Femzines, Artivism, and Altar Aesthetics: Third Wave Feminism Chicana Style

This essay examines the grassroots feminist zine Flor y Canto, published by the East LA Chicana collective Mujeres de Maíz (MdM). This submission-based publication consists of poetry and visual art by women of color. Often associated with third wave feminism, feminist zines are credited for being the vehicle of expression for third wave feminist thought. Although Flor y Canto presents many of the characteristics common in feminist zines, MdM also draws on a Chicana feminist epistemology grounded in Indigenous worldviews to denounce the gender status quo. MdM adopts a politicized spirituality influenced by Mesoamerican conceptions of art and poetry that understands these art forms as healing, transformative, and connected to the divine. This essay argues that MdM employs this framework in their zine to make a larger critique of patriarchy and gender violence. They interrupt Western notions of art and use an Indigenous spiritual epistemology to redefine art and artists. Using the altar as a framework, this essay analyzes the poetry and art in Flor y Canto as an offering on an altar to illustrate how Chicanas deploy their artivism to speak against gender violence and ultimately heal from this trauma.