Introduction
Intercultural connections between Mexico and the United States have a long and controversial history. The issues run deep and were created by multiple conflicts between the two nations, for example, The Mexican-American War. Omar Valerio-Jiménez, the professor of history at the University of Texas at San Antonio, discussed these problems of the Mexican-American borderlands, and how they shaped Rio Grande Valley. This essay presents a discussion about the topic of the interview between Professor Valerio-Jiménes and Norma Martinez. The article reflects on the past issues of Rio Grande Valley, and how they influenced Mexican families who lived there.
Main text
The anti-Mexican rhetoric was popular during the 19th century, which created a life-threatening situation for many Mexicans who lived in Texas. Martinez and Terrazas argue that negative portrayals of Mexican people existed before the borders were established, and largely contributed to the image of Mexicans “as greasers, monsters, demons, bandits, and criminals.” Listeners learn from the interview that Valerio-Jiménez’s family moved back to Mexico due to this instability, even though they officially were American citizens. This fact pushed Professor Valerio-Jiménez into studying the media of these times and how it depicted the situation. From his studies, Valerio-Jiménez found that written history does not include people of color, women, and children, due to its focus on politics, businesses, and general outlines of the events (Martinez and Terrazas). It did not correctly address the situation with Spanish colonialism in Texas, nor did it mention exact input by Tejanos in the Texas Revolution in the 1830s.
Professor Valerio-Jiménez signifies the importance of revising history textbooks to remove any controversies and improve the inclusion of minorities’ input in American history (Martinez and Terrazas). The interview also raises the topic of the current situation with Mexican-American borders. Omar Valerio-Jiménez also states that “people who are making the laws didn’t live along the border,” therefore, they are trying to interfere in the situation of which they have no clear idea. People from various origins and backgrounds are coexisting in Rio Grande Valley, and it is essential to consider the amount of assimilation between two nations across the borderlands, as people from both sides of it often have relational ties and shared ancestry backgrounds.
The Mexican-American War provided additional grounds for cultural collisions as the United States has annexed the northern borders of Mexico. This war cemented the state of Rio Grande Valley as the border between two nations, which allowed people who live along the border to abuse differences in countries’ laws (Martinez and Terrazas). Twin cities have appeared from communities that were split in half due to the emergence of borders and continue to present a sensitive problem to the advancing border control laws. Therefore, making these laws stricter without thorough research of their influence on the local populations would be unwise.
Conclusion
The importance of this topic in modern society is underrated, and many history books need to be revised. However, it shows that the misrepresentation of Mexican Americans is a grave issue that is yet mainly left unresolved. This interview reveals how racism does come from not only social surroundings but also historical connotations. Several cultural themes that were mentioned in the interview are generally omitted in historical documents, and this notion has moved into history textbooks as well. In conclusion, the topic requires more publicity and action from the government to be presented as it should.
Work Cited
Martinez, Norma, and Lauren Terrazas. Fronteras: ‘History That’s Been Written Doesn’t Include Everyone’ — The History of The RGV. Texas Public Radio, 2019. Web.