Montijano Book Review

Montijano, David. Anglos and Mexicans in the Making of Texas, 1836-1986. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1987.


In Anglos and Mexicans in the Making of Texas, 1836-1986, David Montijanoexplores ethnic the social and political relationships between Tejanos, Mexicans and Texas Anglos whilst they were creating differentTexan communities. The book itself is very well organized and Montijanohas divided it into four chronological and specific aspects of Texas, in particular southern Texas: the “Spanish-Mexican hacienda”, the culture of the Anglo-Mexican ranch, the agricultural societiesrise, and lastly, the industrial societies growth in urban areas. In the book, Montijano believes that to be a ‘Mexican’ got its meaning through the context of political and social issues createdthrough the class system. The situation in terms of the economy, the dependence on Mexican/Mexican American labourers and consumers, and the concept of richness and social standing, regulated relationsbetween “Anglos” and “Mexicans” in Texas. 
Despite the fact that Montijano has a background in sociology, his work does not have the “cumbersome and abstruse theoretical jargon,” which usually hasa strong effect on this type of work. Of course, Montijano’s uncanny ability to intertwine several ideas of writing and concepts, for example combining social and monetary studies with history,ethnicity and sociology, or how he converts a particular chronological frame in the work, to an impressive, flowing narrative, is applaudable.
“Incorporation,” which is the first part of Montijano’swork, ranges from 1836 to1900. Here Montijano explains how capitalists, lawyers and Anglo merchants, many with a background from the American-Mexican War, primarily began to develop the region. Healso investigates the relation of these developers with Hispanic labourers. Montijano explains that Anglo ranchers began using the the patrón-peóne system and hacienda. Montijano explored clashes...