Thread: Mexico Now Is 'Populating Land We Lost'

http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/gadsden/9492.php

Mexico now is 'populating land we lost'
(archives 2-12-2004)
By Ignacio Ibarra
ARIZONA DAILY STAR

She has studied and taught history in her native Mexico, Europe and the United States and for more than three decades has been among Mexico's most noted historians.

As a student at Harvard University in the 1960s, Josefina Zoraida Vázquez y Vera, now professor emeritus at El Colegio de Mexico, saw female friends in Boston forced to resign their teaching positions in their third month of pregnancy. At the time, she recalls, Mexico's laws were more progressive, allowing women to obtain medical leaves.

"Fortunately, I think things have changed in both countries and things have improved. But for women it has always been harder to stand out and move ahead because we are women," said Zoraida Vázquez, who at 70 has built a career filled with accolades that include Rockefeller, Guggenheim and Fulbright scholarships and fellowships.

She is a member of Mexico's Academy of History and the 1999 recipient of Mexico's National Arts and Science Award.

Her academic career has focused on 19th-century Mexican history, and she has published numerous books and articles on the relationship between Mexico and the United States in the century of Mexico's founding.

Despite her own extensive academic efforts, she said more work is needed to gain a fuller understanding of U.S. and Mexico relations in the mid-1800s. Perhaps it's no surprise that most U.S. textbooks spend little more than a few paragraphs on the subject, she said, but even in Mexico there are people who don't know the full story.

"We lost all of that territory in essence because we were unable to populate it. … Today, because of the demographic explosion beginning in the 1940s, we are populating the land we lost," Zoraida Vázquez said. "These are people who at least should be received and recognized for their contribution to a land that after all was once theirs."

The land was not theirs. The lady just said they never populated it which meant they never occupied it. They never bought it, they never won it, just how in the heck does Mexico think any of this land was theirs? The Indians never gave it to them, they never defeated the Indians for it, they didn't occupy it, they did populate it, so by what Claim did Mexico ever have legal possession of this land that we now the southwest territory of the United States of America. When we began to settle it, they come and try to say its theirs? Did they just sent troops up here saying, we want it now that you do?

No wonder there is just a couple of pages of history on this in history books. No one knows what it is.

Didn't we buy it for 18 million dollars back in the 1800's? If so, this lady isn't a very good historian to say it was "lost." It was sold.

"We lost all of that territory in essence because we were unable to populate it. … Today, because of the demographic explosion beginning in the 1940s, we are populating the land we lost," Zoraida Vázquez said. "These are people who at least should be received and recognized for their contribution to a land that after all was once theirs

."
You lost the land because you lost the war. Ancient history. Your citicens are sneaking across the border because Mexico is not much better than a landfill. Why don't you focus your efforts on improving Mexico instead of sticking your nose into OUR business?

Mexico didn't 'lose' this land...they never owned it. Mexico and Spain, which claimed it, are two different entities and neither of them ever occupied this land.Building a mission here and there is not exactly occupation. It belonged to the Indians...no matter that a European nation dropped over and claimed it... there were some very ferocious Indians living on this land and those who intended to 'take it'...found that a very difficult proposition.

Nonetheless after the war of 1846...we paid Mexico billions for something that they never owned...now that it's settled, and very very very valuable property they say it was once 'theirs'...oh yawn..I guess that would wash with some of the illiterate Mexicans of today...the Elites are trying to get the peons to do their dirty work by coming here and taking the flak..after the dust settles the elites might find it safe to follow the peons. Don't bet on that!

RR

Is it true that Mexican school kids are taught that the whole Southwest belongs to Mexico and that they should use any means necessary to take it back?

Also, dident we own Baja California at one point? When did we give it back to Mexico?

well Alaska used to be owned by Russia--maybe we should give that back too.

I think it's GREAT that we have people on this forum who ACTUALLY KNOW the true history of the SW section of the USA!!

Mexico, Listen Up, continuing to teach your children or to talk the talk that Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Utah....belonged to you is a LIE, and any "talk" of retaking what was NEVER yours to begin with is Talk of War.

The American People will NEVER let you have these States.

Vincente Fox, a Harvard graduate, has talked this talk and there are articles on websites and in this forum where he has been quoted saying these absurd things about La Reconquista, Aztlan, etc.

It's BUNK and Vincente....you're SUNK.

You are a "nut job" collaborating and reinforcing other "nut jobs" and that makes you DANGEROUS to the American Interests of the American People.

You have tainted yourself and your country by exposing who you really are, what you really want, and how you really think.

You are not our Friend, you are an Enemy of the people of the United States.

You are not our Friend, you are an Enemy of the people of the United States.

Unfortunately our fearless leaders have seemed to not recognize that.
Perhaps we will teach them in the next elections.

RR