Pío Pico: The Last Mexican Governor
Commentary by Patricia Ann Talley, Editor
California, and the rest of the Southwest, was once part of Mexico that was annexed during the US invasion, known as the Mexican-American War (1846-1848).
The Mexican-American War
Before the Texas Revolution and the US invasion, Mexico owned the lands now known as the “Southwest” – Texas, Colorado, Nevada, parts of Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. This short 16-minute video tells the story of this war and the annexation of these lands.
The Cultural Differences Between Nations
The invasion by the USA resulted in a great cultural divide between its citizens and the Mexican people who inhabited the west.
We must remember, that during this time, the USA was a “whites only nation”; only “whites” could become citizens (1790 Naturalization Act). Native Americans were confined to reservations, and Africans were enslaved until 1865. There were strict laws against race-mixing, punishable by death. Interracial marriages were not allowed in the USA until 1962. The USA restricted immigration from non-European countries until 1965.
On the other hand, the population of Mexico was more diverse since the Catholic Church allowed interracial marriages between the people. When Mexico gained independence in 1821, the new country included all people as citizens. Mexico abolished slavery in 1829 and offered enslaved African Americans full citizenship in the country.
Historians speculate as to why the USA did not annex the entire country of Mexico. We can ask the question: “Would a ‘whites-only/slave nation’ want to include such a diverse population and one that had abolished slavery?” The US took the land and natural resources of the west but did not want its diverse mixture of people.
California and Afro-Mexican Governor Pio Pico
Pío Jesus Pico, who was of African descent, was the last governor of California under Mexican rule, serving from 1845-46, just before the U.S. military occupation. His grandparents, Santiago de la Cruz Pico, a “mestizo” and his wife, María Jacinta Bastida, a “mulatta” and their seven children moved to California from Sonora in 1776.
Pico was a rich landowner. In 1820, he settled in San Diego. The family also owned half the San Fernando Valley, present-day Camp Pendleton, when it was Rancho Santa Margarita, and the communities of Anaheim, Buena Park, La Habra, Cerritos, Rancho Los Coyotes, Montebello, Whittier, and Pico Rivera.
PBS affiliate KCET.org in Los Angeles has published a short 20-minute video about the history of California from the Mexican perspective, along with research articles, to teach us about Pío Pico and the people who inhabited the western lands before the US invasion.
References:
For more history and information about California, please visit the KCET website.
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