Abuelos de Texas

“Peace be with you! Good inhabitants of the State of Texas, look on them (Tejanos & Mexicans) as brothers, and keep in mind that which the Holy Spirit saith: “Thou shalt not be the friend of the passionate man; nor join thyself to the madman, lest thou learn his mode of work and scandalize thy soul.” – 1859 Proclamation to State of Texas by Juan Nepomuceno Cortina Cavazos

In the years following the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, white settlers migrated into the American Southwest, where disputes over land and wealth led to conflict between the two groups. Juan Cortina, a wealthy landowner in Brownsville, Texas, led a group of men in armed conflict against Texas law enforcement. As Cortina and his followers confronted local law enforcement officers who had murdered and taken the land of various Mexicans, Cortina issued two proclamations to explain and justify his reasons for violence. In his November proclamation, Cortina explains his motives in taking up arms against the Anglos. Cortina points out that Mexicans have been denied the promises of American citizenship given to them by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, and he describes the characteristics of the Mexican race that provide the strength for them to overcome their oppressors. Corina proudly takes the title of “bandit” and promises to fight for the good of the Mexican people until they are treated with respect and given equal treatment under the law.

Juan N. Cortina’s 1859 proclamation is a passionate defense of the Tejano community of South Texas in the aftermath of the U.S.–Mexican War. Writing from his ranch in Cameron County, Cortina denounces the land theft, discrimination, and violence Tejanos were suffering under Anglo newcomers who seized property, falsified titles, and murdered or jailed Mexicans with impunity. He frames his uprising not as banditry but as a righteous mission to protect a peaceful and hardworking people from injustice. Declaring himself ready to die for their freedom, he calls for unity, secrecy, and resistance, placing the fate of Texas Mexicans under divine protection and expressing hope that Sam Houston might restore justice. The proclamation marks one of the earliest political manifestos defending Mexican-American rights in the Rio Grande Valley.