Vato (sometimes spelled Bato) is a popular Mexican slang term that signifies "Dude," "Homeboy," or simply "guy." This colloquial expression is extensively employed by Chicanos, or Mexican-Americans, to address each other in a familiar manner.
Vato History
Chicano poet Luis Alberto Urrea traces the origin of "vato" to the Pachuco slang of the 1940s. The term is believed to derive from "chivato," a once-common friendly insult meaning "goat." This expression carried a slightly rebellious undertone, which appealed to the Locos and Weesas of the Chuco community. By embracing such terms, they cleverly subverted racial prejudices, proudly adopting nicknames that more assimilated Mexicans might have found distasteful. In this way, the word "vato" became a symbol of cultural pride and defiance in the face of societal norms.