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Reyes Lopez Tijerina a symbol of hope and courage for a great many new
mexicans. Indeed, for mexican americans throughout the southwest. Yeah,
Tijerina on trial for his life, he was acquitted of the charges against
him in November 1968 in a great victory over injustice. Tijerina, a man
whose victory offers new hope for the forgotten people of New Mexico, a
man who is for them, a symbol of the pride of their ancient heritage.
What's the story behind the Farina's victory? Well, The story really
begins more than 300 years ago when the King of Spain granted lands to the
settlers of the Kingdom of New Mexico. Some of the lands were granted to
individuals to men who had served their king especially well. But the vast
expanse of the land grants were communal properties, lands held in common
by all the columnists, rich and poor in a given area. These were lands for
grazing cattle, lands for planting corn, lands to feed and support a
village for generations. The land was held by the descendants of the
spanish speaking pioneers. And then In 1848, the United States defeated
Mexico in war and captured for herself Mexico's northern territory. People
who had owed their allegiance first to Spain and then to Mexico found
themselves governed by yet another power and they were governed as a
conquered people. The Treaty of Guadalupe hidalgo which ended the Mexican
american war guaranteed the rights of people living in the ceded territory
included among these rights was a guarantee that the spanish and Mexican
land grants would be honored, But in a short time, most of the individual
grantees had lost their property, A few were unable to prove their
ownership to the federal commissions that reviewed the claims. But most of
the grantees were victims of the high cost of verifying their land grant
and of the high land taxes imposed by anglo american administrators and
the lands were sold to Anglos for the taxes alone.
In the case of the communal lands, the anglo americans couldn't understand
a system where no one person could claim exclusive ownership and so the US
government confiscated the communal grants, vast acreages were either
taken over by the government or sold cheaply to anglo investors.
The people in the region of Tierra Amarilla in Northern New Mexico were
among those whose lands fell into anglo hands in the years following the
mexican american war.
Today, most of the territory once held under spanish grants is part of the
national forest system. No one is allowed to use this land and so there's
no land for farming, no place, a family can graze a cow or raise sheep, so
most of the people are poor, so poor, in fact that family incomes are far
below the national average and many of them must rely on welfare to
survive into this scene. In 1963 stepped Reyes, Lopez Tijerina, a leader
of a political organization now known as the Alleanza Federal de los
pueblos Liberace, the federal alliance of Freetown's Torino was the man of
the hour. The first concern of Tijerina and his Alleanza Federal was to
regain for Tierra Maria the land that was rightfully theirs. He would not
attempt to regain the individual properties, but only the communal lands
of the ancient grant lands which could mean a chance for survival for
hundreds of his people living in the region. De Harina sought to bring the
land question into the courts to fight and win the battle for their
redemption through legal channels. But for three years the powers of
government and most of the people of New Mexico chose to ignore or
ridicule his case. Something dramatic was needed, something which would
draw attention to the plight of the people of Tierra Maria
And so Alleanza members and their supporters occupied 500 acres of land.
This territory was the old san Joaquin land grant, now part of Carson
national Forest. Here the people set up a government and called it the
pueblo Republica de san Joaquin. From that time events began to move
rapidly. The Alleanza Federal announced a meeting for June 3, 1967 and
state officials decided that they must take some sort of action. The
arrest of Tijerina and other Alleanza members was ordered 11 people were
taken into custody in retaliation. We're told that the government of the
republic of the san Joaquin ordered the Citizen's arrest of the district
attorney in Tierra Amarilla. Some 20 men apparently were sent to serve the
warrant. The result was a so called raid on the Tierra Amarilla courthouse.
An event now famous throughout New Mexico. The courthouse is said to have
been taken over by the deputies from san Joaquin and in the confusion,
several people were wounded. No one knows who fired the first shots or
even who was actually involved. But Tierra Maria had finally gained
attention the prominence that Tijerina had sought through less violent
means through the courts of law mm The region of Tierra Maria became the
subject of an intensive manhunt as officials sought Tijerina who was held
responsible for the courthouse raid and his supposed accomplices. The
people of the area lived in terror as houses were searched, families
questioned the men including Tijerina were arrested and jailed. Thousands
of new Mexicans rallied behind their champion and although his name was
not allowed on the ballot, Ray? S serena won widespread support as a third
party candidate for governor of New Mexico while he was awaiting his trial
, Mexican americans applauded as this leader defended himself at this
trial, assisted only by court appointed lawyers and they cheered when the
jury returned a verdict of not guilty, Tijerina and threw him all mexican
americans had won a great victory for La raza. It's only a beginning. The
Tierra Maria land question is yet to be settled although it now receives
national attention and this is a challenge to the arena continues to
pursue. He will not drop the issue until some land is returned to the
people of Northern New Mexico.
Now, the story of race. Tijerina is of significance not only to New
Mexicans, but two members of La raza throughout the southwest. For with T
arenas victory. Mexican american political activity comes of age. It's
been a long struggle for in past years, Mexican americans had no tradition
of political union and little opportunity for participation. To be sure,
New Mexico was something of an exception. Beginning with the anglo
american conquest, some new mexican americans had shared in the political
activity of that state. If only because they overwhelmingly outnumbered
the anglo americans who settled there. Many of the territorial governors
of New Mexico were of Mexican descent. And the first governors of the
state were mexican americans. New Mexico was the only state to send a
Spanish speaking officeholder to Washington, D. C. before World War II,
the Initio Dennis Chavez was elected to the House of Representatives. In
1931. Four years later, he was appointed to the US Senate and Chavez was
returned to his seat in every election until his death in 1962.
Now, why were so few mexican americans elected to office. Why did so few
people involve themselves in politics? Well, there are several reasons
behind La raza's in activity and politics. First of all spanish and then
Mexican officials had discouraged individual participation in government.
So the people of the borderlands hadn't developed a tradition of political
activity. Secondly, after the mexican american war, waves of anglo
americans entered the conquered borderlands. They brought with them a new
system of government and a lively tradition of political activity and they
quickly gained political control of the borderlands. These anglo
politicians and their supporters established patterns of discrimination in
this way. The conquerors eliminated most mexican americans from the
political scene, discrimination in education served to disenfranchise most
mexican americans for it, assured that they would be unable to pass the
literacy tests required of voters. Anglo politicians used and exploited
the disfranchised people of the borderlands and their inability to vote
resulted in a basic failure to learn about the electoral system, about the
power of the ballot box. Thus they developed a sense of frustration which
is still felt today. It still felt today in spite of the voter
registration drives of recent years, which have brought thousands of
members of la raza to the polls.
Yeah,