Archives of Dispossession: Recovering the Testimonios of Mexican American Herederas, 1848–1960

186 Pages·2017·5.88 MB·English

by  Karen R. Roybal

Archives of
Dispossession
Gender and american culture
Coeditors
Thadious m. davis
mary Kelley
Editorial Advisory Board
nancy cott Janice radway
Jane Sherron de Hart robert reid-Pharr
John d’emilio noliwe rooks
linda K. Kerber Barbara Sicherman
annelise Orleck cheryl Wall
nell irvin Painter
Emerita Board Members
cathy n. davidson annette Kolodny
Sara evans Wendy martin
Guided by feminist and antiracist perspectives, this series examines
the construction and influence of gender and sexuality within the full
range of america’s cultures. investigating in deep context the ways in
which gender works with and against such markers as race, class, and
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including works in history, literary studies, religion, folklore, and the
visual arts. in so doing, Gender and american culture seeks to reveal
how identity and community are shaped by gender and sexuality.
a complete list of books published in Gender and american
culture is available at www.uncpress.unc.edu.
A R c H i v e s
of
D i s p o s s e s s i o n
Recovering the Testimonios of
Mexican American Herederas,
1848 --- 1960
Karen R. Roybal
The University of North Carolina Press
Chapel Hill
© 2017 The university of north carolina Press
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America
The university of north carolina Press has been a member
of the Green Press initiative since 2003.
cover illustrations: Fabiola cabeza de Baca (Gilbert Photograph collection,
center for Southwest research); Jovita González (mary and Jeff Bell library,
texas a&m university at corpus christi); and maría amparo ruiz de
Burton. Handwriting from the deposition of maría cleofas de Bóne de lópez,
Santiago Bóne grant, march 29, 1887 (Spanish archives of new mexico Series i,
land records, in the collections of the State archives of new mexico).
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
names: roybal, Karen r., author.
title: archives of dispossession : recovering the testimonios of
mexican american herederas, 1848–1960 / Karen r. roybal.
Other titles: Gender & american culture.
description: chapel Hill : university of north carolina Press, [2017] |
Series: Gender and american culture | includes bibliographical references and index.
identifiers: LCCN 2017005573 | ISBN 9781469633817 (cloth : alk. paper) |
ISBN 9781469633824 (pbk : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781469633831 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: mexican american women—Southwestern States—History. |
mexican american women—Southwestern States—History—Sources. |
mexican americans—land tenure—Southwestern States—History. |
mexican american women—Southwestern States—ethnic identity.
classification: LCC F790.M5 R69 2017 | DDC 305.48/86872073—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017005573
a version of chapter 1 originally appeared as “History, memory, and ambivalence:
Testimonio as alternative archive,” Culture, Theory and Critique 53, no. 2 (2012):
215–32. used by permission of taylor & Francis. www.tandfonline.com.
For the women
whose strength, determination, and knowledge
inspired this project.
may their recuerdos continue to influence the next generation
to preserve their herencia.
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contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction engendering the archive 1
1 m exican american Women’s
alternative archive: linking
testimonio, memory, and History 25
2 t estimonio in the Writings of
maría amparo ruiz de Burton 50
3 J ovita González Stakes a claim
in tejas History 70
4 Th e not So “new” mexico: Struggle for
land, identity, and agency 101
Conclusion n egotiating Fragmented Subjectivities
from within the archive 127
Notes 135
Works Cited 149
Index 159
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Acknowledgments
numerous people—mentors, colleagues, administrators, archivists, friends,
and family—have supported and enabled my work over many years. Without
them, and the strong women who stood up to and against dominant patriar-
chal structures and to whom this book is dedicated, this project would not
have been possible. my mentors have been many, and i feel fortunate to have
crossed paths with each one. my journey started at the university of new
mexico (unm), where i met wonderful mentors and friends, and it is the
place i called “home” for many great years: The chair of my doctoral com-
mittee and advisor, a. Gabriel meléndez, initiated my interest in learning
people’s stories through their autobiographies, memoirs, and testimonios;
as i was “getting my feet wet” after years of being out of school, your courses
also influenced me to pursue graduate school—thank you. my committee
members, michael l. trujillo, rose díaz, and Jesse alemán, also guided me
during the early stages of this process as they read and discussed ideas with
me, provided feedback, and offered intellectual support. michael continues
to serve as a great mentor and supporter of my work and intellectual and
professional development. Special thanks to Jesse for piquing my interest in
nineteenth- and twentieth-century chicana, latina, and mexican american
literature; your insight and intellectual influence have shaped my work in
innumerable ways.
in addition to these invaluable mentors, i am indebted to manuel García
y Griego, who took me in as a research assistant for unm’s land Grant Stud-
ies Program, introduced me to the ongoing land-grant movement, and made
me keenly aware of the role that women played in that movement. The land
Grant Studies graduate fellowship provided time and funding, in addition
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