Unwanted Commentary

My much appreciated fellow Texas blogger bunny brought up what I think may be a good issue. What do Latinos think about Texas Independence Day or the whole issue of the Texian revolt that separated the state of Texas from the Empire of Mexico? I can't say for current Latinos, because honestly I haven't ever considered asking one, though now I might when I get the chance. However, I suddenly started to worry that maybe I might be misrepresenting myself. So for clarification:

Now…I'm not an expert on the history of Texas or its revolution, but I have read quite a bit about it. The fact is that the Mexican population of Texas in 1836 was chaffing under the rule of Santa Anna as much as the Texian settlers were (as many in Mexico were as well). Many of them supported the notion of breaking away from the Empire of Mexico and a goodly number of them participated in the revolt.

I do know that nine Latinos died defending the Alamo. No matter if the defenders knew they would die and chose to stay or if they decided to wait it out because they thought reinforcements were coming. I feel that the sacrifice of those near two hundred men inside that mission was as sacred an effort as has been seen in the history of the world, I might even be driven to compare it to the stand of three hundred Spartans at Thermopolis, but maybe I shouldn't go crazy.

I know that Latinos played a pivotal part in the battle of San Jacinto. However, you view that battle, either as a vicious slaughter of revenge or as mythical victorious battle that secured the freedom of Texas. The fact is that Mexican volunteers, as part of Houston's army, played a vital role in it. Latinos are as much a part of Texas history as the American chaff that found itself fighting against Santa Anna's army.

Now I will say that Mexicans may view the whole debacle with some derision and for that I offer sympathy. A lot of Mexican soldados lost their lives in Santa Anna's venture. Indeed a lot of them died very brutally at the Alamo, where the Texian defenders used things such as horseshoes and nails to load their cannon…I'll let you visualize the shot gun effect of that scrap metal smashing into disciplined ranks of men. The Mexicans should have no shame in what occurred in the winter/spring of 1836, they fought bravely and valiantly. Their downfall was poor leadership. The real pity is that if it hadn't been for Santa Anna's dismissal of the 1832 Mexican constitution the whole sad affair would have been avoided and Texas might still be a part of Mexico.

So to conclude, I don't shove the fact of Texas Independence in the face of any person of Mexican or Tejano descent. I definitely do not celebrate the event as a success of Anglo-Americans over Hispanics. I view them with great respect for the pivotal role they played and still play in the great Iliad that is Texas History.

Thanks again to bunny for bringing this up, though I doubt it was her intention for me to go off on a long diatribe about it. I'm just hoping she doesn't know more than me and refute my comments, because I really don't know where my books are anymore.