History Of Juan Cortina

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Juan Cortina: Robin Hood of The Rio Grande In this biographical paper, I will be exploring the history of Juan Cortina, a man who is a hero or bandit depending on who you ask, his historical significance, and then exploring what we know of Juan and what we can deduce about his personality. Juan Nepomuceno Cortina was born May 16, 1824, the son of Estéfana and Trinidad Cortina. His mother was an aristocrat and heir to a large property and fortune in the lower Rio Grande valley (Thompson, 1970). The family moved to the land when Cortina was young. Not much has been written about his younger years. Juan Cortina served as a part of the irregular cavalry during the Mexican War and participated in many major battles under General Arista of the Tamaulipas Brigade. It is likely that he was very popular among his fellow soldiers, as he would later return to the region as governor. After the war was …show more content…

He was imprisoned from 1876-1890 by Mexican dictator Porfirio Diaz. He was released, but died 2 years later in his home town of Tamaulipas. (PBS, 2001) Now that I’ve shared Juan Cortina’s history, from his early life to his eventual death, let’s explore his historical significance. Juan Cortina is historically significant for these three reasons. One, he gives us a point of reference for someone in his difficult and turbulent time period. He was a (presumably) rich Mexican that saw the injustice of how the white American settlers treated the Mexicans that lived near them. He shows us another side of the story, beside the story that the victors would’ve shared. Two, he shaped the atmosphere of Texas, by calling for legal fair treatment of Mexican Americans and being willing to fight until equality was granted. And three, he revealed that even after Texas gained their independence, the Tejanos along the Rio Grande still held loyalty to their home country of

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