15, 2016 at 6:08pm PDT

Los Angeles based rapper JV Queen performing in 1996 probably at a Lowrider Car Show concert in LA. #JVQUEEN Hello this is Guadalupe Rosales founder/curator of the digital photo archive, @veteranas_and_rucas taking over the @newyorkerphoto as I document the Latina / Chicana youth culture in Southern California (90s and earlier)

A photo posted by New Yorker Photo (@newyorkerphoto) on May 14, 2016 at 11:01pm PDT

The Avenues Gang Northeast Los Angeles, California 80s Hello this is Guadalupe Rosales founder/curator of the digital photo archive, @veteranas_and_rucas taking over the @newyorkerphoto as I document the Latina / Chicana youth culture in Southern California (90s and earlier)

A photo posted by New Yorker Photo (@newyorkerphoto) on May 14, 2016 at 6:28pm PDT

Two women from the Varrio Nuevo Estrada Courts in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, California 1974. Hello this is Guadalupe Rosales founder/curator of the digital photo archive, @veteranas_and_rucas taking over the @newyorkerphoto as I document the Latina / Chicana youth culture in Southern California (90s and earlier)

A photo posted by New Yorker Photo (@newyorkerphoto) on May 14, 2016 at 10:07am PDT

This is my sister, Maria on the phone back in 1999 in East Los Angeles, California. Leonard Ave and Whittier Blvd. (Personal photo) Hello this is Guadalupe Rosales founder/curator of the digital photo archive, @veteranas_and_rucas taking over the @newyorkerphoto as I document the Latina / Chicana youth culture in Southern California (90s and earlier)

A photo posted by New Yorker Photo (@newyorkerphoto) on May 13, 2016 at 8:27pm PDT

April/May, 1995. “I went to go visit my sister at her house. She had married and moved out a couple months back. We were inseparable. But on this particular day, I was missing her very much. It was very different. Funny, when we both saw each other, we both felt how we were feeling. I knew she was missing me so much. When she saw me this day, she told me how much I made her day. Sisters are a bond like no other… I love all my sisters.” Photo and text courtesy of @kimkellyc78 Hello this is Guadalupe Rosales founder/curator of the digital photo archive, @veteranas_and_rucas taking over the @newyorkerphoto as I document the Latina / Chicana youth culture in Southern California (90s and earlier)

A photo posted by New Yorker Photo (@newyorkerphoto) on May 13, 2016 at 6:34pm PDT

Chicanas Of The Month August Issue 1993 Photo found in Street Beat Magazine. Street Beat Magazine founded by Marty Beat, documented the Latino Culture and party scene in Southern California later branching out to other areas and states such as NoCal, Arizona and Texas from 1990-1996. The party crew and rave scene was a subculture my sister, brother and I were deeply involved in back in the 90s. For the past 3 years, I have been working on developing an archive of photographs, objects and ephemera related the 90s Los Angeles Latino party crew scene. Hello this is Guadalupe Rosales founder/curator of the digital photo archive, @veteranas_and_rucas taking over the @newyorkerphoto as I document the Latina / Chicana youth culture and rave/party crew subculture in Southern California (90s and earlier)

A photo posted by New Yorker Photo (@newyorkerphoto) on May 13, 2016 at 11:20am PDT

Here is a photo submitted by @ari.mejorado. She shared this story about the photo- Ana aka Lazy and Roselina aka Morena, at a party in San Fernando Valley in 1991. “it was a crazy time in my life. I would tell my mom “oh we are going to go to skate land”. We would get dropped off and wait for my boyfriend from Pacoima to pick us up.” Hello this is Guadalupe Rosales founder/curator of the digital photo archive, @veteranas_and_rucas taking over the @newyorkerphoto as I document the Latina / Chicana youth culture in Southern California (90s and earlier) Photo and story courtesy of @ari.mejorado and @MRS_R1VAS

A photo posted by New Yorker Photo (@newyorkerphoto) on May 12, 2016 at 8:53pm PDT

Party Crew, Firme Hinas waiting for the RTD (bus) somewhere in Los Angeles, CA. 1994 “We were on our way, or coming back from Fiesta Broadway. Fiesta Broadway is a music and culture festival. It’s known as The Super Bowl of Festivals. Held in Downtown LA along Broadway and around the streets of City Hall. Top left, Connie and Linda on the right. Bottom left to right, Kim, Nancy, Kelli, Coco and Suzanna. It was a fun, fun, day.” Photo and story courtesy of @kimkellyc78 This is Guadalupe Rosales, founder/curator of the digital photo archive, @veteranas_and_rucas taking over the @newyorkerphoto as I document the Latina / Chicana youth culture and party crew subculture in Southern California (90s and earlier)

A photo posted by New Yorker Photo (@newyorkerphoto) on May 12, 2016 at 3:40pm PDT

Two cholitas from Northeast Los Angeles, California 1970s Hello this is Guadalupe Rosales founder/curator of the digital photo archive, @veteranas_and_rucas taking over the @newyorkerphoto as I document the Latina / Chicana youth culture in Southern California (90s and earlier) Photo courtesy of: @laqueenmaria4 @iizziebee @THE_PIZAZZY_QUEEN_E.LO @vaneeze

A photo posted by New Yorker Photo (@newyorkerphoto) on May 12, 2016 at 8:11am PDT

Here is a photo from 1995 when Street Beat Magazine and KISS FM radio visited Montebello High School in Montebello, California. Street Beat Magazine founded by Marty Beat, documented the Latino Culture and party scene in Southern California later branching out to other areas and states such as NoCal, Arizona and Texas from 1990-1996. Hello this is Guadalupe Rosales founder/curator of the digital photo archive, @veteranas_and_rucas taking over the @newyorkerphoto as I document the Latina / Chicana youth culture in Southern California (90s and earlier)

A photo posted by New Yorker Photo (@newyorkerphoto) on May 11, 2016 at 4:41pm PDT

Hello this is Guadalupe Rosales, founder of the Instagram feed @veteranas_and_Rucas. A digital archive that is mostly driven by followers who submit their personal photos. The Instagram feed documents the Latina /Chicana culture and (party crew and rave) subculture in Southern California from the 90s and earlier. I’ll be taking over @newyorkerphoto for a week following the same guidelines as my IG @veteranas_and_Rucas Here is a photo of my friend’s bedroom in East Los Angeles, California in 1998. A few months ago I ran a series of photos on my Instagram feed called “Teenage Bedrooms” or #ChicanaBedrooms highlighting what a typical Latino teenage bedroom in Los Angeles looked like back in the day. The thing to do was to cover the entire bedroom walls with rave and party flyers and posters. Photo courtesy of @myr0se_la #Beepers #partycrews #90sHouseParties #scamNJams

A photo posted by New Yorker Photo (@newyorkerphoto) on May 10, 2016 at 4:14pm PDT

Hello from Los Angeles, California! Here is a photo taken in 1997 of three female party crews hanging out-Ladies Of Brown Authority, Freak Show Tribe and Midnight Pleasure at The Robles Park in #SGV Hacienda Heights, California where party-goers headed to after the house party/BBQ called “Rebel Bout” hosted by the party crew, “Rebel Familia” got broken up by the police. The party crew and rave scene was a subculture my sister, brother and I were deeply involved in back in the 90s. For the past 3 years, I have been working on developing an archive of photographs, objects and ephemera related the 90s Los Angeles Latino party crew scene. Hello this is Guadalupe Rosales founder/curator of the digital photo archive, @veteranas_and_rucas taking over the @newyorkerphoto as I document the Latina / Chicana youth culture (90s and earlier ) and party crew/rave subculture in Southern California. Photo Courtesy of : @miss_ceejay

A photo posted by New Yorker Photo (@newyorkerphoto) on May 11, 2016 at 5:22am PDT