The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 107, July 2003 - April, 2004 Page: 140
660 p. : ill. (some col.), maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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140 Southwestern Historical Quarterly July
Richard W. Etulain, retired from the University of New Mexico, specializes in
edited volumes, compiled resources, and selected bibliographies. This is his
most recent compilation of articles by specialists. In his introduction, Etulain
outlines the dual purpose of his edited volume: "to deal with the lives of notable
New Mexicans," but also "to demonstrate how each of these lives illustrated or
broke from the main currents of the state's history" (p. 2).
Etulain contributes the first chapter, a very quick overview of "prehistoric man
and woman in New Mexico" (p. 5). Chapter 2 is a fascinating, albeit periodically
(but necessarily) speculative view of Pope, the elusive leader of the Pueblo Revolt
of 1680, by Joe S. Sando, who masterfully weaves oral tradition and his personal
experience with Pueblo life. Rick Hendricks follows with an engaging look at the
lives ofJuan de Ofiate and Diego de Vargas, clearly placing their experiences into
context of New Mexicofs conquest (1598) and acculturation (early 1700s).
DeenaJ. Gonzilez then looks at a New Mexico woman's will and the Spanish and
Mexican legal system, utilizing a racial, ethnic, and gender analysis.
The book enters the nineteenth century with E. A. Mares's essay on Padre
Martinez, which provides the reader with a colorful, Hispano perspective of the
famous priest. Edwin R. Sweeney's essay on Mangas Coloradas is a very thought-
ful interpretation of the Chiricahua leader, whom Sweeney places within the
age-old social, political, and cultural conflicts that existed between the
Chiricahua and their non-Apache neighbors. Barton H. Barbour then provides a
sympathetic view of Kit Carson, explaining that he was not an "Indian hater," as
purported by some recent scholars.
Kathleen Chamberlain's delightfully written chapter explores the relationship
between Susan McSween Barber, Billy the Kid, and Thomas Benton Catron, by
explaining the "modernization" of New Mexico; or perhaps more appropriately,
the "Americanization" of New Mexico. Her discussion of land acquisition con-
vincingly argues that New Mexico's legal system functioned well for over 250
years, until the U.S. chose to ignore it. Anglo-American lawyers superimposed
the U.S. legal structure on top of existing claims-making it easier to usurp
native New Mexican's land as did Thomas Benton Catron.
The next chapter is a beautifully written chapter detailing the life and philoso-
phies of Mabel Dodge Luhan and New Mexico's Anglo arts community. Maria E.
Montoya's chapter on Sen. Dennis Chavez is an important addition on the often-
ignored Hispano who, during the 1930s, faced public incidents of prejudice and
social admonition in the halls of Congress. Another example of determination is
Myla Vicenti Carpio and Peter Iverson's article on Wendell Chino and the
Mescalero Apaches. This is a welcome study of recent issues of sovereignty and
self-determination involving not just the Mescalero Apaches, but by extension all
American Indians of the Southwest. In the penultimate chapter, Ference M.
Szasz contributes a brilliant article on Tony Hillerman and New Mexico since
the 196os. The final chapter by Etulain illustrates his greatest talent, biblio-
graphic essays and selected compilations of sources.
This reviewer's only criticism lies in the very first chapter. As a twentieth-cen-
tury Western historian, Etulain should have enticed an archaeologist to write on
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 107, July 2003 - April, 2004, periodical, 2004; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101224/m1/158/: accessed April 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.