Posted on 04/08/2006 10:23:27 AM PDT by Travis McGee
"The True History of the Southwest, 101"
The amount of historical idiocy and fallacies surrounding the history of the Southwest is staggering, chief among them the "Aztlan" fairy tales. What's the truth? How did the Spanish Europeans conquer the Southwest? The "conquistadores" (that means "conquerors") did it with the lance, and the lash.
For example, in 1541 Coronado entered present-day New Mexico (which included present Arizona during the Spanish era) searching for the "lost cities of gold." One of his first actions upon meeting the natives was to burn 100s of them alive in their dwellings, for not handing over suspected horse thieves. That is how Spain conquered the natives of the present US Southwest--not with hugs and kisses! It was certainly no love-fest between long-lost brown-skinned soul- mates, as it is often portrayed today by the delusional Aztlaners today, who spin the "new bronze race of Mestizos" toro-mierda.
By 1821, Mexico City was strong enough to overthrow even more decrepit and ineffectual Spanish rule. However, the distant provinces of the current US Southwest were far beyond the reach of the authority of independent but strife- torn Mexico. These distant northern provinces received neither military protection nor needed levels of trade from the south. Under Spanish rule, trade with the USA was forbidden, but at least Spain provided trade and Army protection from hostile Indians. Under Mexican neglect, the Southwest received neither trade nor protection from Mexico City.
For example, Comanches and Apaches ran rampant in the 1830s in this new power vacuum created by Mexican neglect, burning scores of major ranches that had been around for hundreds of years and massacring their inhabitants. Mexico City could neither defend nor keep the allegiance of its nominal citizens in these regions. Nor did it provide needed levels of trade to sustain the prior Spanish-era standard of living. Mexican influence atrophied, withered and died at the same time that American pathfinders were opening up new routes into the region.
Increasingly, a growing America was making inroads into the Southwest, via ships into California, and via gigantic wagon trains of trade goods over the Santa Fe Trail from St. Louis. The standard of living of the SPANISH in these states subsequently increased enormously, which is why they did not support Mexico City in the 1846-48 war. In fact, the Spanish-speaking inhabitants of the Southwest NEVER considered themselves "Mexicans" at all, ever. They went, in their own eyes, from SPANISH directly to AMERICAN.
So how long did Mexico City have even nominal control over the Southwest? For only 25 years, during which they had no effective control, and the area slipped backwards until the arrival of the Americans. The SPANISH inhabitants of the Southwest NEVER transferred their loyalty to Mexico City, because all the received from the chaotic Mexican government was misrule, neglect, and unchecked Indian raids.
Since then, how long has the area been under firm American control? For 150 continuous years, during which time the former Spanish inhabitants of the region, now American citizens, have prospered beyond the wildest dreams of the Mexicans stuck in Mexico. To compare the infrastructure, roads, schools, hospitals etc of the two regions is to understand the truth. The Mexican government has been mired in graft, corruption, nepotism and chaos from the very start. The ordinary Mexican peons have been trampled and abused, while only the super-rich elites have thrived. This is why millions of Mexicans want to escape from Mexico today, to enjoy the benefits of living in America they can never obtain in Mexico.
And now, we are supposed to let any Mexican from Chiapas, Michoacan or Yucatan march into the American Southwest, and make some "historical claim" of a right to live there? From where does this absurd idea spring?
At what point in history did Indians and Mestizos from Zacatecas or Durango stake a claim on the American Southwest? Neither they nor their ancestors ever lived for one single day in the American Southwest. The Spanish living in the Southwest in 1846 stayed there, and became Americans by the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. There were no Spanish inhabitants of the Southwest who were marched to the border and driven into Mexico. It didn't happen. The SPANISH in the Southwest welcomed American citizenship, which brought stability, protection from Indian raids, and a vast increase in their standard of living with the increase in trade.
In sum, NO current inhabitants of Mexico have ANY claim on even one single inch of the Southwest!
NOT ONE citizen of Mexico is sneaking into the USA to reclaim property they were deprived of, NOT ONE.
They are criminal invaders and colonizers, pure and simple.
It's time Americans learned the true history, as a counter to the prevalent Aztlaner fairy tales.
I have been psuedo-blogging, for years, a couple of the elements in WWIV ( III being the Cold War ), in which we find ourselves engaged.
The first element?
-Islam, a Religion of Peace®? Some links...--
The other, somewhat interlocking element is this one:
Thanks for the lesson and posting
Nicely done!
Bump.
Excellent! Btt!
"Way passed that now."
Yeah, it's all over but the shooting. My advice is to get ready.
(BTW, as a proud owner of your first book, I'm looking forward to the completion of Domestic Enemies.)
az
Some more important facts to consider:
The Spanish speaking, American immigrants and "americanized" Indians, considered themselves "Texans" and declared their independence from Mexico. The new nation of Texas was recognized by all the European capitals and by the US. THEY fought a war with Mexico to establish this independence and quite a few died. Only AFTER they had achieved sovereignty did they, THEN, petition the US to become a state (a situation not all Texans are happy with even today). The rest of the southwestern area (southern California) became part of the Gadsen Purchase- for which we paid quite a rich sum to Mexico (15 million if I recall correctly- the SAME amount we paid for the ENTIRE Louisiana territory).
So next time you hear some Mexican claim that we "stole" the southwest from Mexico, just remind him of all these facts.
bump
Well done.
Immigration has nothing to do with it.. and more; some legal immigrants are could be espionage agents as well..
Bush is playing with fire here.. it could get him HUNG..
When reality is resumed in America.. Did I say its not about immigration?.. Its about Coup D'etat in slow motion.. its been going on for decades.. and is heating up..
Not all Americans are oblivious..
Here is a video where they want to impeach our President. Immigration Watchdog Video
I am thinking that they only way we are ever going get back the country we once had is to kick them out and that will unfortunately probably require American bloodshed.
I sent this article Guv Arnold, and especially to Mayor MECHAraigosa of L.A. for his information, with copies to Jorge Bush, Dianne Feinstein, Barbara Boxer and Jane Harman.
Bttt.
Basically, we got California, New mexico, Arizona, parts of Oklahoma and Colorado by the Treaty of Gradalupe Hidalgo in 1848, for $15 million (and winning the war). We got the Southern part of Arizona by the Gadsden Purchase in 1853 for $10 Million.
See the full texts of the treaties, at this link:
http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/diplomacy/mexico/mxtreaty.htm
See Article XII of the 1848 treaty and Article III of the 1853 (notice that both sums were in part to paid over time!).
Incidentally, the "Avalon Project" linked to above is a fabulous site for the full text of an enormous amount of document from throughout American History.
There's also a paradox involved. So long as Mexico is impoverished and corrupt, many Mexicans this side of the border will be glad they got away and not want to bring their corrupt elites with them up here. But so long as Mexico is that way, the immigrants will keep coming.
There's something of a scam at work as well. Aztlanists play the racial angle and argue for a "brown" Mexamerica, but among the Mexico City elites whiter is better. That sort of thing is pretty typical of ethnic politics, though.
The bottom line is that "facts on the ground" -- who lives where, and how many people there are in each group -- matter more than legalistic arguments. That's as true now as it was in 1836 or 1850.
Invader BUMP!
Most of Mexican history is made up to make them feel better, hence the bogus Cinco de Mayo celebration. Supposedly, it was a great battle that the Mexicans won over the French (don't laugh) at Puebla. Actually, when fired upon, the French did what they always do. They retreated, found another road into Mexico City, where the mayor presented them with the keys to the city. Maximillian took the throne and ruled Mexico for seven years (the French were there to try to collect the money they had lent to the Mexicans in their war of independence from Spain, to no avail). Good old Uncle Sugar, that despicable gringo, finally decided we didn't want France for a neighbor, and we made France give up and go home. No one in Mexico had heard of Cinco de Mayo until our hyper-Hispanics decided they needed a national holiday. It's almost as bogus as Kwaanza.
Glad to see you are taking note of this. 'Pod.
Thanks, K! Shimmer - here is another invader ping.
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