What Do 3 Dots Tattoos Mean and Symbolize? [2024 Guide] (2024)

Three small tattoo dots, often placed on the hand or below the eye, is a common design in Chicano style tattoo that represents “Mi Vida Loca”, or “My Crazy Life”.

Often seen on the face of the latinx gang member in movies and television shows, the three dot tattoo design has earned a big meaning in association with prison, criminals and gangb*ngers, although the tiny tattoo has a much more interesting history than simply as a sign of being tough.

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Mi Vida Loca/ My Crazy Life

A simple design, three dot tattoos arranged in a triangle, has become one of the most instantly recognizable tattoos and has made its way well beyond the bounds of common prison tattoo or Chicano culture. Just as with the similarly infamous teardrop tattoo, 3 dots tattoo is not associated with any particular gang affiliation.

In fact, you are likely to find “mi vida loca” tattoos on both sides of the bloody rivalry between Mexican gang the Norteños and Sureños (and the Salvadoran Mara Salvatrucha or MS 17). Instead “mi vida loca” is more a testament to the unpredictable and violent nature of gang activity itself.

Along with the Pachuco Cross-another simple tattoo idea that incorporates three dots with similar meaning-the “mi vida loca” dots were some of the first Chicano prison and gang tattoo ideas that gained the attention of those outside the street life. Often placed on the hand, between the thumb and fore finger, or on the cheekbone below the eye, these alternative tattoos are used to communicate the wearer’s status as a lifelong gang member, and punctuation mark of acceptance of the violence and erratic elements that are common in this lifestyle.

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A Prison Tattoo Staple

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3 Dots Tattoos - Subtle But With A Big Meaning!

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Within prison and gang life, to be crazy means to be dangerous: an unpredictable person that is willing to do anything for their clique with no consideration of the consequences, particularly prison sentences, is not someone to be trifled with. The extreme violence-particularly of Mexican Cartels-is an everyday part of gang life and to wear the three dots tattoo is to proudly display to the world the you are comfortably in the most savage of situations.

There are other common tattoo designs linked to prisons, such as the aforementioned teardrop tattoo, white supremacist symbols referencing the Aryan Brotherhood or KKK, or other Latinx designs such as the five dots tattoo and crown tattoo of the Latin King. The tattoo artist and representation might be dissimilar, but the different meaning doesn’t stray far from the same idea.

The Birth of Chicano Tattoo

Fast forward five hundred years and the modern lines separating America and Mexico have been drawn. Although, given the fact that California and much of the Western Frontier states were previously part of the southern country’s territories, it is little wonder that many people of Latino descent remained in the United States. The historical precedent for Latinos living north of the border for generations did little to stifle the racism and hate directed at them by many white Americans.

It was during this period when the term Chicano first came into common parlance, although at this point it was more commonly used as a slur against Latinos by their white neighbors. The political and ethnic determinist attitudes that became the basis for the Chicano movement of the 1960s arose out of the pachucos of the 1940’s and 50’s, originating in Texas and Northern Mexico before eventually spreading through Latino communities across North America.

During the 60’s, alongside war protestors and the Black Panthers, the Chicano movement became an active political segment of the Latino population that celebrated their indigenous origins, rejected the dominant European narrative and reclaimed the word Chicano as a term of self-determination and pride. As the late Reies Tijerina-a major figure in the Chicano Movement-wrote in his book They Called Me King Tiger: My Struggle for the Land and Our Rights, “The Anglo press degradized the word ‘Chicano’. They use it to divide us. We use it to unify ourselves with our people and with Latin America.”

Born from Struggle

The history of the United States’ oppression of non-white minorities is long and well documented, and Latinos were no exception. The numbers of prisoners of Latino descent that ended up behind bars was-and remains-disproportionately larger than their white European counterparts and this had an effect on Latino communities across the continent. However, rather than pushing Chicanos into submission and servility this constant struggle reinforced their pride and self-determination.

It was from the gang lifestyle that many Chicanos adopted as a way to deal with violence and poverty-and the lengthy prison sentences that often followed-that Chicano tattoo meaning was born.

Gang members and criminals have used tattoos to communicate for decades, and like other criminal elements such as Russian prisons gang and white supremacist organizations, the prison tattoos of Chicanos have their own distinct style.

What is Chicano Tattoo?

Arising out of the Mexican American culture of California and the Southwest United States, the tattoo style known as Chicano has played a large role in the development of the art of tattooing as a whole and has gained fans and followers around the world.

The Chicano tattoo style is characterized by black and gray ink, with very little color ever used, precise line work and smooth shading as well as elaborate scripts. This style grew from the stick and poke tattoos that were common in prison, later incorporating the use of homemade, single needle machines built by prisoners.

The single needle approach remains a key characteristic of Chicano tattoos and is still preferred by masters of the style like Freddy Negrete.

Other common elements in the Chicano style grew from the streets and prisons where so many young Latinos found themselves. Pinup girls, guns and the distinct custom low-rider cars of Chicano culture all featured heavily in these tattoos, but one of the most profound concepts that continues to shape the Chicano style and attitude is represented by three small ink dots.

An Enduring Tradition

While there is little doubt about the origins of Chicano tattooing on the fringes of society, the development of the style into art form has had a profound impact on modern tattooing. Many of the artists that have come to define the style came directly from the streets and cells where it originated, though they didn’t stop with simple stick and poke designs. Instead they dedicated themselves to the art and created an entire style based around what it is to be Chicano.

Old school artists like Freddy Negrete set the stage for the tattooists that would carry the Chicano legacy into the Twenty First Century. Chuey Quintanar and Tamara Santibañez are among a few of the talented artists that are carrying the torch and continuing to push the limits of what is considered a Chicano tattoo.

While the old elements of girls, guns and clowns are still popular, modern Chicano artists have a much broader world view to draw from, and many look to the political origins of the Chicano Movement for inspiration. Revolutionary figures from Latin America’s past like Emiliano Zapata, Pancho Villa and Cesar Chavez have all been tattooed on Chicanos around the world. Thanks to these artists, Chicano tattooing is here to stay.

Are you looking for more information articles on alternative tattoos, common prison tattoo and gang activity and it’s role in the big meaning of ink? Click on the links below for more interesting stories about the fringes of tattoo culture.

• The Yakuza and Tattoo
• What do teardrop tattoos mean?
• What do Number 13 Tattoos Mean?
• US Army Tattoo Policy – What you Need to Know