The Dispossession Of Tejano Land In West Texas

Following the Mexican American War in 1848, Tejanos routinely lost their land, political influence, and social standing in an Anglo society. Economic institutions such as ranching, railroads, and oil needed land. Land provided opportunity and has traditionally been a commodity that provided a way for individuals to provide for their family. It also was used as a productive economic resource. Manifest Destiny ideology associated with Anglo expansion trumped the protections supposedly in place to protect Tejanos in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Such that actions resulted in the continued disenfranchisement of the Tejano population, particularly in West Texas. Anglos dehumanized and relegated Tejanos to second-class citizenship in order to control Tejano land and increase Anglo superiority. Tejanos experienced prejudice, racism, violence, and a legal system that failed them, one that perpetuated Anglos to enforce Tejano disenfranchisement. Exploring Tejano disenfranchisement through the dispossession of Tejanos’ land is important to the understanding of how Tejanos lost their land to Anglo institutions in West Texas.