8.8.5
Discuss Mexican settlements and
their locations, cultural traditions, attitudes toward slavery, land-grant
systems and economies.
Mexican settlements in the 1800s were very unique in their customs, traditions, and way
of life. In the late 1700s to 1823, when Mexico still belonged to Spain, Spanish
priests came to present day California and established missions, where they
tried to convert Native Americans to Catholicism. These missions, which lay all
along the Pacific coast of California, were constructed similar to a small
Spanish village. The dominant building being the church proper, also served as a
defense at times of hostile attack. Along with the church, were living quarters,
barns, and the mission lands which were used for farming and livestock grazing.
The Catholic Church established a total of 21 missions in California. During the
1800s, Native Americans were given very little land. In the Mexican land-grant
system, the government gave and sold large estates called ranchos to wealthy
private citizens called rancheros. These settlements, located throughout
California, were created from mission land. Native Americans performed most of
the labor in Mexican settlements, and were still the majority in the Mexican
west. The Mexican economy depended on this laboring class for most of the
farming, mining, and ranching work that had to be done. Even though Native
Americans were legally free and entitled to wages, they were often treated
little better than American slaves. Mexicans in California and New Mexico in the
1800s were against slavery. In fact, when the two unions gained their freedom,
they wanted to be let into the union as free states. Originally, Mexico had
allowed slavery, but their northern regions had a strict attitude against it.
The ranchos of Mexican settlements were loaded with cattle, which served as the
main economical industry. Cattle were the main source of food, trade, and
occupation. The people of California depended on trading ships for most of their
necessities, as they manufactured few products themselves. In these Mexican
settlements money was rarely used and business was done by trading. The Mexican
culture was very unique. The Mexicans developed their own arts such as ceramics,
music, poetry, sculpture, and weaving. The settlements were also very interested
in music and dance. There were even frequent rodeos, where in addition to
showcasing the sport of horsemanship and roping, it offered a culturally rooted,
family-based form of entertainment that inspired poetry, music, painting, and
dance. Mexican settlements in the 1800s had their own way of life, which we in
America have adopted in small ways such as language and the arts.
More Information:
1.
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/EART/rancho.html#pueblos
This website was very helpful in explaining the different Mexican settlements,
because it explored the development of the societies over this time period. The
given information was divided into easy-to-understand sections, and tied in the
history to present-day events.
2.
http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/RefArticle.aspx?refid=761576758¶=195#p195
This website efficiently explored Mexican social classes, race, and economies. It was
helpful in understanding the attitudes toward slavery and treatment of Native
Americans. The information didn’t go into much detail, but was an excellent
source to get an overall idea of the time period.
3.
http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/RefArticle.aspx?refid=761556274¶=27#p27
This was another helpful Encarta website. The information on slavery was actually part of
an article on Zachary Taylor. The part that tied in with this standard question
was “A Debate Over Slavery”, which was on the second page of the article. It
gave further information on America’s reactions to Mexico’s attitude toward
slavery, which I actually wasn’t able to find anywhere else. This was an
excellent article to read.
Recommended Books:
1.
The American Journey: Building a Nation
by Joyce Appleby, Alan Brinkley, James McPherson, and National
Geographic Society