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The God Honest Truth

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We all know Becerra owned a large tract of land in Refugio County. In 1849, he had the  land resurveyed by Refugio County surveyor David Snively and the results showed that it contained 8,856 acres!  We know that much is a fact, it can’t be disputed. The land had been granted to Becerra by Coahuila y Tejas in 1832, but the gringo establishment refused to legitimize his ownership. For all purposes, they shuffled paper and made-up excuses to delay his legitimate transfer to the Texas General Land Office, never really giving Becerra the rightful title to his land. There were several reasons why the gringo establishment refused to legitimize Becerra's land ownership. First, they were racist. They didn't believe that a Mexican should legitimately own land. Second, they were greedy. They wanted the land for themselves. Third, they had to have known that Becerra had clout within the local colonies and townships.  He was well known, and they knew that he would fight for his rights. The gringo establishment's actions were a betrayal of Becerra and all Mexican Tejanos at that time. Their actions showed that they were not interested in justice or equality. They were only interested in power and privilege.  I believe Becerra descendants conveyed land and tried to preserve it within the family, there is no doubt. Unfortunately, they weren’t ever granted legal titles per gringo standards at that time. Becerra died in 1849, unaware of the fate that was in store for his grandson, Antonio de la Garza. His family continued to live on the land yet were unsuccessful in determining legitimate title till the very end.

In 1875, we all know who came and seized the land, wrestling it away from Antonio under the cover of darkness.  The story of our stolen land is a reminder of the challenges that Mexican Americans have faced in their fight for justice for the past 150 years. It is a reminder that the fight for justice is not easy. It is a reminder that there were powerful people who did things surreptitiously and got away with it!  But it is also a reminder that we cannot be silenced. We cannot be stopped. We will continue to fight for past injustices until we achieve recognition and get their full attention again.  Here are some facts concerning Becerra, but which did not matter to the gringo establishment:

  • He had the land resurveyed in 1849 and the results showed that it contained 8,856 acres.
  • The land had been granted to him by Coahuila y Tejas in 1832.
  • He had paid taxes on the land from 1847 to 1849.
  • He had a family and a home on the land.
  • They had a history of conveyances on file with Refugio County.
  • Antonio had paid taxes on the property for years.

Despite all this damning evidence, the gringo establishment refused to legitimately recognize and give title to his land. They simply did not believe that a Mexican American could legitimately own land that they themselves had already carved out for themselves.  The gringo establishment's actions were a betrayal of Becerra and of all Mexican Americans.  If provoked, they might say that they played by the rules and got the land fair and square.  How would I know what transpired back then?  They might even say, “that was then, this is now.”  I have a comeback for that: That’s because they played by gringo rules.  They played by a rigged and corrupt Republic of Texas system that took care of their own and abandoned the hard-working Mexican farmer and landowner. There was no level playing field, there was no fairness.  To be sure, there are historical gaps that can never be filled in this deepening mystery.  I get it, we cannot unentangle these historical question marks any more than I can unentangle what happened 30 – 40 years ago in my own life!  

Yet, this is different.  The weight of history is bending with historical facts, facts that can’t be disputed. So no, in this case the local politicians and local gringos circumvented truth and fairness, they invented their own rules and played their little surreptitious games under the veil of a fair and equitable system.  It was all one big lie.   All told, Becerra's story is a reminder of the challenges that Mexican Americans have faced in their fight for justice. It is a reminder that the fight for justice is not easy. It is a simple reminder that there are powerful people who’ll do everything they can to stop the truth from rising to the top.  But it is also a reminder that we cannot be silenced. We cannot be stopped. We will continue to fight for justice until we achieve it.  What type of justice?  That remains to be seen.

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