Mexican Invasion Revisited
Put forth on October 18, 2007 by XicanoPwr
Posted in Aztlán, Immigration, La Reconquista fable, Nativism, Racism, Raza, Xenophobia
Looks like La Reconquista fable is making a come back. Blogging amiga Liza Sabater from Culture Kitchen posted on John Derbyshire’s recent blog post - titled “Aztlan North” - on the National Review Online’s blog The Corner. Derbyshire cited the percentage of Latina/o students in the schools of Storm Lake, Iowa, and then wrote: “Say what you like, that is truly an invasion. Why on earth are we letting this happen?”
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Aztlan North [John Derbyshire]
Incidentally, while hobnobbing with those Midwesterners at Storm Lake, Iowa — their surnames mostly taken from the Stockholm, Oslo, and Berlin phone books — I heard a couple of times the remark that in this little corner of rural Iowa, the student body in the schools is half Hispanic. The remark was passed in a polite, diffident and non-condemnatory way — of course! this is Iowa — and when I tried to probe, people just retreated into niceness (”These Mexican restaurants are really great!”)
Still, I found it hard to believe, surrounded as I was by Lundqvists and Muellers. In an idle moment, however, I looked up the stats on GreatSchools.net. Sure enough, the “Student Stats” on GreatSchools for Storm Lake show percentages Hispanic as:
- High school: 32
- Middle School: 43
- Elementary schools: 53, 66, 63, 53.
Say what you like, that is truly an invasion. Why on earth are we letting this happen?
In order to understand the concept of Aztlán, it is important to understand the historical experience of Chicanas/os, an experience that has been rendered invisible by institutional discourses in the US. Stereotype, of Mexican Americans as “dirty, lazy, drunken, cruel, violent, treacherous, fanatical, priest-ridden, ignorant, and superstitious,” which were formed in early interactions between Anglos and Mexicans helped to foster exploitative practices which continue today.
The concept of Aztlán was originated by the poet Alurista in the year 1969 at the conference organized by Corky Gonzales in Denver. In an interview, Alurista said:
“People call California, Arizona, Nueva Mexico and Colorado Aztlán, but really, Aztlán is wherever we are. We don’t recognize borders. It’s more a matter of cultural/political identity. When I say this is our land, I don’t mean that we own it. Who owns anything?”
Aztlán was a spiritual concept which was meant to unite all Xican@s. Derbyshire’s post is nothing more but a racist appeal from the far right.
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Tags: border, Border Patrol, ICE, Immigration, La Reconquista fable, Latinos-as, Mexico, nativists | 
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This is the blog of Edmundo "XicanoPwr" Rocha, a social worker, an activist, freelance writer and founder and editor of The Sanctuary. My interests include: immigration reform, critical race theory and it's interaction with equality/inequality and freedom/oppression as they relate to the experiences of people of color in the Americas.
Para Justicia y Libertad is a Latino-centered political blog focusing on the humanistic perspective of politics, history, and society as they relate to the Latina/o community throughout Texas and the United States.
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Thank you for putting this into context. I think that people on both sides have very different concepts of “Atzlan” and “reconquista.”
There is no reconquista, as I see it. Many of our leaders couldn’t fight themselves out of a paper bag or the corporate machine that manipulates them to organize such a thing. If there was a real reconquista of sorts, we wouldn’t be living in the shadows and in the margins of society either.
Hey man, as Adriana said above thanks for the context . . .I recently cam across this “reconquista” concept online and was a bit perplexed when I googled it and only found anti-immigration sites talking about it. I changed it to search only sites en español pero no encontré nada . . . what a conspiracy, ha! Seems to exist only in the minds of a few? Well, as a white Texan let me say I am not falling for it.
Thank you. The whole La Reconquista fable had died down last year after the Mexican election. A lot of the nativist were trying to use President Fox as a scapegoat. But it looks like the National Review has a goal to revive it. Hopefully people are able to see it for what it really is, a fable created by the white right-wing establishment. It is important to note this because even the Hispanics in the right-wing are getting tired of this foolishness. NRO editor Kathryn Jean Lopez wrote: “Um, Derb …. I have no idea the situation as to their immigration status, but if that population consists of legal immigrants who speak English … I’m not moved to invasion outrage.”
Even Sen. Mel Martinez left his post as general chairman of the Republican National Committee because cannot stand all the hatred that is coming out from his party. Probably because when the nativist talk, it feels like they are talking about him too.
That being said. Here is the biggest question, I wonder how the “Little Bush Brown Ones” feel. Especially Jeb Bush because when the nativists talk their hatred about Mexicans, they are talking about his wife. Oh what a tangled web they weave, when first they practice to deceive.
What’s humorous about Derbyshire’s piece is that the Iowans don’t mind (and it’s what is driving him batshit). I resided in Iowa for several years (Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, and Iowa City). That state has depended on immigrants since the 1840s to replace the second generation Iowas (who tend to leave, if only because it’s such a boring place). The State itself was recruiting Latin American immigrants as replacements for the second generation Vietnamese immigants they had welcomed only a few years ago, and because they can’t depend on too many Orthodox Jews (who work in the kosher meat packing plants in Decorah) to keep the local economy going.
Al Urista or as some call him “Alurista” did not develop the concept of Aztlan. He is a poet who wrote several works of prose and poetry based on Aztlan. Urista popularized the “Spiritual Concept of Aztlan.” But he was not the first to conceptualise it.
Aztlan is many things ranging from the spiritual concept to a nationalist movement complete with an intelligentsia.
Aztlan and reconquista are two seperate things. There is little possiblity of both happening simultaneously but hypothetically it is possible if certain conditions were satisfied.
Reconquista, naturally, would involve the Mexican government reclaiming its stolen lands and no one wants that unless the Mexican people manage to rid themselves of the European interlopers that have colonized the Indigena and have run the government for the last 500 years.
Until that happens there is little to worry about there.
Most Mexicans do not support the concept of Aztlan and I know on no Aztlanista, myself included, that would support a reconquista by Mexico. I am also not aware of any Cuban-Americans with their rip roaring 100k population (mostly in the east) but I do know Puerto Ricans in TX and CA who do support the concept.
Aztlan, in the “sensate” concept is an independent nation - state No. of the U.S. - Mexico border.
This is absolutely possible. First, look at the U.S. government Census projections the the American So. West for the next 50, 100, 200 and 300 years. Now add the democratic nature of Chicanos and Mexican-Americans in the So.West, who will make up the overwhelming bulk of the electrorate, and you have a situation that doesnt require a war per se.
With this information alone it’s hard to imagine anyone being so stupid as to want to remain with the United States. But not to worry, malinches, vendidos and coconuts will have plenty of opportunity to go live with the gringos, if the gringos will have them.
The real question is whether or not the gringo will subject himself to Meso-American (democratically elected) rule. Much the way we have been forced to do since the Anglo invasion. Most people I know think the gringo will say adios to the so. west and high tail it to greener pastures.
He might have plenty to choose from since there are presently 25 states with secession movements.
Noam Chomsky has said that each consecutive presidential administration in the U.S. is well aware of just how fragile their grip on power really is. Each administration has to be very careful not to become the one that finally brings the U.S. down.
The notion that a war would be needed for an independant nation state of Azltan to become a reality is fallacious. In addition, the goal is not to fixate on the name “AZTLAN.” The goal is self-determination for the Mexica, Meso-American, Indigena on our ancient ancestral homelands.
Looking at Europe as a model we can see how Serbia and Montenegro are actually made up of the same ethnic peoples with two independant nation states. This can serve as a model for Aztlan and Mexico - one people, two countries.
For now, Azltan is the way Al Urista left it, a spirtual concept. But when you start looking at the demographic projections you can see that concept change to an idealistic concept as Sorokin puts it. Remember, we are not naturally a materailistic people like the Eurpoean. We are Indigenous and we have historically differnet set of Mores.
Ref: http://www.answers.com/topic/social-cycle-theory?cat=technology
BTW. The remark “our leaders couldnt fight their way out of a paper bag” (or whatever it was) is an affect of colonization. This is precisely why we need our own nation-state, so that our children will no longer have to suffer from the self-ridicule and the racial humiliation done to us by the gringo.
Check out Nuevo Plan de Aztlan at
http://www.blazingstar.org/NuevoPlandeAztlan.html
ruben
I’m curious and would like to know how will the Chicana Feminist (Xicanismas) fit into the “Nueveo Plan de Aztlan”. If I recall, around 1969 the consensus of women was that they did not want to be liberated which caused women (Chicans Feminist) to break away from the cause pushing for Chicana feminist. I am greatful to our Chicana sisters of the past who voiced opinions on issues of sex, politics (representation), employment, education, abortion, and traditional family roles.
Why are we being asked to choose (Xicanismas)again knowing that Chicanas have paved the way for advancements of Chicana Women. Look at all the wonderful Chicana Activist Scholars such as Ana Castillo, Mirta Vidal, Anna Nieto- Gomez, Martha Cotera and Gloria Anzaldua just a few prominet CHINGONAS. These Hermanas have worked hard to overcome our traditional roles which were going on during the Movement. Men “EL MACHO” were visible and public leaders while most women worked behind the scenes as cooks, secrtaries and janitors. Hermano this is inequality.
Lets take a real look at the issue at hand. I’m not interested in the traditional ways of the party nor are la otra Xicanismas.
Is it time to recraft or redraft la cuausa? Hold on to your caballos hombre. Slow down and lets re-evaluate the issue at hand (Future Direcitons not Regressions). Remember,the Chicanas of today have been a part of the interethnic relations that at the time of the movement was scorned upon. Intermarriages has to make the Nuevo Plan de Aztlan rethink what constitutes Chicana identity (Gonzalez and Habell-Pallan 1994 81-82) What has come about is “mixed” heritage and every possible combination of ethnicities and races. The movement back in the day was much clearer but know it is a challenge. Maybe you should take a look at Pagano’s work and check out the theory ” The claim of Philia” It all has to do with finding a connectedness (friendship, love) when your struggling with two distict conflicts. I.E. Authority vs Nurturance, production vs reproduction (Grumet) OPEN THE WORLD TO THE MORAL IMAGINATION AND TO HUMANE PRACTICE (p.156). I think someone needs to be inspired by Paulo Freire’s work.
Soy Nada Mas Que Una Chicana.
VIVA LA CAUSA DE VIDA
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