The legacy of Reies L¢pez Tijerina and an ongoing 150-year-old land grant battle were the focus of doctoral candidate James Barrera's discussion Wednesday during the Dolores Gonzales Colloquy Series.
His paper, titled "Uncle Sam Stole Our Land: The 1960s Chicano Land Grant Movement in New Mexico Under Reies L¢pez Tijerina," was the third presentation in the series co-sponsored by the Raza Graduate Student Association and the Graduate and Professional Student Association.
Barrera, a first-year history graduate student, said he wrote his paper because he was curious about and fascinated by the alianza, or the Federal Land-Grant Alliance. He said that the alianza was formed in 1967 by Tijerina to regain land that the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo had granted them.
He added that Tijerina fought for justice of the lost or stolen property and became a leader in the land grant movement.
"The issue of who is the rightful owner of the land is still being contested today," Barrera said. "That's why it is so important for students to study history, because it is still lingering today."
The alianza papers, or Alianza Federal de Pueblos Libres, were donated to Zimmerman library two years ago. Barrera says he is still looking through the documents and is waiting for more information to be sent to begin in-depth research on New Mexico land grant issues.
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Barrera's paper explained that certain articles in the New Mexico and the United States Constitutions provide historical justifications by citing legal interpretations from the treaty. He said that the land grant rights should be protected and entitled to Chicanos in northern New Mexico, but added that unfortunately, the issue is still unresolved.
"The issue of land grant rights hasn't been in the forefront since Tijerina was forced to stop advocating," Barrera said. "By researching the historical documents, the controversy and legacy of New Mexico's land can be made aware to all as a part of history."
The last of The Dolores Gonzales Colloquy Series will be presented today at 1:30 p.m. at the KIVA auditorium by W. Azul La Luz, called Successful Pregnancy Outcomes: Evidence of the Epidemiological Paradox in Latinas. For more information call the Raza Graduate Student Association at 277-0471.
