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The article focuses on anthropological writings on Chicano studies between 1970 to 1984. Anthropologist Octavio Romano, and a sociologist, published a series of papers on the characteristics of Chicano studies which appeared in "El Grito," the Chicano journal they founded. The stance that has become prevalent in anthropological works on Chicanos faces two directions: looking inward toward the academic discipline itself, and looking out outward toward Anglo American society. Researchers have developed broad sketches of the characteristics and boundaries of regions and subregions within the area inhabited by people of Mexican ancestry.

The article introduces the basic concepts and methods of historical materialism for anthropology, that emphasizes the aspects of Marxism. The author used anthropological work in explaining the theoretical constructs and methodological principles of the Marxist. The paper focuses on the criticism of conventional anthropological theoretical practice. The discussion includes the basic premises regarding dialectical materialism, the details of the mode of production, and the necessity of theoretical clarification of the work in anthropology given by sociologist Karl Marx.