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.
