“ignorance, indolence and cowardice,” as
one Texan rancher put it. An Anglo visi-
tor to California in the early 1840s called
Californios “an imbecile, pusillanimous
[cowardly], race of men.” Anglos were
especially prejudiced toward lower-class,
dark-skinned Hispanics. A titled ranchero
of the Tejano elite might be accepted
socially, but not the poor ranch hand
with Native American features.Prejudice showed itself in many ways.
After Texas was annexed in 1845, efforts
were made to deny Tejanos their voting
rights, through such means as poll taxes
and literacy tests. Intimidation of Tejanos
was rampant, notably in the Cart War of
1857, when Anglo ruffians tried unsuc-
cessfully to muscle Mexican-American
carters, or wagon drivers, out of business,
with 75 people killed in the conflict.JOAQUÍN MURIETA
Many legends have circulated regarding the exploits of a Mexican
bandit named Joaquín Murieta. While details of Murieta’s life are
sketchy, it is known that in 1853, the California legislature hired a
former Texas Ranger named Harry Love to organize a posse and
track down five Mexican desperadoes, apparently all of whom were
named Joaquín.
When Love and his men found a group of Mexican outlaws hid-
ing out in Tulare County, California, they killed the leader and one
of his men. As proof of their achievement, Love’s posse cut off the
head of the supposed leader, placed it in a whiskey jar and sent it
to the legislature with a demand for a reward. Along with it, they
sent the hand of the other man, who they claimed was an associ-
ate of Joaquín Murieta named Three Fingered Jack.
The famous head and hand were displayed all around California
mining camps and towns for many years, even though many
questioned whether they had come from the real Murieta.
When John Rollin Ridge, who was part Cherokee, wrote a fic-
tional account of Murieta’s life in 1854, he wrote that Murieta had
turned to crime as revenge after his brother was shot and his wife
raped. Ridge’s novel became so popular that in time it became
accepted as truth. The mystery surrounding the real Joaquín only
added to the legend’s allure.Now I go out onto roads
To kill Americans
You were the cause
Of my brother’s death
You took him defenseless
You disgraceful American
From the rich and the greedy
I took their money
To the humble and poor
I tipped my hat
Oh, what unjust laws
I’m going to become a bandit— From The Life and Adventures of Joaquín Murieta
by John Rollin Ridge104 ATLAS OF HISPANIC-AMERICAN HISTORY
A traveling exhibition featuring a head reputed
to be Murieta’s toured California in the 1850s.
(Dover Publications)Joaquín Murieta
(Dover Publications)