UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO INSTITUTE OF DIVERSITY - 4

Movement of Nations


by Dennis Aguirre

I have often heard people say that the idea of an independent Norteño nation arising in the region of the modern day American southwest is a ridiculous and preposterous idea. These people dismiss this hypothesis based on their misconception that the United States is an eternal institution that will strive perpetually. This, however, is false and there are many examples throughout history that prove exactly this point.

Governmental regimes crumble and break into separate entities for various reasons and the path that the United States has embarked upon is not a particularly unique cause. In fact, throughout the course of human civilization this phenomenon has been a reoccurring theme that periodically intervenes and redirects the path of human history. This force that has altered the appearance of human history is the movement of nations and its impact has been tremendous.

The most famous movement of nations began on the fringes of the Arabian Desert around the year 2000 B.C. and is known to us through the pages of the Old Testament. In that year Yahweh, god of the Israelites, had ordered his chosen people to leave the land of their ancestors for the land which he destined for them. As a result the previous inhabitants were displaced and the emigration of the newcomers persisted which eventually led to the creation of the Jewish kingdoms.

Around the close of the fifth century AD the first great irruption of Germanic barbarians flowed out from the Steps of Asia and engulfed the Roman Empire. This new race of Indo-Europeans displaced the native population and set up new kingdoms ruled by Saxons, Franks and Visigoths. From these emigrations of Germanic peoples the foundations for modern day countries such as England and France were laid. The rise of Islam also caused an expansion of Muslims that would alter the appearance of Christendom even further. In 1453 AD the Ottoman Turks sacked Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire and the nucleus of the Eastern Christian Church, and converted the city into the Muslim city of Istanbul, which has remained to this day a Muslim city.

For the Chicanos del Norte the momentous event that sparked our colossal influx of emigration was the Mexican Revolution. The fact that this land had been settled by our ancestors and belonged to Mexico prior to American westward expansion gives us a legitimate claim to the land but it will be our numbers that give us ultimate claims of sovereignty. The year 1910 thus marks the beginning of the reconquista of the lands that were lost to the United States as a result of war. This re-Mexicanization of El Norte is evident in this region and in many ways it is indeed a type of warfare.

This particular type of warfare has never before been experienced in the United States, it is currently raising historical unprecedented issues within the political and social realms of American society. Never before (in the history of the US) has there been one large emigrant flow into such a vast and defined region from a single cultural, linguistic, religious and national source. This sufficient coherence and critical mass of people within a defined region will allow us to preserve our culture indefinitely and in the future will allow us to challenge the system in which we currently participate.

Ironically the closest and most significant example that is relevant to usis the manner in which Anglo-Americans seized control of Texas. Just as Mexicanos of the present day, Anglo-Americans who illegally entered into Texas settled in defined regions where they could develop coherence and which enabled them to preserve their culture intact. From 1821 to 1823 between 5-10,000 Anglo Americans settled in Texas and saw themselves as a distinct people connected by their shared virtues and who were only interested in the welfare of their people. Among these Anglos that presided in Mexico's northern province there was a sense of nationalism. It was that driving force that inspired them and gave them the courage to challenge a government that did not represent them and set laws that sought directly to destroy their culture.

With the population of the Chicano/Mexicano people expected to reach 135 million by the year 2080 there is much that can be learned from the Anglo settlement of Texas. The most important aspect that we can learn from this event is that we are also a distinct people in this region and that we currently possess the same legitimate grievances as the separatist of the Lone Star Republic. We are also underrepresented in State and Federal government and our culture is constantly under attack. The only force that can combat these attacks is unity. We must learn to attach significance to our shared virtues so that a sense of widespread pride arises and inspire us to fulfill our destiny and join the international community of nation states.