50 Years Later: A State of War or a Permanent State of Insurrection?

By ROBERTO Dr. CINTLI RODRIGUEZ

(Vea la versión en español a continuación.)

In Chicano Manifesto (1971), Armando Rendon made the radical claim that the United States and Mexico were technically still in a state-of-war (1846-1848) because, aside from illegally seizing half of its territories, the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo was violated even prior to its signing. This was done by altering Article IX and by outright deleting Article X, articles that guaranteed human rights and land rights, respectively.

While his premise is arguable, the observation remains relevant today because for decades after the war, land theft and lynchings against Mexican peoples were rampant, as was de jure and de facto discrimination. They were never or are today treated as fully human, nor with full corresponding human rights that are guaranteed to all, including by the treaty. The policies of this current administration have especially shined the light on their unwanted and unwelcome status today. For the rest of the column, go to and also see Spanish edition at:

https://www.populist.com/26.15.rodriguez.html?fbclid=IwAR0TaWGF2lYMoog_gHvx4_9gp7kHVmNx0bHsRegViP2qziKiWIuUR4BAQzE