[ko_kyi]

Our California, incidentally, is called "Alta California" by many, with the implication that it is rightfully part of Mexico.

[backtothestreets]

You are so right. Good history.

I knew a family on the Central coast of California that most people would call Mexican-American. They would just call themselves Americans. I think all the male members have served in the Marines over the generations. It seemed like a rite of passage from my perspective.

Their lands go back to the original land grants given their ancestors when Alta California was still a part of Mexico. As with all Mexican citizens in California at the time, they were free to stay or go, and they choose to stay and become citizens. They are under no delusion about the California they live in today. It would be identical to the remainder of Mexico had the United States not rescued it.