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It is now late afternoon. On the Plaza all of the townspeople gathered earlier to listen to the words of Colonel Kearny, and to hear the response from Acting Governor Juan Bautista Vigil y Alarid. Kearny had said,
In his response, Acting Governor Vigil y Alarid accepted the takeover. In part he had said, “The address you have just given us gives us some idea of the wonderful future that awaits us...” All were left wondering, what would that future be? Many questions would arise over the next few days and weeks as the townspeople now dwelled on the meaning of being “American citizens.” Would we have to change our names? Would we all have to learn English? Would the new laws protect our rights and property in the same way as these were treated under Spanish law? Who would tell us what these laws were? What if the Americanos didn’t like us? Would we be deported? And, lest it be forgotten, we were at war. Could we freely visit our relatives in parts of the territory not yet conquered? What if Mexico won? Would we be traitors to Mexico? |
In the years that passed, it became clear that we and our ways were not regarded as equal to the Americans and their ways. In the end, Mexico did not win the war, but the presumption from the start was that the United States had a God-given right to this land. New Mexico became a territory of the United States, and along with the Arizona territory, provided the path to California that was so urgently desired. The development of New Mexico in the last half of the nineteenth century took a decidedly American turn. Wave after wave of newcomers entered the city, bringing with them their external biases and prescribed solutions, many of which would fail. Lew Wallace, Territorial Governor from 1878 to 1881, stated, “Every calculation based on experience elsewhere, fails in New Mexico.” General William T. Sherman in an address on October 28, 1880 stated unequivocally: “You (New Mexicans) must improve your land and develop the vast resources of your country, or the new race will come in here and displace you. …I hope and pray that the next time I come here I shall surely find the old race of Mexicans that we found here …improved – brought to a higher degree of improvement and cultivation. Without that they will be displaced, not by force, injustice and violence, but by a better, stronger, higher race that will develop the resources of the country. …I have no feeling against the people. The people sit here and growl and eat garlic. …You must …get rid of your burros and goats. I hope ten years hence there won’t be an adobe house in the Territory. I want to see you learn to make them of brick, with slanting roofs. Yankees don’t like flat roofs, nor roofs of dirt.” Today, the descendents of those early Spanish/Mexican residents of this land continue to think about the “wonderful future.” Have we achieved and maintained parity with the waves of newcomers? Has our community retained its vibrancy? In many respects, the descendents of those early settlers continue to fight for inclusion. The first losses were in rights to land – common lands were not recognized; they had to be owned by someone or by the government. In the first part of the 20th century, language was the next loss, as the speaking of Spanish in schools and in public was prohibited and demeaned. For many, the next loss was in education, as inability to comprehend an acquired language was defined as lack of intelligence. Finally, there has been an erosion of economic participation, as loss of education has led many to fail to attain employment growth, and an outward migration of families, as gentrification of the homes and neighborhoods has forced many to seek housing in lower-cost communities and employment elsewhere. |
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