Essay - Up Until the 19th Century the Southwest Border of the...

Up until the 19th century the Southwest border of the now United States was wholly within ***** domain of Mexico. Spanish settlements throughout the southwest ranged from Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. These settlement started in ***** 1690s when Spain settled the area that is now known as Texas, since then many major cities have been built and established by missions trips throughout the Southwest. It was in 1745 that Spain settled in an ***** called William and thus they gave birth to the first Tejanos, or Texan of Spanish heritage.

By the ***** century, Europeans from Germany, Poland and other European countries migrated to the ***** region due ***** the over population of the eastern border and the continued push towards cross-continental dominance. The settlement of Texas drew significant tension between ***** American and Spanish-Mexican occupants. Eventually this ***** led to war as both sides claimed the right to territorial possession, the Spanish-American ***** ***** one ***** the defining wars of American history, it ultimately allowed the ***** States to control all of the Southwest ***** enjoy ***** fru*****s of their conquest, especi*****y in California. ********** vic*****ry took away territorial possession ***** *****, however it could not distinguish the cultural presence ***** Mexico and its heritage within the Southwest.

This is especially true of Texas which was largely dominated by Mexico ***** still shares borders with their ancestral owners. Many Mexican *****s from Texas were descendents ***** the original ***** of ***** state. ***** families did not wish to migrate back to Mexico following their defeat in the Spanish American war, instead *****y chose ***** stay within the Union and continue to prosper within the United States. Not only ***** they retain the majority of their cultural traditions, but ***** presence influenced the present day culture of ***** as well as much of the Southwest region. Mexican *****s are now a tremendous part of our society ***** *****, Hispanics will soon become the largest minority group ***** the United States and the current conflicts over legalization of immigration has put *****m in the spot light. Although many socially unaware ********** would like ***** think that the Mexican phenomenon is entirely new the reality is that Mexicans ***** been a significant part of the culture ***** the Southwest since the start of the Union itself. The Southwest ***** in many ways more Mexican than it is American.

The Mexican Americans of ***** Texas region are poor and hardwork*****g, the ***** of them work as ranch hands or ***** menial level positions. One of the things that they took pride in was the musical tradition that they inherited and passed on through the centuries. This musical tradition ***** cal***** Tejano music, ***** Tex-Mex music. This ***** was inherited from generations ***** songs originally sung in Spain and Mexico. Due to the influence of ***** traditions and cultural changes within the Southwest region ***** music has changed in many ways, ***** its basic chords and roots have not. The roots of