Dear Mexican: Just suppose that all of the Southwestern United States had remained in Mexican hands. Would the Mexicans have done any better with it than they have with the present confines of Mexico?
Reversible Reconquista?
Dear Gabacho: The gran parlour game! If we turn back the clock and changed a couple of things—if Austin, Houston and their fellow invading gabachos actually became Mexican citizens respecting the rule of the land instead of merely pretending to become so; if Mexico hadn’t suffered the theft of its lands or nearly gone bankrupt spending so much money battling its ravenous neighbor to the north—would Mexico have been better off?
The easy answer is sí—more land in a country generally means more possibilities for development, and California’s Gold Rush (which truly made the American Southwest the mecca it became for Americans) would’ve happened on Mexican soil, meaning Mexico would’ve been the beneficiary of all those prospecting migrants and that subsequent worldwide attention.
Not having Texas secede from Mexico would’ve also hastened the demise of Antonio López de Santa Anna: Sure, his embarrassing defeat at the manos of the Texians forced him out of office, but he returned again and again. Santa Anna’s megalomania, left unchecked, would’ve inspired a true coup instead of many temporary ones.
And with no neocolonial ties left—with no debts to European powers due to fighting so many wars, with no appropriating of natural resources and lands by American industrialists taking advantage of a weak country, and with the United States itself weaker due to the lack of a Southwest and all of its subsequent treasures—Mexico would’ve been in a much-stronger position to enter the Industrial Revolution and emerge a better, reformed land.
Of course, it’s just a parlour game, just like Arizona Sen. John McCain blaming illegal Mexicans for starting devastating forest fires with no hard proof—except ours is responsible and fun, while his is just pendejo.
I know many Mexican names translate to English: Michael is Miguel; Juan is John, and so forth. Mexican names seem rooted in the Bible in general. (Everyone knows a Mexican named Jesús with a best buddy named Gabriel, right?)
My name is Adam, and I don’t know what the Mexican version of Adam is. I think there isn’t one. Every time I order at a restaurant, and the cashier is Mexican, and they ask my name, I check the receipt, and it’s wrong. They have a hard time pronouncing it, too. I’ve gotten receipts back before with Asham, Awarm, Alad, Aman and Aden.
Mexicans seem devoutly religious. Do they not read Genesis, or is there a mexicano version of Adam and Eve with different names?
Gabacho Y Eva
Dear Gabacho: If you bothered to read the Spanish version of Genesis, you’d know “Adam” is Adán. Next!
GOOD MEXICAN OF THE WEEK!
The American Immigration Council (AIC) sounds like a creepy front group for Know Nothings, but it’s actually the nonprofit arm of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, whose members do the Lord’s work by helping migrants from across the world enter this great land. The AIC actively fights Know Nothings, honors immigrants year-round, and is publishing Green Card Stories in the fall, a beautiful book featuring the inspiring stories of immigrants who came to los Estados Unidos from across the globe.
More information on these mensches at americanimmigrationcouncil.org.
This article appears in Jun 30 – Jul 6, 2011.
Amigo,
while I agree with a good bit of your answer you are ignoring some facts that would make a difference. The mexican goverment encouraged immigration from the North to help populate a landscape and be anti Spanish. After mexico successfully ran the Spainairds out they decided to become heavy handed with the immigrants and got themselves in another war.
To make thassumption that having a northern area which can produce goods and food stuffs the southern portion cannot does not gaurantee a more proseprous nation. it does gaurantee a split between the haves and the have nots. Not a clrear picture at all.
vty,
lovin Tucson
here in tucson, we are undergoing some of the same situations that the texicans did when they decided not to obey the laws in which they were sworn to uphold when they became mexican citizens.however here we are not revolting against our laws, we are simply living heretrying to enjoy our freedom like the rest of the country is doing.we are american citizens..however in phoenix there is a man in the government that is trying his damndest to get rid of all mexicans from the united states of america. watch out for him his name is”RUSSELL PEARCE ” STATE SENATOR .
tucco you so misinformed he’s not trying get rid of all Mexicans, he’s trying to get rid all people who are in Arizona illegally it has noting to do with Mexicans. I’ll side with Pat on this one.
Cruz: It is mainly Mexicans and Central Americans who enter the US without documents, pushed by economic and sometimes political necessity. There is no question that the anti-immigrant bills, with their racial profiling provisions, are aimed against this population. Thus they can be conceived of as anti-Mexican. Mexican-Americans can be stopped under the racial profiling provisions, and be harassed by the police who decide to comply with them.
Tamar – No where in the bill is there a provision for racial profiling, I suggest you read the bill before making such a statement.
Cruz, are you serious? What planet are you from? Since there are “laws” against racial profiling of course they are not supposed to profile. Reality is there are many anti-immigrant law enforcement who hassle people because of the shade of their skin. Just look at John McCain who because of his racist, xenophobic outlook, is blaming the Arizona fires on immigrants with NO substantial proof. Another example is Russell Pearce – a Neo-Nazi who just wants all Mexicans out of Arizona – illegally here OR legally here. Wake up and look around you. By your name I would venture you not white – probably would like to be,
Please, I just don’t walk around with a huge chip on my shoulder and blame any of my short comings, and there haven’t been many, on the color of my skin. I’ll give you this Russell Pearce does need to go as do all the illegalls. As for being White you’re way off base as very happy with color of my skin I just educate myself before giving my opinion, I just to don’t fall in line becasuse thats what I’m suppose to do.
The “land of Mexico” is/was represented by numerous quarreling and warring indigenous “Indian” tribes that were subjugated not by English speaking Europeans or Americans, but by Spanish speaking Europeans. Mexico’s claim on the parts of North America that are now part of the United States are an extension of claims made by Spain. Spain plundered North, Central and South America for over 200 years and sailed galleon after galleon loaded with gold and treasure across the sea to fill the coffers of Spanish royalty. Spain had by and far more holdings than any other European country and yet… it did not become more prosperous, wiser, just, or any other measure you can think of. Mr. Mexicans assertion that the California Gold Rush would have been a huge gain for Mexico seems hollow. Besides, Spain (and Mexico) had its chance to subjugate the Anglo by invading England but apparently Devine Intervention saved the day. Spain in its own right was far more vocacious and subjugating than the United States have ever been. But this claim by Mr. Mexican that Mexico would “definitely” have been better off is not just mere conjecture, his biased position smacks of racism. The wars of the past with Mexico are long over. Get over it. Something tells me you’re spoiling for another one. Lets hope this doesn’t happen, but if people like you can’t let go of this attitude towards “Gringos” and the past, we just might see one.
On another note, Mr. Mexican can call Senator McCain a “pendejo” in here and most of us probably know what that means. Senator McCain may have been alluding to a report by the Coronado Ranger District that the fire in the Chiricahuas started in such a remote area of the range, a location that is difficult and inaccessible by vehicle, and almost no one visits because there isn’t much out there, and that the fire was human caused… Even Cochise County Sheriff Dever said as much. But OK, maybe he should not have said that. Senator McCain identified no-one in particular, and alluded to a probable cause. But that did not, in my mind, call for him to be called a “pendejo.” You should consider a retraction but knowing the type of person I’m dealilng with, I’m not going to hold my breath.
Signed,
I am Frith!