Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza | Study Guide

In Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza Gloria Anzaldúa proposes through prose and poetry that the hybrid nature of the Chicano (relating to Americans of Mexican descent) culture of the Texas–Mexico borderlands creates the unique perspective of an outsider, belonging not to one culture or another but rather to the place where cultures intersect. This outsider perspective is a gift Anzaldúa calls la facultad (literally meaning "power, authority, or ability"). An individual who faces personal and collective trauma at the subconscious level can further develop la facultad, emerging enlightened. Anzaldúa calls this subconscious exploration "the Coatlicue state." The resulting healing process is not a one-time cure but rather a constant pilgrimage that informs Anzaldúa's art. Anzaldúa experienced oppression because of her race, gender, and sexual orientation, giving rise to an unapologetic and rebellious authorial voice that protests the idea that power resides solely with the traditional white, male heterosexual. With insights that remain widely studied, she proposes a radical new worldview of inclusivity, ushered in by the empowered mestiza.