Reading and Writing Workshop
Reading and Writing Workshop: Mexican Independence and the Northern Frontier (1821–1846)
Session 1: The Transition from Spanish to Mexican Rule in the Southwest
Focus:
Session 2: Ranchos, Land Grants, and Californio & Hispano Cultures
Focus:
Session 3: Indigenous Relations under Mexican Governance
Focus:
Session 4: Trade along the Santa Fe Trail
Focus:
Extension Activity (Optional for Capstone Writing):
Synthesis Essay:
Session 1: The Transition from Spanish to Mexican Rule in the Southwest
Focus:
- Examine the political and social changes from Spanish to Mexican rule.
- Explore how the shift impacted governance, land, and society in the Southwest.
- History of California by Hubert Howe Bancroft, Vol. III: "Mexican Rule (1822-1846)"
- Bancroft provides a detailed account of California and the broader Southwest during the Mexican period.
- How did the transition from Spanish to Mexican rule change the relationship between settlers and the government? Discuss the legal and social structures that were altered or maintained.
Session 2: Ranchos, Land Grants, and Californio & Hispano Cultures
Focus:
- Analyze the rise of the ranchos and land grant systems.
- Study the development of Californio and Hispano cultures, economies, and daily life.
- The History of Alta California by Antonio María Osio, translated by Rose Marie Beebe and Robert M. Senkewicz (Selections on Rancho life and society). While the full text is not public domain, selections from Osio’s work are available in older translations.
Alternate public domain source:- California Pastoral, 1769-1848 by Hubert Howe Bancroft (focuses on the ranchos and early Californio society).
- Describe the economic and cultural importance of the ranchos and the Californio identity. How did land ownership shape social hierarchies?
Session 3: Indigenous Relations under Mexican Governance
Focus:
- Investigate how Mexican rule affected Indigenous peoples.
- Examine policies, conflicts, and alliances between Indigenous groups and Mexican authorities.
- A History of New Mexico by Helen Haines (1912), Chapter VI: "The Mexican Era"
- Covers Indigenous relations and conflicts under Mexican governance.
- How did Indigenous peoples' experiences under Mexican governance differ from those under Spanish rule? Consider both conflict and cooperation.
Session 4: Trade along the Santa Fe Trail
Focus:
- Understand the economic significance of the Santa Fe Trail.
- Explore how trade connected New Mexico to the United States and other regions.
- Commerce of the Prairies by Josiah Gregg (1844), Vol. 1, Chapters 1–5.
- Firsthand account of the Santa Fe Trail and trade during the Mexican period.
- Based on Gregg's observations, how did the Santa Fe Trail shape cultural and economic exchanges between Mexican territories and the United States?
Extension Activity (Optional for Capstone Writing):
Synthesis Essay:
- Write an essay analyzing how Mexican rule (1821–1846) transformed the Northern Frontier, focusing on land, trade, Indigenous relations, and cultural identities.