RIP, Reies Lopez Tijerina

RIP, Reies Lopez Tijerina.

My father was a member of the Alianza in the mid-60's, and even substituted as Secretary in a couple of meetings. As a ten-year-old in 1966, I remember waiting in the car parked outside the meeting hall, half-hearing Tijerina's rousing speeches. Exciting, but terrible times.

One time, Tijerina was beaten by NM State Police, but only below the neckline (since he was frequently-televised public figure). Rough New Mexico politics!

And still, the fundamental complaints about expropriation of communal lands in Northern New Mexico in the 19th Century were never addressed. It was, and remains, a sore point in Chicano history. My father taught us we had a claim to a portion of Cañada de los Alamos Grant, long-rooted in history, but denied us, and people like us.

Here is a link that describes the issue a little more. One trouble with the cause is that heads into the legal weeds almost immediately, so it's hard to follow. The problem seems to be there is a mismatch between Spanish communal land law and Anglo-American land law, and guarantees to follow Spanish law in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo were ignored. Communal lands were converted into Federal lands (as a possible waypoint for sale to private users) and subsistence users were turned into trespassers, and the more that time passes, the more-clouded titles get. Many families in northern NM harbor long-standing grudges that can get inflamed at times.


Tierra Amarilla Courthouse Raid



Here is an interesting, favorable 10-year-old documentary about Reies Lopez Tijerina and the Tierra Amarilla Courthouse Raid.

The Raid could have led the national TV News for several days, but it happened at exactly the same time as the 1967 Six-Day War in the Middle East, and thus got completely overshadowed.


Legacy of Reies Lopez Tijerina