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Permalink Reply by Phil_0 on October 29, 2010 at 1:39pm

The Spanish and Mexican provinces of New Mexico included pretty much everything that's part of modern NM, but also old El Paso (modern Juarez) and nearby communities in what are now Texas and Chihuahua. When Texas became an independent country, though, they claimed the entire eastern half of New Mexico up to the Rio Grande, continuing north into southern Colorado. This claim was never enforced, and several Texan expeditions attempting to do so after the Mexican War were either ignored or swiftly sent packing by New Mexican authorities. The Territory of New Mexico organized by the US after the Mexican War and Gadsden Purchase included all of modern NM, plus Arizona and southeastern Colorado.

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Permalink Reply by SweetCaroline on October 29, 2010 at 2:17pm

I read a book about the survey of the Gadsen Purchase that was very intresting. It was illustrated with the drawings of that USA expedition after the Mexican War. There was an error in the original survey. Some New Mexicans wanted to stay citizens of Mexico. They founded the city now known as Sunland, NM. BUT...the NEW and corrected survey moved the international boundary and those people were suddenly American citizens!

Does anyone else have any infor on this story and can verify if it's true? Thx

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Permalink Reply by Victor Gomez on October 29, 2010 at 6:40pm

Although he is usually maligned or marginalized in his performance, we owe a great deal to Governor Armijo of Santa Fe during Texas colonization as he kept defensive forces active against the efforts of Texas to assume ownership of Santa Fe. I am of the opinion that the Civil War re-ignited the interests of Texas obtaining the lands up to the Rio Grande. That was not to be, but now Fort Union under leadership of Texans does and has consistantly portrayed Armijo in a bad light historically. This Fort today refuses to raise the New Mexico State Flag along with the stars and stripes. Its displays are not favorable to the actions of Armijo. There are many Hispanics that knew we were destined to fall under the government of the United States and did not oppose that. However many did oppose the expansion of the Republic of Texas to include large areas of New Mexico. History and people have never gotten these facts straight...can you help? And yes we did lose El Paso to Texas.

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Permalink Reply by Phil_0 on October 30, 2010 at 5:39pm

Agreed, Victor - one need only look at what happened to Spanish and Indian land grants under Texan rule to see how important staying out of Texan control has been to preserving New Mexican language and culture. Although many Spanish land grants in NM were eventually stolen or purchased from the communities that were their rightful owners, land grants in Texas were largely ignored completely. The Pueblo of Ysleta outside El Paso - settled by Pueblo Indians who went south with the Spanish in 1680 after the Pueblo Revolt - had their traditional village sold out from under them, forcing them to move into the surrounding Hispano neighborhoods where they have subsequently lost a great deal of their Pueblo culture. Only one of the many ways we're lucky that Armijo and others kept New Mexico safe from Texan ambitions...

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Permalink Reply by Victor Gomez on November 3, 2010 at 2:42pm

You are correct on the loss of land grants and the Pueblo near El Paso. I have always held New Mexico special for its recognition of the treaty rights that enabled the continuation of the way the 19 Pueblos of New Mexico were able to continue with their established forms of Government granted by the King of Spain.....this became the only vehicle capable of transporting these cultural entities into the present day with what remained of their cultures intact. I am supposedly an heir to land grants but do not expect any compensation. I am just happy to be a citizen of the U.S. but think it is historically important to recognize the issues. Many native American cultures across the U.S. have ceased to exist in their original cultures due to decimation of their people by the elements that predominated settlement of their areas. "Long live the elements of our cultural backgrounds that have participated in the continuation and propagation of our multi-cultured past that has so enriched our lives here." I always like to point out that there was once a tribe of "Giants" that once lived in the Grand Canyon recorded in the Spanish Explorers accounts of their explorations that were very tall. Unfortunately they no longer exist today due to the diseases of European origins that wiped them out. What a team of basketball players they may have enabled had they survived!

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Permalink Reply by ramon t on October 29, 2010 at 3:19pm

Sorry, if I don't get this exactly correct. I was watching this show with the World Series in Picture and Picture. I have the show DVR'd at home and intend to watch it again.

The boundaries of NM were designed to contain the majority of Spanish Speaking Residents of the area. There are 3 states that where the boundaries where designed to contain a grouping of people.

LA - French Speaking
NM - Spanish Speaking
UT - Mormon Faith

Other interesting facts from the show.

Davey Crockett was not born in TN. He was born in Franklin. Franklin was only a territory/state for 4 years before being acquired by TN. He was born during the time when Franklin was a Free Republic.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_of_Franklin

There is a community in MO that actually in IL. With the Mississippi flooding the area several times and the river changing it's course the community of Kaskaskia (sp?) is now in MO being that the river is the natural boundary of those two states. Interesting fact is that even though the people of Kaskaskia have Drivers Licenses from IL their home addresses are in MO.

The Mormons also created a provisional state called Deseret which a portion of was to include NM.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_of_Deseret

There was a bunch of other facts about states and specifically NM. Like the our Norther border isn't exactly straight due to the fact the the earth bows out at the center and during that day, surveying was done either 33 or 66 feet at a time.

I may be off a little on all that but I will watch the show again later this week, and if anyone else watches it feel free to correct the info.

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Permalink Reply by Gerard on October 30, 2010 at 7:11am

I remember watching that, trying to remember is that is where they also showed one configuration for Arizona and NM where they were laid out horizontally with Arizona bordering Mexico....found this on the web..imagine, then "Arrizona" as it was spelled, would be contending with many more border issues

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