Placas, Trepes & Ganchos: Graffiti Transcends Border

This lecture examines three phenomena of public name-writing within a Mexican-American dialogue on cultural identity. Through an analysis of suburban Los Angeles Placas (Cholo script), Tijuana Trepes (hybrid border culture), and Monterrey Ganchos (cumbia- and metal-influenced monograms), this session traces the evolution of the Latin alphabet, its chronology, and its typographic and calligraphic influences.

Moving beyond the condescending framework of “vernacular” classification, the lecture will demonstrate that these practices constitute scholarly popular cultures—historically conscious traditions transmitted across generations. Distinct from the globally disseminated New York graffiti school, these street handstyles are either older, hybridized, or deeply rooted in specific metropolitan identities. The lecture introduces the concept of “metropolitan hands”: calligraphic schools defined by geography and by the visual construction of the name.

Letterform Lectures are a public aspect of the Type West postgraduate program. The series is co-presented by the San Francisco Public Library, where events are free and open to all.