The Squatter and the Don

Mikaila Garfinkel
English 48B
Maria Ampara Ruiz de Burton

"They are gentlemen, no doubt...Evidently he admired and liked them."


This quote is from the part of the story, in which the "Anglos", or the squatters, are conversing to one another. As they are talking, Senor Alamar and Mr. Mechlin ride up in a buggy, a sign of wealth, and the squatters find themselves in awe of their presence. Despite them being robbed of their rights by the US, these wealthy Spanish men still present themselves in a more than elegant fashion. They ride up in a buggy, another sign of their wealth, and attempt to propose a business plan with the poor squatters, whom are settling on their land. Don Mariano is the leader of the group, and is being robbed of his land, and of his cattle. Due to the legal situation at hand, for the US now owns his land, he cannot speak up about the thieves. Instead, he proposes a way for them all to make money, but the squatters are resistant to his idea, perhaps due to the intimidation of his "gentleman" way of carrying himself.

The reason that the story was so interesting to me, which is especially supported by the above quote, is that there is such a switch of roles, compared to the present times. In the set story, the Mexicans are the wealthy people, who are also depicted as intelligent, graceful and smart businessmen. The white people, or "Anglos", are the ones that are described as squatters. The word "squatter" has a negative connotation to it, as if they are homeless, and are obviously very poor. The Anglos are also poor at yielding a crop, they are not as smart when it comes to business, and are also thieves, as they are stealing Don's cattle (as well as his land). The reason it struck out to me, is because it appears completely reversed to the stereotypes nowadays. Now, it seems that the Mexicans that live in the US are thought of as very poor, working minimum wage jobs. They are also notorious for being involved in criminal acts, such as stealing and gang banging in the "ghetto". While this is purely based on stereotype, it is interesting to see such a drastic switch, in such a short time period. It is likely that "The Land Act" is a major part of why the roles traded. With the Californios not in control of their land, it is inevitable that it will be taken over, and the only place Mexicans will be able to go, is to the poorer parts of the area, much like the Jews, Chinese and other minorities throughout history. We no longer think of Mexican Americans as stereotyped such as Don Mariano, but that are what the "squatters" in the story, or Whites today, are though as. Reading the story, as both a Mexican, and a White, hit me on a personal note. It made me feel as if my White side is responsible for much of the discrimination Mexican people are forced to endure here in the United States, especially in California and other places close to the border.