Advisor

Welsh, Michael E.

Committee Member

Syrett, Nicholas L.

Committee Member

Weis, Robert, 1971-

Department

History

Institution

University of Northern Colorado

Type of Resources

Text

Place of Publication

Greeley (Colo.)

Publisher

University of Northern Colorado

Date Created

8-1-2015

Extent

90 pages

Digital Origin

Born digital

Description

This project explores the ways in which New Mexicans capitalized upon the United States’ expansion during the nineteenth-century. Most contemporary scholars emphasize the victimization of New Mexicans as a result of American imperialism and colonization. From this historical perspective, the public and private actions of New Mexicans are often interpreted as forms of resistance or cultural preservation. Though the interests of American men certainly marginalized many, family histories suggest that this is not the only - nor even the most prominent - narrative among those whose ancestors established the villages of Guadalupita and Ocate. Public records concerning the López and LeFebre families, as well as others, allow this study to demonstrate that Indian and mixed-race peasants participated in the sacraments of the Catholic Church, acquired property, and cultivated livelihoods in farming and commerce in order to improve their well-being in Hispano society. These families helped to establish the villages of Guadalupita and Ocate, which formed between ten and twenty years after the Mexican-American War, respectively. They also epitomize how New Mexicans incorporated beneficial aspects of American economy, law, and culture into previous livelihoods and social organizations. Here, an emphasis on cultural interaction in the areas of marriage, property, and commerce demonstrates how, in their pursuit of prosperity, Indians and mixed-race peasants reproduced Hispano society in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado during the latter half of the nineteenth-century.

Degree type

PhD

Degree Name

Doctoral

Place

New Mexico

Date

1800-1900

Language

English

Local Identifiers

LeFebre060815

Rights Statement

Copyright is held by the author.

COinS