The Squatter and the Don
The novel begins with William Darrell explaining to his wife what makes him a settler and not a squatter, in his eyes, as an American citizen. From there Darrell heads to Southern California to acquire lands to "settle", build a homestead, and bring his family down south with him. His wife makes him promise not to settle on lands belonging to others and that if he does, pay the rightful owner of that land. Don Mariano Alamar was the man on whose land Mr. Darrell had squatted, along with several other American settlers. About this time people were investing heavily in city blocks expecting a huge payoff when the Texas Pacific Railroad was punched through to San Diego. Mr. Darrell's son Clarence had fallen for Don Alamar's daughter, Mercedes, which began the love story in the novel. Mercita's mother was objectional to this since Clarence was of a squatters family, so she sent Mercedes to New York to avoid Clarence. One problem- Clarence sought the Don's permission to follow her to New York, in which he did. Corruption in the government was a revolving door regarding Don Alamar's land title. The Attorney General had dismissed the squatters appeal on Alamar's land, only to have a subordinate attorney overturn the appeal so
History has been taught to us in our up bringing as the told through the voices of wealthy white males. They in turn have created history books full of admiration towards the dominant white race, as the saviors of all beings, the reason we are what we are today. There is no mention of how the white capitalistic elitists used the backs of the minorities as a stepping stone to better their positions in society. This is where Maria Amparo Ruiz de Burton steps in to tell a story that a society governed by race and class wouldn't necessarily be exposed to. As a woman born from Mexican-bloodlines, Ruiz de Burton embodies everything about being apart of the previously mentioned minority that was used as a stepping stone. Being a minority allowed her to witness firsthand the atrocities that began to happen to the native Californios after the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hildago. The imperialistic dominant white culture was in no position to see what exactly they were doing to the natives, other than sugar-coating their conquering and settlement to the world. Ruiz de Burton was able to write a novel that, without bashing the white population, was a thorough explanation of what happened, as seen through the eyes of her people. It's as close to the real thing as we'll ever get. It's a voice that would have never been related to such a widespread audience if hadn't been written down. Perhaps this may have been a motivating factor in getting her work published. She told the story as a straight forward, matter-of-fact chronicle of events. The Squatter and the Don was written to appeal to a wide audience of people, no matter their color, class, or ethnicity. Her i
Some common words found in the essay are:
Squatter Don, Treaty Guadalupe-Hildago, Don Alamar's, Don Mariano, Mexicans Ruiz, Francisco History, Clarence Mercedes, Southern California, Mexican-bloodlines Ruiz, Amparo Ruiz, de burton, ruiz de, ruiz de burton, don mariano, signing treaty guadalupe-hildago, stepping stone, dominant white, burton able, alamar land, land title, san diego, de burton able, texas pacific railroad, don alamar's,
Approximate Word count = 1135
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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