Alianza Federal de Mercedes
The Alianza Federal de Mercedes, or the Federal Alliance of Land Grants, was founded in 1963 by Chicano activist Reies López Tijerina in response to socio-economic struggles faced by the Hispanic community in New Mexico. Tijerina, influenced by his experiences as a sharecropper and his studies of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, believed that the community's loss of land since 1848 was the root cause of their ongoing poverty. The organization quickly grew to approximately 20,000 members and became known for its activism, which included marches on state capitals and land occupations.
The Alianza aimed to reclaim lands believed to have been unjustly taken from the Hispanic community, notably advocating for rights concerning the national forest in Tierra Amarilla. Although the movement garnered national attention due to dramatic events, including confrontations with law enforcement and armed standoffs, it faced significant challenges, particularly after Tijerina's arrest in 1967. The organization's influence declined by the end of the 1970s, but it remains a significant part of the history of Chicano activism, representing the struggle for land rights and social justice.
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Alianza Federal de Mercedes
Chicano activist Reies López Tijerina created the Alianza Federal de Mercedes (Federal Alliance of Land Grants) in 1963. Born in Fall City, Texas, into a family of sharecroppers, Tijerina had become frustrated with migrant work. When he entered New Mexico in 1960, he was shocked by the poverty of the Hispanic community and concluded that the community’s loss of land since 1848 was the real cause of their problems. After studying the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo—the peace treaty that ended the Mexican-American War in 1848 and established the guidelines for Mexico’s loss of the Southwest and the terms by which formerly Mexican property would be respected—Tijerina became convinced that the national forest in Tierra Amarilla belonged to the Hispanic community. This motivated him to establish the Alianza Federal de Mercedes.
The Alianza Federal de Mercedes soon became a notable, albeit short-lived, organization. With twenty thousand members, the Alianza marched on the state capital and occupied other lands. As the Alianza movement picked up momentum, it “arrested” New Mexico rangers for harassing the organization. Early in 1967, however, New Mexico authorities arrested Tijerina for occupying a national forest. After being released on bond, Tijerina attempted to make a citizen’s arrest of the district attorney of Rio Arriba County. The district attorney proved to be out of town, but Tijerina and his compatriots took over the courthouse and held it for two hours. A gun battle erupted in which two men were wounded, and Tijerina was subsequently charged and faced trial. The incident brought the Alianza national attention, but later arrests resulted in the demise of the Alianza by the end of the 1970s.
Bibliography
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