Course Description
Covers the story of indigenous peoples of the southwestern United States: Aztlán, the Spanish colonial period, the Mexican period, and the acquisition and settlement by the United States. Seeks the exposition of indigenous and Hispanic historical and cultural foundations of the region and the confluence with other Asian and European influences. Taught in English with Spanish readings for Spanish majors. Also available online.
Reflective Narrative
In SPAN 308, I learned about the most important happenings in the southwestern United States, the region where it is believed that it was Aztlan, the native land of the Aztecs, one of the most important civilizations in Mesoamérica. In this class, we talked about Mesoamerican civilizations, the extermination of indigenous civilizations, the conquest of the New World, the colonialism of the Europeans, as well as the intervention and establishment of the United States in the Southwest. Before taking this class, I thought I would already know most of the information, but I realized that it was not true, there were many aspects of the history and culture of the region studied that I did not know. Undoubtedly, by taking this class, I increased my knowledge about the events that occurred throughout history in the formerly called Aztlan. After taking history classes at CSUMB I realized that it is subjective because it can be interpreted in an infinite number of ways. In addition, it can be manipulated with the purpose of misleading people or encouraging patriotism, as I experienced during my K-12 education in Mexico and the United States. One of my favorite research writings of this class was, "Mexican-American Historya (1846-1940): A Mexicano Perspective" in which I recounted the most important historical events of these two countries based on two books and a master's thesis. However, the most significant aspect of this assignment was that I presented this historical period based on my own perspective and personal experiences. Overall, this class fascinated me because I learned about the history of Mexicans in the United States something I had never been exposed to before. Now more than ever I am proud of the Chicanx, Mexican-American and Mexican community. Thanks to their contributions and fight for civil rights I am able to express myself freely, and possess academic and labor opportunities. I now feel prouder of my Mexican heritage.