Archives of Dispossession Gender and american culture Coeditors Thadious m. davis mary Kelley Editorial Advisory Board nancy cott Janice radway Jane Sherron de Hart robert reid-Pharr John d’emilio noliwe rooks linda K. Kerber Barbara Sicherman annelise Orleck cheryl Wall nell irvin Painter Emerita Board Members cathy n. davidson annette Kolodny Sara evans Wendy martin Guided by feminist and antiracist perspectives, this series examines the construction and influence of gender and sexuality within the full range of america’s cultures. investigating in deep context the ways in which gender works with and against such markers as race, class, and region, the series presents outstanding interdisciplinary scholarship, including works in history, literary studies, religion, folklore, and the visual arts. in so doing, Gender and american culture seeks to reveal how identity and community are shaped by gender and sexuality. a complete list of books published in Gender and american culture is available at www.uncpress.unc.edu. A R c H i v e s of D i s p o s s e s s i o n Recovering the Testimonios of Mexican American Herederas, 1848 --- 1960 Karen R. Roybal The University of North Carolina Press Chapel Hill © 2017 The university of north carolina Press All rights reserved Manufactured in the United States of America The university of north carolina Press has been a member of the Green Press initiative since 2003. cover illustrations: Fabiola cabeza de Baca (Gilbert Photograph collection, center for Southwest research); Jovita González (mary and Jeff Bell library, texas a&m university at corpus christi); and maría amparo ruiz de Burton. Handwriting from the deposition of maría cleofas de Bóne de lópez, Santiago Bóne grant, march 29, 1887 (Spanish archives of new mexico Series i, land records, in the collections of the State archives of new mexico). Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data names: roybal, Karen r., author. title: archives of dispossession : recovering the testimonios of mexican american herederas, 1848–1960 / Karen r. roybal. Other titles: Gender & american culture. description: chapel Hill : university of north carolina Press, [2017] | Series: Gender and american culture | includes bibliographical references and index. identifiers: LCCN 2017005573 | ISBN 9781469633817 (cloth : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781469633824 (pbk : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781469633831 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: mexican american women—Southwestern States—History. | mexican american women—Southwestern States—History—Sources. | mexican americans—land tenure—Southwestern States—History. | mexican american women—Southwestern States—ethnic identity. classification: LCC F790.M5 R69 2017 | DDC 305.48/86872073—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017005573 a version of chapter 1 originally appeared as “History, memory, and ambivalence: Testimonio as alternative archive,” Culture, Theory and Critique 53, no. 2 (2012): 215–32. used by permission of taylor & Francis. www.tandfonline.com. For the women whose strength, determination, and knowledge inspired this project. may their recuerdos continue to influence the next generation to preserve their herencia. This page intentionally left blank contents Acknowledgments ix Introduction engendering the archive 1 1 m exican american Women’s alternative archive: linking testimonio, memory, and History 25 2 t estimonio in the Writings of maría amparo ruiz de Burton 50 3 J ovita González Stakes a claim in tejas History 70 4 Th e not So “new” mexico: Struggle for land, identity, and agency 101 Conclusion n egotiating Fragmented Subjectivities from within the archive 127 Notes 135 Works Cited 149 Index 159 This page intentionally left blank Acknowledgments numerous people—mentors, colleagues, administrators, archivists, friends, and family—have supported and enabled my work over many years. Without them, and the strong women who stood up to and against dominant patriar- chal structures and to whom this book is dedicated, this project would not have been possible. my mentors have been many, and i feel fortunate to have crossed paths with each one. my journey started at the university of new mexico (unm), where i met wonderful mentors and friends, and it is the place i called “home” for many great years: The chair of my doctoral com- mittee and advisor, a. Gabriel meléndez, initiated my interest in learning people’s stories through their autobiographies, memoirs, and testimonios; as i was “getting my feet wet” after years of being out of school, your courses also influenced me to pursue graduate school—thank you. my committee members, michael l. trujillo, rose díaz, and Jesse alemán, also guided me during the early stages of this process as they read and discussed ideas with me, provided feedback, and offered intellectual support. michael continues to serve as a great mentor and supporter of my work and intellectual and professional development. Special thanks to Jesse for piquing my interest in nineteenth- and twentieth-century chicana, latina, and mexican american literature; your insight and intellectual influence have shaped my work in innumerable ways. in addition to these invaluable mentors, i am indebted to manuel García y Griego, who took me in as a research assistant for unm’s land Grant Stud- ies Program, introduced me to the ongoing land-grant movement, and made me keenly aware of the role that women played in that movement. The land Grant Studies graduate fellowship provided time and funding, in addition ix