‘The United States is the villain of our story.’ Nationalism surges in Mexico amid Trump threats

Los Angeles Times ^ | April 25, 2025 3 AM PT | Kate Linthicum and Cecilia Sánchez Vidal

[E. Pluribus Unum]

• Americans barely remember the Mexican-American War, but in Mexico memories of the war and other military quarrels with the United States remain deeply felt.
• Mexico lost half its territory, including California, in the war that broke out this week in 1846.
• President Claudia Sheinbaum, who often speaks of Mexico’s sovereignty, said, “We are neither a protectorate nor a colony of any foreign nation.”

MEXICO CITY — At the entrance to Mexico City’s largest park lies a towering marble monument to six young military cadets killed in battle.

The Niños Héroes — “boy heroes” — died while defending Mexico’s capital during the Mexican-American War, which broke out 179 years ago this week.

That conflict may not loom large in the minds of most Americans. But in Mexico, which in defeat was forced to cede more than half of its territory to the U.S., memories of the war and other military quarrels with the nation’s powerful northern neighbor remain deeply felt.

As Mexicans, we have to unite for this new battle — which is a trade war

— Felix de la Rosa, chemical engineer

Today, Mexico is once again locked in battle with the United States, this time facing an American president who is hurling insults, tariffs and threatening U.S. drone strikes here. Many see it as just the latest chapter in an age-old tale of U.S. aggression.

“In Mexico there’s a perception that the United States is the villain of our story,” said historian Alejandro Rosas. “That’s the narrative you grow up with, it’s what they teach you in school. We’ve been victims of the United States forever.”

The Niños Héroes are often viewed as the embodiment of courage, teenagers who fought like men against a northern invader. Their faces have appeared on currency,...

[mass55th]

They have no choice but to favor their own country since they aren’t allowed to walk across the border on a whim anymore.

[crz]

The cartels run Mexico.
The Cartels just got two shipments of ammo confiscated..one in Utah and the other in WY. Amounted to some 198 thousand rounds of 7.62 headed for Pueblo CO. A hotbed of cartel town. Both shipments originated near SLC Utah. Both were run by MEXICAN ILLEGALS running the shipments.

198 THOUSAND ROUNDS! Do any of you know where this much ammo might have been purchased in UTAH?

Belt that ammo and you got one hell of a lot of machine gun ammo.

And we are supposed to be concerned about The Ukraine or what some Mexican feels?

[SmokingJoe]

Mexico had their independence in 1821, yet they are still a third world, gangster ruled hell hole where drug lords murder at will and call the shots, despite massive investment in Mexico by American, Japanese, German, Chinese companies in industrial plants in Mexico.

[Opinionated Blowhard]

Good. Hopefully they become patriotic enough to stay in their own country.

[toddausauras]

They have pride in their toilet country and they’re wonderful police corruption where they get shaken down for pesos.

[redgolum]

Remember if you go expat, you are the first eaten when times get tough.

[Capn Hayek]

A. You lost - nearly 200 years ago.

B. You made your own bed anyway.

I can understand the bruised feelings about A. Heck, I still hate the San Diego Padres for the 1984 NCLS.

However, maybe they don’t teach history in Mexico, but the Mexican government for nearly two generations prior had *invited* American settlers into the region. They *wanted* people from the young United States to fill in an unsettled land. They *wanted* buffers. They made promises. They broke them.

It’s convenient to blame Manifest Destiny and Polk and etc.

But really? Mexico needs to look in the mirror and recognize that it was choices made by Mexican heroes like Guerrero, Micheltorena, and Santa Ana that set the wheels in motion.

Who knows, there’s probably an interesting Harry Turtledove-style alternative history to be written where the founding fathers of Mexico recognize the need for local rule rather than fiat appointments from Mexico City, recognize keeping promises, and Mexico and the United States are essentially coequal powers in our hemisphere.

But, however much I can appreciate from afar the Mexican founders tossing off their own colonial rule from Europe... The sad fact is that they lacked the foresight and wisdom of our US first several generations of founders.

It wasn’t some kind of evil, imperialist “manifest destiny” that led to the Mexican-American war and the change in North American boundaries: It was the Mexican government luring in American settlers that they desperately wanted, making broken promises, and deciding to pull the rug, change course, and create a top-down rule over the people they pulled in.

[Major Matt Mason]

The US is always the villain when the Marxists aren't running it (into the ground).

[jeffc]

Is LAT saying it’s OK for Mexicans to be nationalists? Why don’t they think Americans can be, too?

[jean michael]

If only Mexico would ban destination weddings.

[packagingguy]

“Mexico lost half its territory”

They lost half of someone else’s territory.

In New Mexico there is a memorial made by the Navajo to children abducted into slavery by Mexicans.

It’s actually quite sad to see it. You can imagine what it must have been like to have your kids stolen, never to be seen again.

Yes the US took over the area but we took nothing from Mexico because it didn’t belong to Mexico.

[Capn Hayek]

By the way, and sorry to make a point that lots of people won’t like... but it’s true.

But the biggest broken promise the Mexican government made that turned the Texans and Californios against Mexico?

The settlers they lured in had been promised free trade with the USA. They had been promised largely home rule.

180-190 years ago? Mexico broke those promises, instituted tariffs, instituted property taxes, and *tried* to federalize elements that they had previously promised would not exist.

Yes, society has changed a lot since then... but I’m just saying. The lure of Texas settlement - and to lesser extent, California (the gold rush played a bigger role there) was the promise of opportunity under a system of free markets and individual work.

Good land - rough, untamed - but good land and if you build? You’ll reap the rewards yourself with minimal government interference.

Mexico went 180 degrees opposite what they promised.

[goo goo g'joob]

Just last week we celebrated “San Jacinto Day” here in Texas.

March 2, 1836 Texas declares independence from Mexico -
The siege of the Alamo Feb 23 - Mar 6 -
Santa Ana chases Sam Houston eastward to San Jacinto -
The “Texicans” (outnumber) routed Santa Ana April 21 -
A new nation is born!

[kaktuskid]

Mexico doesn’t talk much about the period they were under French control run by an emperor called Maximillian. Or what the 1920s Mexican govt did to the Catholics.

[PIF]

Pedro say, “We are all Sinola now!”

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Mexico was never anything but nationalistic.

And I support their right to be nationalistic.

In Mexico.

[Wilderness Conservative]

If the pendejos knew how to behave maybe we wouldn’t have to kick their butts every now and then.

[Machavelli]

Mexico is a hell hole. I like the Mexican people, but their government has let them down.

[ComputerGuy]

Carlos ‘N Charlie’s in Cozumel comes to mind.

[Regulator]

"Mexico lost half its territory, including California"

It wasn't their "territory".

The Pope claimed it for them in 1495 with the Treaty of Tordesillas in which he claimed most of the Western Hemisphere for the King of Spain. Portugal got stuck with Eastern Brazil and some islands in the Atlantic.

Us Protestants disagreed.

At the time of the Mexican war there was about 7000 Californios in the territory, offset by about 150,000 Native Americans as they are termed now and maybe 1300 or so Americans, mostly around Sacramento. IOW the Mexicans were a tiny minority in a sea of Injuns. Likewise the Americans.

So they never "owned" California or the rest of the West that they claimed; they barely existed in the land. As usual, it was a pompous, arrogant assertion with no basis in fact.

The US disabused them of this fantasy, and in California, it took only a few minor battles to do so.

One of those battles was the Battle of La Mesa, which took place in the modern city of Montebello. It supposedly looked like this:

The Evil Gringos won.

It's supposed to stay that way.