Reconquista (Mexico) facts for kids
The Reconquista ("reconquest") is a term used to describe an idea that the Southwestern United States should politically or culturally return to Mexico. This idea comes from the fact that these lands were once claimed by Spain for many centuries. Later, they belonged to Mexico from 1821 until they became part of the United States. This happened during the Texas annexation in 1845 and the Mexican Cession in 1848, after the Mexican–American War.
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What is the Reconquista Idea?
The word Reconquista means "reconquest." It's like the historical Reconquista in Spain, where Christians took back land from the Moors. In this modern idea, it refers to the thought of Mexico "taking back" lands that were lost to the United States.
The areas where many Mexican immigrants live and where Mexican culture is strong are often the same lands that the United States gained from Mexico in the 1800s.
Different Views on Reconquista
Many people have different ideas about what "Reconquista" means or if it's even a real movement.
Mexican Writers' Thoughts
Some famous Mexican writers have talked about this idea.
Elena Poniatowska's View
In 2001, writer Elena Poniatowska said that the spread of the Spanish language and Hispanic culture in the US is like a "reconquest." She noted that in places like Los Angeles, speaking Spanish is very important. She felt it was a "reconquest" of lands that have Spanish names and were once part of Mexico.
She also mentioned that people from poorer backgrounds are slowly moving into the United States. She wondered what would happen with issues like racism, which she saw as a problem in people.
Carlos Fuentes on Language and History
In 2003, writer Carlos Fuentes spoke about the Spanish language. He noted that hundreds of millions of people speak Spanish in the Americas. He also pointed out that 35 million people in the United States speak Spanish. This includes areas from Texas to California, which were once part of New Spain and then Mexico.
Fuentes said that because of this, some people talk about a "reconquering" of old Spanish Empire lands in North America. He also talked about "spanglish" (a mix of Spanish and English) as a new and interesting language blend.
He saw the "reconquest" as a way to understand how the Spanish language has changed over 500 years. It connects people from different backgrounds who share this language, especially in the US Southwest.
Nationalist Front of Mexico
There is a group called the Nationalist Front of Mexico. They are a small group that doesn't like American cultural influences. They also reject the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which ended the Mexican–American War. They believe the US is "occupying" land that used to belong to Mexico.
This group says they reject the "occupation" of their northern lands. They believe this occupation causes poverty and makes people emigrate. They want their claim to these lands to be recognized in Mexico's Constitution. They want the Mexican people to have the right to live in all of their historical territory.
Charles Truxillo's Vision
Charles Truxillo (1953–2015) was a Chicano activist and professor. He imagined a new Hispanic nation called the República del Norte (Republic of the North). This nation would include Northern Mexico, Baja California, California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.
Truxillo believed that Hispanic Americans born in the US felt like strangers in their own land. He said they felt "subordinated" and had a negative view of their own culture because of the media. He thought that people on both sides of the US-Mexico border were becoming "one people again."
He believed this new nation would happen through the voting power of the growing Hispanic population. He wanted to help create thinkers who could plan how this new state could become real.
José Ángel Gutiérrez's Statements
José Ángel Gutiérrez, a political science professor, spoke about this idea in 1999. He said that Mexican Americans are the only group in the US that has been "dismembered." He meant that the US came to them through "invasions," and they didn't choose to migrate.
He called Mexican Americans a "captive people" and said it was their right to get their homeland back. He believed that the growing number of Mexican Americans would make it possible to put "Mexico back together as one."
Later, in 2006, Gutiérrez said that there was "no viable" Reconquista movement. He blamed interest in the idea on groups who want to close the border and on certain websites.
Other Perspectives
Some people see the large number of Mexican immigrants in the Southwest as a form of Reconquista. They compare it to how US settlers moved into Texas before it became a state. They think that if Mexicans become very numerous in the region, they will gain a lot of influence, including political power. Some experts say this big change in population might lead to a "de facto reconquista," meaning it happens without being planned.
A poll in 2006 found that 58% of Mexicans believed the Southwest belonged to Mexico.
Samuel P. Huntington, an American political scientist, said in 2004 that the "reconquest" of the Southwest by Mexican immigrants was happening. However, he thought it was unlikely that these territories would actually reunite with Mexico. He noted that no other immigrant group in US history has claimed US territory like Mexicans and Mexican Americans do.
Some Hispanic rights leaders say that Reconquista is just a small, unimportant idea. Nativo Lopez, a leader in Los Angeles, said it was a "minuscule, fringe element" that most people don't care about.
The National Council of La Raza, a large Hispanic civil rights group, has stated that it does not support the idea of a Reconquista or Aztlán.
Historical Mentions of Reconquista
The idea of Mexico regaining its lost territories has appeared at different times in history.
Early 1900s
In 1915, a plan called the Plan of San Diego was discovered. Some people thought its goal was to reconquer the Southwestern United States. However, most evidence suggests it was a plan by anarchists to make South Texas independent.
In 1917, during World War I, Germany sent the Zimmermann Telegram to Mexico. Germany offered to help Mexico "reconquer" Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona if Mexico joined them as an ally against the United States. There is no proof that Mexico ever seriously considered this offer. The telegram's discovery made Americans angry at Mexico and helped lead the US to declare war on Germany.
Modern Times
In the 1960s, Chicano activists used the term "Aztlán" to talk about a cultural revival and expansion in the Southwest. They didn't use the word "Reconquista."
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, more Mexican Americans were living in the Southwest. Mexican intellectuals and even President Vicente Fox spoke about Mexican immigrants keeping their culture and Spanish language in the US.
In 2015, a speaker from the Parliament of the Chechen Republic threatened to arm Mexico against the United States. He questioned who legally owned the territories of California, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming.
See also
In Spanish: Reconquista (México) para niños
