Scott Chi
October 9th, 2015
MAS 10A 48621-13
Elena Zamora O’ Shea. El Mesquite (College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 2000)
El Mesquite written by Elena Zamora O’ Shea distinguishes the different stages of life the Mexican American community has endured during the Spanish colonization up to the American’s. Palo Alto, the name given to the mesquite tree by priest Rafael Garcia, is the foundation surrounding the book. The whole text is situated in the perspective of Palo Alto narrates mainly the Garcia family and the people surrounding the vicinity. I believe that O’Shea’s El Mesquite analyzes the historical ethnographic community by examining the social, historical, and political relationships between the Indians and Spaniards which both …show more content…
Once the Spaniards arrived to their newly claimed land, they tried bringing the Indians salvation by suppressing the natives' practices in favor of their own. Missions were built around Palo Alto to convert these “savages” into “civilized” people. However once converted, the Indians were still seen as below the Spaniards; the Indians were being exploited as laborers. They were seen as property and given away as “tame Indians.” However, some tribes did not want to succumb to the Spaniards, they wanted to live undisturbed across the Nueces River. Therefore a treaty was enacted — the Karankahua’s were left alone, while the tribes that were colonized were called “peones.” These “peones” became servants to the Spaniards, they were also made up of people who were mixed races. Inevitably both faced a tragedy when conquered by the smugglers, who later on in the book become Americans. There was a dispossession between the two communities. The Spanish lost their lands and belongings while the Indians were run out of their villages because of the “fertile section.” Many people had to assimilate themselves into the new American culture. They had to learn their language and laws. In the end, many Spaniards were now known as “Mexican,” which was considered a derogatory …show more content…
Palo Alto sees a great distinction between the different generations when she compares the women from the past up until the present. In her early stages of life, she saw young women as gatherers and young boys as ones to be successful. Boys were typically the successful ones because they would be “taught to read and write” (pg. 1094 Kindle Edition) whereas women were “taught to sew, weave crochet and tat.” Towards the end of her life, the colonization of the Americas occurred. Industrialization causes a change in scenery and brings about new innovations, such as railroads. Palo Alto points out that women are attending boarding schools and riding horses like men. In addition, O’ Shea focuses mainly on the positive aspects of the Spaniards rather than the negative
October 9th, 2015
MAS 10A 48621-13
Elena Zamora O’ Shea. El Mesquite (College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 2000)
El Mesquite written by Elena Zamora O’ Shea distinguishes the different stages of life the Mexican American community has endured during the Spanish colonization up to the American’s. Palo Alto, the name given to the mesquite tree by priest Rafael Garcia, is the foundation surrounding the book. The whole text is situated in the perspective of Palo Alto narrates mainly the Garcia family and the people surrounding the vicinity. I believe that O’Shea’s El Mesquite analyzes the historical ethnographic community by examining the social, historical, and political relationships between the Indians and Spaniards which both …show more content…
Once the Spaniards arrived to their newly claimed land, they tried bringing the Indians salvation by suppressing the natives' practices in favor of their own. Missions were built around Palo Alto to convert these “savages” into “civilized” people. However once converted, the Indians were still seen as below the Spaniards; the Indians were being exploited as laborers. They were seen as property and given away as “tame Indians.” However, some tribes did not want to succumb to the Spaniards, they wanted to live undisturbed across the Nueces River. Therefore a treaty was enacted — the Karankahua’s were left alone, while the tribes that were colonized were called “peones.” These “peones” became servants to the Spaniards, they were also made up of people who were mixed races. Inevitably both faced a tragedy when conquered by the smugglers, who later on in the book become Americans. There was a dispossession between the two communities. The Spanish lost their lands and belongings while the Indians were run out of their villages because of the “fertile section.” Many people had to assimilate themselves into the new American culture. They had to learn their language and laws. In the end, many Spaniards were now known as “Mexican,” which was considered a derogatory …show more content…
Palo Alto sees a great distinction between the different generations when she compares the women from the past up until the present. In her early stages of life, she saw young women as gatherers and young boys as ones to be successful. Boys were typically the successful ones because they would be “taught to read and write” (pg. 1094 Kindle Edition) whereas women were “taught to sew, weave crochet and tat.” Towards the end of her life, the colonization of the Americas occurred. Industrialization causes a change in scenery and brings about new innovations, such as railroads. Palo Alto points out that women are attending boarding schools and riding horses like men. In addition, O’ Shea focuses mainly on the positive aspects of the Spaniards rather than the negative