Through the voice of Palo Alto, a mesquite tree, Elena Zamora O’Shea relates the story of one Spanish-Mexican family’s history, spanning over two hundred years, in South Texas, the area encompassing between the Nueces and the Rio Grande. As the narration of the Garcia’s family history progresses through the different generations, becoming more Mexican-American, or Tejano, peoples and things indigenous gradually grow faint. In her account of South Texas history, Elena devalues the importance and impact of Indians, placing a greater precedence on the Spanish settlers.
In Elena’s own introduction to the novel, she recalls an empty, inhabited American West and questions why the forefathers of South Texas have been forgotten:
From my
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Similarly, the Arrastrado can be a representation of the Indians at the bottom of the hierarchy, since the Fathers think of them as savages and a “little lazy.” While the Mesquite Rosillos counterpart are the Spaniards, depicting the superiority of the Spaniards over the Indians. Hence, only after the Spaniards name the mesquite “La Posta del Palo Alto” does the mesquite, take more pride in itself, since it has been worthy of being named and recognized for its finer qualities by the Spaniards. Through the continuation of the novel, the partiality of the mesquite for the Spaniards is perceptible, further depreciating the Indians. For instance, after Pat moved his family to Mier and left the best-liked peon, Juan Vasquez as the boss, “the rancho was surely a dead thing without the master and his family,” thought the mesquite. “The white crosses on the hillside were [his] only companions” (Zamora O’Shea 48). As a result, the narrator chose to only identify with the dead Garcias rather than to attempt to establish relations with the peones left at the rancho or the indigenous peoples who pass by to engage in trade. The mesquite’s dismissal of the Indians may be due to the lack of refinement of the indigenous
There is common history between Latin Americans and Anglo Americans, like the Arabs and Jews of the Middle East, cousins in constant conflict, often hearing but not understanding each other. In this chapter Gonzalez tells us about how both Latin American and Anglo-American cultures fabricated their colonial origin. The 1500’s through the early 1800s specially explains the foundation of what now makes up the US. Since early on in time Anglo colonist saw Mexicans as an obstacle to evolution. Unfortunately, because most did not know how to read or write they were easily fooled. Because of this so many were done wrong, at times had their lands taken away. Canelas family were some of the witnesses to the lynching’s which occurred as last as 1917. In 1859 Cortina; a Canelas ancestor, declared was against the Anglo settler minority. In 1929, an important year where we had the first organization intended to break down segregation. The name of that organization was League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). The main goal was to get the Anglo society to accept Mexicans as equal citizens. They could do this by teaching the chief goal to master his
Moved from their land, forced into a new religion and way of thinking the natives were also mostly extinguished by European microbes. Not everyone was passive however and one of these people was Popay, being the leader various groups was very well known for his successful revolts in pueblo communities across New Mexico, keeping Spaniards for 12 years. The book also talks about the communities built by the natives and how they were mostly eradicated by disease. The story of Apolonaria Lorenzana is also talked about, living through the early days of Spanish missions to the closing of the American frontier and her importance as “La Beata” in San Diego missions. The identity crisis of those with Spanish ancestry and of Mexican decent by in new American soil is also mentioned. The legacy left by the Seguin family, to be more specific the importance of Juan Seguin’s role as a Mexican taking the American side for Texas
In this paper, I will be summarizing the following chapters: Chapter 3: "A Legacy of Hate: The Conquest of Mexico’s Northwest”; Chapter 4: “Remember the Alamo: The Colonization of Texas”; and Chapter 5: “Freedom in a Cage: The Colonization of New Mexico. All three chapters are from the book, “Occupied America, A History of Chicanos” by Rodolfo F. Acuna. In chapter three, Acuna explains the causes of the war between Mexico and North America. In chapter four, Acuna explains the colonization of Texas and how Mexicans migrated from Mexico to Texas. In chapter five, Acuna explains the colonization of New Mexico and the economic changes that the people had to go through.
For many years, Sam Houston’s speech at Refugio was closely associated as being racial and prejudice towards the Tejanos. As Crisp put it straightforwardly “the words of the speech were harsh. They accused the Tejanos, the Mexicans living in Texas, of aiding the enemy in great numbers.” Additionally, San Houston referred to the Tejanos as “half-Indians” and emphasized the superiority of the white man by saying “nor will the vigor of the descendants of the sturdy north ever mix with the phlegm of the indolent Mexicans, no matter how long we may live among them.” Houston’s discriminatory language against the Mexicans, as well as, the negative manner in which he portrayed the Indians stunned Crisp. Crisp declared “the words seemed so unlike Houston” and “ given his long and friendly relationships with Native Americans, how could Houston revile Mexicans by calling them half-Indians?” Those questions compelled Crisp to search and investigate much deeper.
Ramon Gutierrez’s When Jesus Came, The Corn Mothers Went Away is an exploration of the merging of Spanish, Franciscan and Pueblo Indian cultures throughout Spain's “frontier” in its colonial American empire before Anglo contact. Gutierrez builds a foundation for his analysis by discussing Pueblo Indian life prior to outside contact, Franciscan theology, and the class structure of Spanish communities in each of its respective book sections. He examines meanings of the cultural interactions of gift exchange, ownership, trade, sexual rights, labor, kinship, social status, religious beliefs, and honor among many others using marriage as a window. His interpretation of the complex cultural meanings of marriage illustrates the ways in which the
“For through observation and exploration of those lands and coasts, both by land and sea, it must be recognized that these settlements must be the rampart, fortress, and the defense of all this New Spain.” (pg. 1). The author Jesus F. de la Teja takes a objective look of settlement of San Antonio and its surroundings. His book covers over the course of a period of the 18th Century. His writings describe the life of the settlers, economics, living conditions, and their use of the land. He does a superior job of characterizing the early Texas Colonial settlers’ daily life.
Miranda opens Bad Indians with a brief explanation of her family history and who she is within the book’s introduction. However, she quickly changes point of view when the introduction opens into the main text that presents us first with a set of poems written by Junípero Serra, who many view as the founding father of the mission system. We enter a book that can be described as harboring resentment for and against the mission system from the perspective of the man who began the mission system within California. This allows us to understand what some of Serra’s thoughts were in regards to the Indigenous peoples, not through an explanation given by an outside source, but through his own writings and expressions. Immediately after his poem we learn about the mission project required by most fourth grade curriculum and transition then into a text titled “Adobe Bricks” which lays out a recipe for building a mission. This depiction of what it takes to build a mission displays how the Indians were viewed as mere ingredients to a project rather than as actual human beings. The recipe explains how the Indians must “haul some dirt in” and run “back
Desert Immigrants: The Mexicans of El Paso 1880-1920 analyzes and discusses the Mexican immigrants to El Paso, Texas. The most western city of the vast state of Texas, a city in the edge of the Chihuahuan desert; a place too far away from many regions of the United States, but as Mario García explains a very important city during the development of the western United States. He begins explaining how El Paso’s proximity to different railroads coming from México and the United States converged there, which allowed El Paso to become an “instant city”, as mining, smelting, and ranching came to region. (García 2)
From Reséndez’s foundation of European enslavement and its far-reaching impact on Native American populations, Reséndez examined racial components in the southwest. It is impossible to separate racial tension from the study of Indian slavery. Christopher Columbus’s journals as contemporary letters show the Spanish perception of
Louise Pubols, Fathers of the Pueblo: Patriarchy and Power in Mexican California, 1800-1880, article concentrated on the de la Guerra family from Santa Barbara, California. Pubols expresses to her audience that she wants to depict Mexicans from California Mexico in a different style from the usual. Pubols starts off by giving the reader a simple description of the way the California Mexican is usually presented. Typically, Californian Mexicans have little to no agency; they lose all their land and belongings and are lost to history. Pubols uses the de la Guerra family to show that California Mexicans not only had agency but also played a large part in society. Pubols second argument was that patriarchal language was being used to describe the de la Guerra’s family governance within their community.
When Jesus Came, The Corn Mothers Went Away gives an in-depth history of the Pueblo Indians before and after the Spanish conquest. It describes the forced changes the Spanish brought to the Indians, and also the changes brought to the Spaniards who came to “civilize” the Indians. The author's thesis is that the Pueblo Indians and other Indians were treated cruelly by the Spanish, who justified their crime by claiming they were civilizing an
Cisneros’ family bounced back and forth between Mexico and the United States for most of her youth, which led to firsthand experience in the difficulties of growing up as a multicultural person (Doyle. 54-55). As an adult, she settled in San Antonio, Texas, but that feeling of not belonging to either culture never left her. She drew on this feeling as inspiration for many works, including “Woman Hollering Creek,” a short story about a Mexican woman, named Cleofilas, brought to live in the United States by her new husband. She is excited to leave her lazy brothers and old-fashioned father behind, and dreams of the endless possibilities that
If you're the type of traveler who revels on the enjoyment offered by outdoor activities, then you must put Ushuaia on your bucket list for dream travels. The very location of this suburban town makes it cognitive and perfect for several things that will bring about the rush within you such as hiking, skiing, sailing, kayaking and scuba diving, along with other water and land activities. Map out your options through dozens of restaurants to ease the pain of all-day walking, chill out on cafeterias and spark some conversations with Ushuaia's hospitable locals. Known to be the 'southernmost city' of the world, Ushuaia would craft a vacation that you've always wanted---the serenity of watching Antarctica-bound
The objective of this work was to perform an analysis of the activities offered by tour operators, on the one hand, in Antarctica and, on the other hand, in Ushuaia as a gateway, and to analyze how the destination can be positioned as complementary destination of Antarctica.
El Gordo is a spanish lottery that is open to anyone over the age of 18 anywhere in the world. It is provided by Loterias Y Apuestas in spain. The draw for the lottery is held every sunday and all tickets bought up to that Sunday are eligible to win. The lottery’s name translates to “the fat one” because this lottery has the biggest price pot in the world.