Episode 107: Catarino Garza, Chicano Revolutionary!

As the sun slowly rose over the Rio Grande on September 15, 1891, Catarino Erasmo Garza stood on the Texas side of the border holding in his hands two objects that would come to define his life: a Winchester rifle and a revolutionary proclamation. For years Garza had fought the dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz through his many newspapers and publications. Now he announced that he was laying down the pen and taking up arms. In the opening lines of his manifesto, he declared:

"The last of the independent journalists today abandons the pen to seize the sword in defense of the people's rights."

His proclamation denounced the destruction of the free press, political murder, fraudulent elections, and the concentration of land and power, while calling for constitutional government, free trade, and land reform in Mexico. Nearly twenty years before Francisco Madero launched the movement that became the Mexican Revolution, Garza had already identified the grievances that would eventually bring down the Díaz regime.

Today, Garza remains largely absent from popular memory. His name never appears alongside revolutionary icons like Emiliano Zapata, Pancho Villa, or Francisco Madero, despite the fact that he articulated many of the democratic demands later associated with the Mexican Revolution. This is a shame, because Garza was more than a revolutionary soldier. He was an influential journalist, an international activist, and the likely publisher of El Chicano, a Spanish-language newspaper in San Antonio that may represent the earliest known printed use of the word Chicano as a positive political identity. 

Sources: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catarino_Garza

https://filmotropo.wordpress.com/2012/10/29/catarino-erasmo-garza-and-el-chicano/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garza_Revolution

https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/garza-war

https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/17/mexico-catarino-erasmo-garza-disappeared

https://www.tshaonline.org/texas-day-by-day/entry/391

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Kurly Tlapoyawa is an archaeologist, ethnohistorian, and filmmaker. His research covers Mesoamerica, the American Southwest, and the historical connections between the two regions. He is the author of numerous books and has presented lectures at the University of New Mexico, Harvard University, Yale University, San Diego State University, and numerous others. He most recently released his documentary short film "Guardians of the Purple Kingdom," and is a cultural consultant for Nickelodeon Animation Studios.
@kurlytlapoyawa

Ruben Arellano Tlakatekatl is a scholar, activist, and professor of history. His research explores Chicana/Chicano indigeneity, Mexican indigenist nationalism, and Coahuiltecan identity resurgence. Other areas of research include Aztlan (US Southwest), Anawak (Mesoamerica), and Native North America. He has presented and published widely on these topics and has taught courses at various institutions. He currently teaches history at Dallas College – Mountain View Campus. 

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