CHICANO
STUDIES 101
Instructor Notes
Charlene Garcia-Simms
UNIT I
* Handouts: Syllabus, Tentative course outline;
suggested topics for term papers; specifications for research paper,
class portfolio and extra credit; Article--Hispanic is a Culture,
Not a Race by Roger Hernandez; Epic Poem, I Am Joaquin by Rodolfo
"Corky" Gonzales; Definition of terms; A short chronology of
pre-Columbian history; Spanish explorations; Los Chicanos from the
Mexican American Heritage by Carlos M. Jiminez; 3 Art Booklets;
Articles on La Virgen de Guadalupe
* Assignments: Reading and writing assignments are
in your Tentative Course Outline.
* Quiz (not to be counted): Why are you taking this
class. Terms and historical characters in the Chicano Movement.
Discussion including terms and historical characters as follows:
* Chicano Studies - Overview of the historical,
political and socio-cultural experience of the Chicano, the people of
the southwest whose ancestors migrated from Mexico and settled in the
southwest, some as early as 1598. Their heritage is generally Mestizo -
a mixture of Spanish and Indian. They don't necessarily call
themselves Chicanos. This course is taught in an interdisciplinary
manner to include : History, Geography, Sociology, Anthropology,
Archaeology, Statistics, Genealogy, Political Science, Literature, the
Arts and other disciplines.
* Chicano - is a political label made popular in the
sixties and which some people use as self identification because they
were part of the Chicano Movement and identify with its principals
or people who identify strongly with their Indigenous heritage.
Some believe that the word Chicano comes from the Nahuatl word Mexicano
(Mesh-i-kan-oh); The Aztecs were called the Mexica and came from
Aztlan, somewhere north from Mexico, possibly as far north as the
southwest.
* Hispanic - An umbrella term given by the
government during the Nixon administration for several ethnicity's with
Spanish heritage. Hispanics share the Spanish language their ancestors
spoke but not necessarily the same degree of racial and class
discrimination nor prospects for upward class mobility. Their culture
and traditions are different; People who fall under this category are
Mexican Americans, Spanish Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, and others.
* Mestizo - in the scope of this class, mixture of
Indian and Spanish
* Chicano movement - A political and socio-economic
movement originating in the 1960's behind the Black movement. The
Chicano movement articulated objectives that included civil rights and
human rights issues with retention of culture. They took pride in their
indigenous roots. Chicano national figures articulated the various
problems such as immigration, labor law, assimilation and education and
the need for Chicanos to work collectively in meeting social problems
confronting them. The ethnic oriented structures became increasingly
powerful as they became more sophisticated.
Leaders who emerged from the Chicano Movement:
* Reyes Lopez Tijerina, in New Mexico, fought to get
the land that was taken during the American Occupation and after the
Mexican/American War, back to his people.
* Caesar Chavez, in California, fought for the Farm
workers
* Dolores Huerta fought side by side with Cesar
Chavez.
* Jose Angel Gutierrez, in Texas, fought for
political equality; founded La Raza Unida, a third political party, in
Texas which later spread to other states.
* Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales, son of migrant sugar
beet workers, in Denver, Colorado. He was a golden gloves champion in
the featherweight division. In 1957 he became the first Chicano
district captain for the Democratic party in Denver. Corky knew the
attempts schools made to make him lose his identity - examples -
changing his name from Rodolfo to Rudolph or Rudy and being punished
for speaking Spanish. In 1966 He founded the Crusade for Justice which
included a school, a curio shop, a book store and a social center. The
school was named Tlatelolco, La Plaza de las Tres Culturas, preschool
to college. It is still in existence; Published El Gallo, La Voz de La
Justicia. On June 29, 1968, Corky headed a march on police headquarters
to protest officer Theodore Zavashlak's shooting and killing of 15 year
old Joseph Archuleta. In 1969 when students marched out of West Side
High School because Chicanos were being given an inferior education,
Corky marched with the parents. He was arrested but acquitted. In 1969,
he called the First Annual Chicano Youth Conference at Denver. He was
instrumental in establishing La Raza Unida party in Colorado which ran
candidates for local offices on 11-4-70. I Am Joaquin, by Rodolfo
"Corky" Gonzales, is considered an epic poem, the most inspiring piece
of movement literature written in the 1960's. The impact was
immeasurable. It was Mexican History all wrapped up into one poem, full
of truth, despair and finally hope. It expressed the inner turmoil of
being Mestizo, both tyrant and slave.
* Luis Valdez was born in Delano California to farm
workers. By age five he was also working in the fields. He went to San
Jose College and received a BA in English. He completed his first full
length play, The Shrunken Head of Pancho Villa about Mexican Americans
trying to find themselves in society - it won an Obie award. He created
a farm workers theater El Teatro Compesino as a means of dramatizing
the workers plight and gain public support for their unionizing
efforts. Later he organized a cultural center, Centro Campesino
Cultural. He won several awards - Zoot Suit was the first play to
appear on Broadway written by a Chicano. He worked on the production of
La Bamba. He continues to write a screenplay on Diego Rivera and Frida
Kahlo. He produced the 18 minute video based on the poem, I Am Joaquin.
* Ruben Salazar, journalist killed during the
Chicano Moratorium, August 1970.
Study Guide 1-A:
* Terms: Chicano Studies: Chicano; Chicano Movement;
Hispanic; Mestizo;
* Who were the five leaders who emerged from the
Chicano Movement? What part did each one play in the Chicano Movement?
* Who was Ruben Salazar?
* Who produced I am Joaquin and is also known as the
father of Chicano Theater?
More Terms and Characters in Chicano Studies:
* For the scope of this class, race is one's
physical biological or genetic make-up; ethnicity is one's cultural
make-up.
Video: Taking Back the Schools:
* March 3, 1968 - on the streets of East LA
over a thousand students walked out of Abraham Lincoln School. Later
several thousands more students walked out of five other predominantly
Mexican American high schools; by the end of the week 10,000 students
had joined the strike (blowouts). The demands were many but the major
purpose was to protest racist teachers and school policies, the lack of
freedom of speech, the lack of teachers of Mexican Descent and the
absence of classes on Mexican and Mexican American culture and history.
In addition to its historical significance it also marked the entry of
Mexican American youth into the history of the turbulent sixties. What
did the students want? What did they get? Mexican American Studies and
Mexican American literature; most important a re-evaluation of the way
which Mexican American school children should be taught.
* The L.A. Thirteen - Those arrested because of the
school walkouts in L. A.
* Sal Castro - the teacher who helped the students
organize and one of the L.A. Thirteen who was arrested.
* Moctezuma Esparza - movie producer - The Milagro
Bean field War, Price of Glory, The Legend of Gregorio Cortez and
one of the L. A. Thirteen who were arrested as part of the school
walkouts.
* Brown Berets - A group of young Chicanos who first
called themselves, Young Chicanos for Community Action/ students set up
to ward off police brutality/defend themselves from the oppressors/
tried to keep the peace. Their leader, David Sanchez, was arrested as
part of the L.A. Thirteen and jailed for conspiracy to create riots,
disrupt the functioning of public schools and disturbing the
peace. When he was arrested his prom tuxedo was in the trunk of
his car.
Study Guide 1-B
* Hispanic is a culture, not a race. Explain.
* Define race; define ethnicity.
* What significance did March 3, 1968, have on
Chicano students. What did the students gain?
* Who was Sal Castro? Moctezuma Esparza? Carlos
Munoz? David Sanchez? The Brown Berets?
The blowouts brought about change in the educational system. One of the
changes was offering Chicano Studies. The history of the Mestizo is a
strong element of Chicano Studies. We will look at the indigenous
history starting with the Indians of Mexico. We will also discuss some
history of Spain. This will take us back to pre-Columbian history in
the Americas, some history of Spain and the encounter between the
Spanish Conquistadores and the Aztecs. We will then go forward north
from Mexico into the southwest.
Note: Start reading the Chicano Folklore book and select two topics,
list and summarize them in your portfolio. We will discuss them in
class.
Review of last week's discussion, videos, and handouts;
* Before we get to the encounter between the native
peoples of the Americas and the Spanish Conquistadores you need to know
some pre-history of the Indians and Spaniards.
* PRE-COLUMBIAN HISTORY - MEXICO
* Highlights to be discussed:
* 1500 B.C. - Olmecs - oldest civilization we know
about
* Others:
o Mayans
o Zapotec
o Mixtecs
o Others
* 200-350 A.D. Teotihuacans - This was the apex of
their civilization.
* Quetzalcoatl was the ruling god of Teotihuacan.
Between 650-850 A.D., invaders destroyed their city.
* 900 - Toltecs took over Teotihuacan
civilization.
* 947 - birth of Ce Acatl Topiltzin better known as
Quetzalcoatl (human)
* 980 - he established the Toltec capital as Tula.
* 999 - Quetzalcoatl fled promising to return in a
one-reed year and punish anyone who was allowing human sacrifices.
* 1247 - Aztecs entered the Valley of Mexico; They
came from Aztlan; Huitzilopochtli advised them where to settle
* 1325 - Aztecs settled in Tenochtitlán
(Mexico City). In less than 200 years they amassed a great empire and
their major city ran like clockwork, but they also made many enemies
because of the tribute (taxes) the other groups were made to pay and
the Aztecs would also go out during the Flower Wars and capture people
for their human sacrifices from other tribes.
* 1502 - Coronation of Moctezuma II as ruler- a
series of bad omens plagued his reign.
OMENS:
* Ten years before the Spaniards arrived something
appeared in the sky in the middle of the night that looked like a
flaming ear of corn that seemed to bleed fire, like a wound in the sky.
It burned until the break of day.
* One of the temples, Huitzilopochtli, burst into
flames for no apparent cause and they were unable to put the fire out.
* Another temple was damaged by a lightening bolt.
No thunder was heard.
* Fire streamed through the sky while the sun was
still shining.
* The wind lashed the water until it boiled.
* A weeping woman was heard night after night
crying, "my children, we must flee from the city."
* A strange creature appeared resembling a crane. It
had a mirror on its forehead. You could see the mamalhuatzli (the three
stars of the constellation, Taurus). In the mirror Moctezuma could see
people off in the plains riding what looked like huge deer.
* Monstrous beings could be seen in the streets;
deformed men with two heads and one body.
* By 1519 Montezuma was distraught because of the
omens and the prophecies his priests were making for the future. 1519
was also a one reed year and it was believed this could be the year
Quetzalcoatl returned.
SPAIN:
* The people from Spain have one of the oldest and
most diverse cultural and ethnic heritages in all of Europe. Some of
the influences were:
o Ancient
Iberians
o Carthaginians
o Phoenicians
o Celts
o Greeks
o Romans
o Vandals
o Visigoths
o Moors (Moros,
Moriscos from Morocco)
o Sephardic Jews
* The Moors conquered Catholic Spain in 711. To
many, it was a welcome relief because King Roderick, the Visgoth, was a
tyrant who held his people in harsh bondage. The Moors were liberators,
not conquerors. The Jews who were living there were granted religious
liberty. Muslims-Jews-Catholics lived side by side for a long
time. The Catholics waged war almost immediately, but it would
take 800 years to win back the crown completely.
* The marriage between Ferdinand of Aragon and
Isabella of Castille in 1469 united two large and important areas of
Spain. Spain had endured almost 800 years of war since the Moors took
over. The union of the two crowns of Aragon and Castille would be
successful in defeating the Moors once and for all. In 1492 the
Catholics conquered Granada the last stronghold of the Moors.
Tragically, the institution of the inquisition began - and the
Jews and Moors who did not convert to Catholicism were kicked out or
killed.
* During the same year, 1492, Columbus finally left
on his journey in search of the Indies and by accident discovered the
Americas for Europe and claimed them for Spain. The native peoples had
been there for thousands and thousands of years. Columbus called
the native people Indians.
* Spain - Charles V became King when Spain was
expanding its empire. He was the grandson of Ferdinand and Isabella,
through their daughter Juana of Castile (Juana la Loca) who went crazy
when her husband Philip the Handsome died after strenuously playing
ball and then drinking cold water. She refused to bury him and took his
body from monastery to monastery. Finally they put her away and her
husband had a Christian burial. Her son Charles V became the king of
Spain at age 16. This was the beginning of the Hapsburg Dynasty.
Charles V wanted to be Pope. Religion was very important to him and
christianizing the Indians or, who they thought as infidels, in the
Americas was greatly supported by him.
THE ENCOUNTER:
* April 13, 1519 - Cortes landed on the beach south
of Veracruz with an army of 555 men and 16 horses; some records vary -
saying he had 400 Spanish soldiers; 200 Cuban Indians and 100 sailors;
hundreds of Toledo swords; 32 crossbows; 13 harquebuses, ten large and
six small cannons; As he was trying to sail north a big wind blew him
back to shore and he met up with Jeronimo Aguilar who had been
shipwrecked with earlier expeditions. He knew the language of the
Mayans and was eager to go with Cortes. As Cortes sailed north he
fought with the Tabascan Indians and beat them. Their leader presented
Cortes and his men with twenty young maidens. Among them was Malinche.
Malinche could speak Mayan and Nahuatl (The language of the Aztecs);
Aguilar could speak Mayan and Spanish. They became Cortes' translators.
She also became his mistress and bore him a child, Martin.
* In August 1519, Cortes took off too Tenochtitlan
to meet Moctezuma. Along the way he befriended the Tlascalans, bitter
enemies of the Aztecs. They provided 6000 escorts. Moctezuma, thinking
Cortes may have been Quetzalcoatl returning, treated him like royalty.
* November 8, 1519 Moctezuma and Cortes finally met
in Tenochtitlán.
* By the end of November Moctezuma was more of a
prisoner of Cortes'. Cortes was there for six months when he heard the
Governor from Cuba, Diego Velasquez had sent Cortes' nemesis (worst
enemy), Panfilo de Narvaez, to capture him. Cortes set out for Vera
Cruz leaving Hernando Alvarado in charge. During one of the festivals
of the Nobles, Alvarado panicked and killed thousands of Aztec Nobels.
The Aztecs waged war and replaced Moctezuma with his brother Cuitlahuac
as their ruler, who died shortly after his reign began. When Cortes
returned with 1000 Spaniards (he had captured Narvaez' group and talked
them into joining him) to Tenochtitlan he found everything a mess. He
was furious with Alvarado.
* June 30, 1520 - Moctezuma tried to calm his people
down. As he was standing on a balcony he was stoned by his own people.
It is not certain whether this killed him or if the Spaniards killed
him. A battle between the Aztecs and the Spaniards ensued. The night
became known as La Noche Triste (Night of Sorrow) because over
half of Cortes' men were killed. Sadly, one of Cortes men had small-pox
and the Indians had no immunities to European diseases. The horrible
disease killed a large part of the Indian population, including
their new leader, Cuitlahuac. .
* May 1521- It took the Spaniards one year to
regroup. With over 80,000 Indian Allies they entered Tenochtilan in May
1521.
* August 13, 1521 After a three month siege and a
valiant fight by the Aztecs under the leadership of 18-year old
Cuauhtemoc, Tenochtitlán fell to Cortes.
* Aftermath of the conquest: The following is an
excerpt of one estimate of the decline of the native population in
Mexico: "For the most part, the Indians did not accept colonization
willingly. They resisted in manifold ways. The historical sources
suggest how deeply painful the Spanish presence must have been and that
women had a role beyond involvement in sexual trade with the
conquistadors. There are references to collective suicides, to villages
that refused to have children and that committed infanticide or
practiced systematic abortion so that their legacy as the vanquished
would end with their death. Moreover, excessive work and European
diseases, against which the Indians had no antibodies, decimated the
population. According to Borah and Cook, the number of Indians declined
from 25.3 million in 1519 to 16.8 million in 1523, 2.6 million in 1548,
and 1.3 million in 1595. (Source: Women in Mexico: A Past Unveiled)
These numbers vary depending on the source.
Study Guide 1-C
* The Indigenous people of Mexico: Olmecs, Myans,
Teotihuacans, Quetzalcoatl, One-Reed year; Aztecs, Nahuatl;
Huitzilopochtli; Aztlan; Tenochtitlan, Moctezuma II; Tabascans;
Malinche; Tlascalans; Cuitlahuac; Cuauhtemoc;
* Spain: The Moors; Sephardic Jews; Catholic
Spaniards; Spanish Inquisition; Cristobal Colon; Charles V;
* The Conquest 1519-1521: Hernan Cortes; Jeronimo
Aguilar; Malinche, Diego Velasquez; Panfilo de Narvaez; Hernando
Alvarado;
* Aftermath: Bernardino de Sahagún; La
Virgen de Guadalupe; Juan Diego: Viceroy Mendoza; Cabeza de Vaca;
Estebanico; Fray Marcos, Francisco Vasquez de Coronado; Juan Rodriguez
Cabrillo;
* Dates: The year 999; significance of the year
1519; April 13, 1519; November 8, 1519; June 30, 1520; August 13, 1521;
December 1531; April 30, 1598;
* List ten reasons why the Spanish were able to
conquer the Aztecs? (Discussion in class)
* What was the significance of the appearance of La
Virgen de Guadalupe (Discussion in class)
* 1521 - 1531 - The first Franciscan priests arrived
in 1524. The second group which Bernardino de Sahagun was a part of,
arrived in 1529. Some priests were kind; others weren't. Fray
Bernardino de Sahagun was one of the priests who realized the
importance of the history of the Aztecs and went around interviewing
several of the older Aztecs. He taught them to write their history in
Latin Letters and then he transcribed them into Spanish. Their previous
books which the Spaniards destroyed had been picture writing recorded
in folded codex books, made of deer skin or bark paper.
* It was not easy to convert the Indians to
Catholicism. In 1531 La Virgen de Guadalupe appeared to the peasant
Juan Diego. She sent a message to the bishop that she wanted a shrine
to be built in her honor on the very spot she appeared. which was among
the conquered people and he finally listened. She gave hope to the
Indians because she spoke their language, Nahuatl; she was dark skinned
and looked like them and she demonstrated a strength as strong as their
other gods. She made it easier for the Indians to convert.
* 1528-1536 - Cabeza de Vaca - Explored the
southwest as a curandero for 7 years after being shipwrecked near
Galveston; He came upon two other Spaniards, Dorantes and Castillo and
Estebanico, the Christianized Moor. They met some Spaniards in northern
Mexico and traveled south to Mexico with them, arriving July 24, 1536.
They told stories of great wealth and encouraged an expedition north
from Mexico
Estebanico and Fray Marcos were sent to explore the southwest in 1539.
Estebanico was killed but Fray Marcos brought back stories of
much gold even though there wasn't any. This initiated the expedition
of Francisco Vasquez de Coronado - first great exploration of the
southwest. It was also the first time the Indians of the southwest
encountered the cruelty and plundering of the Spanish. After not
finding any gold, Coronado's men begged him to go back to Mexico.
Coronado did not want to go back in disgrace but after falling off a
horse he was badly hurt and returned to Mexico City in what he felt was
disgrace. However, he had made a fantastic journey that was captured in
his chronicles. By this time Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo had led an
expedition to the Bay of San Diego. Because no gold was found the
land north of Mexico was not explored for about 40 years after which
new expeditions set forth.
Migration Patterns north from Mexico
* Silver was discovered in the mines of Zacatecas -
one owner was Cristobal Onate. It was his son, millionaire, Juan de
Onate, who set forth in 1598 with a legal colonization effort north
from Mexico. Juan de Onate traveled on the Camino Real, leaving Santa
Barbara in January 1598. Their journey was long and hard. They arrived
on the Rio Grande and were so happy they had a grand celebration. This
is known as the First European Thanksgiving on April 30, 1598. By
summer they had gone further north settling in San Juan de los
Caballeros, near present day Espanola, New Mexico.
* After the people started settling in, Onate left
to the west searching for gold. His nephew, Juan de Zaldivar followed a
few days later. At the Indian Pueblo of Acoma, Zaldivar's men stopped
to demand flour. The Pueblo of Acoma is known as the City in the Sky
because it is on a cliff. The Spaniards were attacked and Juan de
Zaldivar was killed. Word reached his uncle. Onate returned to San Juan
de los Caballeros and held trial. His other nephew Vicente de Zaldivar
led an attack on the Acoma Indians. They won the battle and captured
500 Acoma Indians whom they took back to San Juan de los Caballeros.
Their punishment was to make the women servants; the children would be
sent back to Mexico City and any man over the age of 25 would have his
right foot amputated. Whether their entire foot or the point of their
toes was amputated is uncertain. What is certain is that the Acoma
Indians are tenacious and stubborn. Within a few years they were back
home. Four-hundred years later when New Mexico was celebrating the
400th year that the Spanish arrived in New Mexico, someone took a
welding torch and cut off the right foot of a statue of Onate in the
Onate Center in Alcalde, New Mexico. It prompted great controversy and
the King of Spain sent people from his cabinet to meet with several
Indian councils to resolve any animosities that still remained. Last
year the Pope publicly apologized for what the Indians had to endure
under the rule of Catholic Church. (Point: History is still relevant,
even 400 years later)
There were many governors after Onate. They
were in constant fighting with the church. Church and State did not get
along or agree on anything. At times the Indians were slaves and at
other times they were not. At times they were allowed to practice their
religion and other times they were punished for practicing their
religion. A man by the name of Po-pé, a Pueblo Indian, known as
a medicine man hated Christianity and his hate increased with whippings
and imprisonment he had to endure. He organized a conspiracy. It took
about five years of planning. Po-pé chose August 13, 1680, for
the uprising but struck on August 10 instead. By August 20 after the
Indians trapped the Spaniards in the Palace of the Governors in Santa
Fe the Spaniards started walking south. (How far is Santa Fe from El
Paso Texas?) By October 19, 1680, the Spaniards had reached El
Paso safely. Out of nearly 2500 colonists, who had lived in New Mexico,
close to 400 were killed and many of the priests. 150 were missing or
had bypassed El Paso and gone into Mexico. Some remained behind.
Everything Spanish was destroyed - Popé became power hungry and
he died in 1688. He was one of the very few who actually succeeded in
halting, if only for a while. the territorial advance of the European
conquerors.
And the people in El Paso were starving. It
was the most miserable 12 years - there were some attempts to reconquer
New Mexico between 1680 and 1692 but they were unsuccessful. Then came
don Diego de Vargas, age 47, of high ancestry, from one of Spain's
greatest families. He arrived in El Paso on February 22, 1691. He was
very systematic. He first studied the natives in the area, then he
marched into New Mexico. He started on the 12th anniversary of the
revolt, August 10, 1692. By September 13 he had subdued the Indians. He
went back to El Paso and in October of 1693 seventy families headed
north. It was too late in the year to travel -- cold, wind, snow,
silence. When they reached Santa Fe they endured two agonizing weeks of
negotiations, malnutrition, exposure, 22 babies died and had to be
buried under the snow because the ground would not break. He
reconquered Santa Fe on December 29, and 30. There was another revolt
in 1696 but this time the Indian resistance was broken down and the
colonizers settled in.
Study Guide 2-A
* Juan de Oñate, Camino Real; San Juan de los
Caballeros; Juan de Zaldivar, Acoma and the Acoma Indians;
Vicente de Zaldivar; the battle at Acoma; Pope; Diego de Vargas;
Miscellaneous notes:
* Spain had discovered America for Europe and
claimed it for Spain.
* History has been told from an east to west
perspective / victors tell the story;
* Britain and Spain were mortal enemies
* Spanish culture was inflicted and imposed on
Native peoples in the Americas
* Spanish were great discoverers and explorers
* The Grand Exchange: What did the Americas
contribute to Europe? What did Europe contribute to the Americas?
* Parallels with the United States:
o Pilgrims
arrived in 1608 in Jamestown
o Others arrived
in 1620 in Plymouth Rock?
Introduction of term: Fantasy Heritage:
* The Fantasy Heritage is false mythology that all
things Spanish are great and all things Mexican are bad. According to
Carey McWilliams in North from Mexico, this myth has been practiced by
both Anglos and Chicanos (most of the Chicanos in the higher social
classes); The belief that one who succeeds is Spanish and one who
doesn't is Mexican is ridiculous.
* There is a hypocrisy of celebrating Cinco de Mayo
once a year with platitudes and continue the other 364 days caring less
about Mexicans or their socio-economic plight. These celebrations are
overcompensated.
* The Mexican Implication of pure Spanish blood is
denial. Looks and appearance tell a different story
* There is no relationship between Florida colonies
and the Spanish speaking settlements in the borderlands; no
relationship between Spanish immigration and the Spanish speaking
minority in the Southwest.
* The fantasy heritage drives a wedge between the
native-born and the foreign born. By continuing to believe in this
fantasy heritage it robs those who identify with Mexican heritage of a
rich culture.
Study Guide 2-B
* What does Carey McWilliams mean by Fantasy
Heritage? What are its implications?
Survival in New Mexico; Settlements in Texas, Arizona, California
* Geographical factors - arid, deserts
* True Borderlands
* isolation and aridity kept people from the East
away.
* Sedentary Indians - Pueblos, Taos, Zuni
* Nomadic - Apaches, Utes, Comanches, Navajos -
their resistance slowed down Anglo American settlement.
* New Mexico Traits: Ricos/Pobres
Caste/class competition, innovation, markets did not exist
Isolation developed clannish relationships, communal
o Poverty -
culture of poverty
o Illiteracy -
the ricos sent children to St. Louis
* Power of the church/religion - priests
* Peonage
* small market - little to purchase; trade
fairs included children, skins of deer and buffalo
* barter system; money was scarce, there was little
to purchase/use of adobe instead of puddling system of Indians
* developed a folk culture
* Indian raids/Apaches
* absence of a middle class element
* land grants - land taxes, litigation, mortgages;
Intermarriages
* Spanish American - brought Spanish traditions,
culture and language
* While Mexico flourished - New Mexico was in a time
warp in language, culture
* Little if any contact with the Mexican
Independence War which started in 1810
The Spanish Southwest
* Lost Provinces - southwestern Texas and the
southern Colorado
* The plan was to have a central colony in New
Mexico and outposts in California, Texas and Arizona.
* All the states shared a common heritage but never
functioned together; no effective liaison ever existed. Experiences ran
parallel but never merged.
* Some prosperity in Arizona because of the silver
nuggets found but it didn't last long. Raided over and over by the
Apaches; they were strong and stubborn. Arizona was known as the
orphan, the pauper of the Spanish provinces.
* New Mexico was known for it's sheep industry while
California had cattle and was richer in resources with a milder
climate. Class system of ricos and pobres (the rich and the poor) ricos
in New Mexico; gente de razon in California.
* In Texas there were a few missions by
1716/backward, illiterate, impoverished.
* California was a sea and land frontier.
* The Santa Fe Trail which opened up in 1821 made it
easier to trade with St. Louis instead of Chihuahua.
Historical implications to Chicanos:
* Introduction of term: MEXICO IS NOT EUROPE
* Assimiliation/Acculturation
* never immigrants - U. S. came to them - Citizens
by default
* The Forgotten Link - Citizens by Default; After
the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed in 1848 the people living in
the southwest were given one year to make up their minds to stay in
what was now the United States or move south to what was now Mexico.
Those who stayed were given the right to retain their language,
religion and culture. They were also given specific provisions to
protect their property and political rights.
* those from Mexico never immigrated - they returned
* Without a real border people came back and forth
as they wished.
* The border patrol of the Immigration Services was
not established until 1924
* Rio Grande does not separate people, it brings
them together. The River has changed its channel naturally. You have
twin cities.
* Citizens of both nations have passed back and
forth with little difficulty or interruption, or have settled in
neighboring states amidst natural surroundings which have not repelled
them by their unfamiliar aspects.
Study Guide 2-C
* What traits were developed in New Mexico in the
1700's?
* How did these traits affect the people when the
United States occupied the Southwest?
* What is meant by: Their experiences have run
parallel but never merged, for the border was broken; the links never
forged?
* Define Citizens by Default; What was the Treaty of
Guadalupe; What is meant by the statement: Mexico is not Europe. .
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