The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 98, July 1994 - April, 1995 Page: 231
682 p. : ill. (some col.), maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Deconstructing La Raza
though this article focuses on the elite's ideology, it also reveals the
need for further scholarship to uncover more fully the competing ide-
ologies articulated by subordinate groups.
Defining the ideology of the gente decente becomes difficult when one
recognizes the diversity of beliefs that exist within any social group, fami-
ly, or even a single individual. The use of a variety of sources, including
El Dem6crata Fronterizo, La Cr6nica, El Defensor del Obrero, personal letters,
mutualista constitutions, and interviews helps to construct a more com-
plete picture. I have relied heavily on El Dem6crata Fronterizo in this arti-
cle because this source provides the most thorough, ongoing
commentary about gente decente social and political events. Both El
Dem6crata Fronterizo and La Cr6nica reported the attendance of the gente
decente at funerals, weddings, inaugurations, and national celebrations
(both Mexican and U.S.), as well as announcing meeting times for mutu-
alista and masonic lodges. The close connection between El Dem6crata
Fronterizo and the gente decente can be seen in its front-page coverage of
Nemesio Garcia's funeral. Like many of the gente decente, Garcia left Mex-
ico in the mid-188os due to harassment by agents of Mexican President
Porfirio Diaz. Upon arrival in Laredo he founded the Masonic Lodge
"Benito Juarez." El Dem6crata Fronterizo reprinted four eulogies, including
those delivered by Justo Ctrdenas, El Dem6crata's editor, and Nicasio
Idar, La Cr6nica's editor. The article also listed more than seventy-five in-
dividuals, families, and organizations that sent flowers for the funeral.
While there were no official members of the gente decente, the people
who sent flowers of condolence repeatedly appeared together at social
and cultural events; the list included S. G. Dominguez and family, Mr.
and Mrs. L. R. Ortiz, Sr. A. E. Vidaurri, Mr. and Mrs. Justo S. Penn, Mr.
A. M. Bruni and family, and Sr. Amador Sanchez.7 This cultural commu-
nity, which included the editors of Laredo's newspapers, city politicians,
leaders of civic organizations, and some of Laredo's wealthiest families,
socialized together, worked together, and married each other. Though
not monolithic, this cultural community demonstrated enough coher-
ence that we may view them as a social group.
While it would be misleading to use a few individual biographies to
represent a complex social group, brief sketches of several prominent
members of the gente decente can help to outline some of their character-
istics and diversity. A more complete portrait of the diversity of the gente
decente awaits further research and the uncovering of more sources.
In 1909 and ran until 1914(?) El Defensor del Obrero, the six-to-ten-page weekly Federal Labor
Union periodical edited by Rafael Guevara and Luis Alvarado, ran from July 1, 1906, until May
26, 1907. Copies of these two newspapers and the union periodical can be found at the Center
for American History, University of Texas at Austin (cited hereafter as CAH).
7 "El Sr. Nemesio Garcia," El Dem6crata Frontenzo (Laredo), Nov. 26, 1904-1994
231
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 98, July 1994 - April, 1995, periodical, 1995; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101216/m1/269/: accessed May 1, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.