Full text of speech (in Spanish) here, which took place on September 13 in a ceremony commemorating the 163rd anniversary of the Battle of Chapultepec during the Mexican War. U.S. media coverage here in Associated Press article.
No surprise that the U.S. media focused on President Calderon’s framing of the war as an “unjust military aggression motivated by clearly imperialistic interests.” In addition, Calderon stated Mexicans deserved some blame: “We lost because of the invasion and expansionist desires of our enemy, but also because of divisions among Mexicans… Thus, while many Mexicans fought to the death in the war with the United States, others simply watched the American troops go by without standing up to them… We only prosper when we are united…That is the great lesson of our history.”
But, the most important message, I thought, was Calderon’s reminder of the sacrifice made by the six young cadets (the “child heroes”) who defended Chapultepec and the importance of young people to the future and prosperity of the country. Referring to Mexico as a country “under construction” (“Patria en construcción”), Calderon said:
“The child heroes gave us an example of how young people are capable of assuming the highest of responsibilities with interest, maturity and love for country. For this reason, today, we as a nation have the responsibility and duty to realize the conditions that will allow all of our young people to prepare and give their best, to succeed in life, in school and university, and in sports, science, the arts, and in military service, and in any other field of their calling.” Translation mine.
Given the huge challenges facing Mexico at the moment, including the horrible drug wars, I can’t think of any other way to frame the anniversary of the Mexican War and its relevancy today.
More about “A Perfect Gibraltar, the Battle for Monterrey, Mexico” by Chris D. Dishman here.
The theme of this paper is that there was a pattern of continuum in the government of Texas as it transitioned from the Spanish flag to its Mexican government, then to the Republic of Texas, and finally to its status under the United States. To understand Tejano origins in this period, it is necessary to review Tejano society and local government in the municipalities of Texas and the legacy of the Hispanic frontera concept. It is necessary to consider the evolution of the statehood of Texas under the Mexican republic and the legacy of Tejano statesmen. These were the people who wrote the laws which defined Tejano life and invited Anglo immigration. Tejano life under the Mexican flag is what made Texas so uniquely a part of the Hispanic tradition and yet, so distinctly apart from the Anglo-Saxon.
Great article here by Dr. Andrés Tijerina titled “Tejano Origins.”
The PBS radio affiliate in Boston (WBUR, On Point with Tom Ashbrook) ran an interesting 46 min. radio segment on the Mexican-American War in light of recent immigration challenges in Arizona. Click here to listen.
The program is an interview with Robert Merry, author of “A Country of Vast Designs: James K. Polk, The Mexican War, and the Conquest of the American Continent,” and Marshall Trimble, Arizona’s state historian.
I am a history buff who graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a Minor in History. I hardly ever read fiction, but I devour history books.
Lately I’ve been reading a lot about the Mexican-American War (the Mexican War or U.S.-Mexican War as it is also called) and the causes leading up to the conflict (e.g., Texas Independence from Mexico). I don’t recall ever covering this conflict in history classes in high school or college with enough depth to really understand its meaning and relevance today. I was born in Mexico and live in Texas, so I am surrounded by all of the echoes that stem from this event, which shaped the faith of the two countries and also how “Americans” and “Mexicans” in the U.S. relate to each other up until today. There’s a lot of meaning from this event, I think, to be applied today and to think about in terms of the future of many critical issues for Anglos and people of Mexican ancestry in the U.S.
As such, I decided that I am going to read up, visit historical places, and talk to people to learn something significant about this event and my own identity. This blog will be sort of a “scrapbook” of my learnings, a curating of lots of relevant content online, for all to see and perhaps to help others better understand the Mexican-American War and what it means for us today.
The Mexican-American War Blog 