Myth and the History of the Hispanic Southwest

Essays by David J. Weber

This is a book of nine essays that discuss the history of the Southwest before the expansion of the United Sates.  The area was claimed by Spain and became Mexico after the revolution some two hundred years ago.  The United States acquired the territory as a result of its war with Mexico.

The author discusses the importance to Americans of the myths of the West, with its cowboys and Indians and the battle of the Alamo.  The conquest of the West was part of the U.S.’s Manifest Destiny to rule from the Atlantic to the Pacific.  Therefore, the history of the West had to justify its intentions and show the pioneers in a favorable light.

The northern territory of what was once Mexico is of less importance to the Mexicans due to a paucity of population, the government’s conflict with the Church and the dominance of its military in secular affairs.

This is an excellent, thought-provoking book that an experienced docent at the Homestead Museum will find valuable.  The author discusses how history is written and how an author’s nationality, time in history and station in life affect the accumulation of facts and the use of those facts to arrive at a theory of the history under examination.  The book helps the reader evaluate other history books and the perspective of the author.

The essays also discuss the these factions of this region: the military, the Catholic Church and the indigenous people.  The history is a struggle for dominance in a huge, but lightly populated area.  There is plenty of food for thought and should provoke the inquiring docent.