Borderland/ La Frontera

              

               This week’s reading made me reflect on how divided we became because of these borders. In the story “Borderlands”, by Anzalduas, she metnions how the American basically took land from some of the Chicano indigenous tribes causing them to eventually live in fear of deportation to Mexico. Thus, resulting in these indigenous people having to live in cities they have never been to because their tribes had always been located in the north of Mexico. This part of their land was colonized By Americans, who were now deporting these indigenous people to places they have never been to. I keep repeating that part because it’s not resonating with me yet. This border that was created broke people and communities apart. This forced the indigenous people to have to identify as something they were not. I feel as though once their land was taken, they lost their nationality and homeland.

            It’s baffling to me how several chicanos get discriminated against in America, yet everyone fails to mention the history of how the colonizers harmed some chicanos and took their land. In the 1800’s present day Texas and California was Mexico’s territory. So not only did America take their land, but then they deported the ones that were left living on that land. And now in present day, some even discriminate against indigenous chicanos, or Mexicans, claiming that they need to go back to their country when many of them are standing on their original land that was colonized by Americans. Not only is it not fair, but the more you repeat it the more contradicting it sounds. Fast Forward to present day, as mentioned in “Latinas/os and Latin America: Topics, Destinies, Disciplines”, by Roman de la Campa, students that are part of Latin America cannot get a decent ethnic studies program in their schools. The fact that much of today’s American soil once belonged to Mexico is another reason as to why we need either Mexican studies or Latinx Studies programs in schools.