Freedom and Unfreedom: Indigenous Identity through Mexican Independence
While Mexico fought for its independence from the Spanish crown, the idea of Indigenous heritage as a reason for independence circulated widely across the nation. Promoting Indigenous heritage became a method to rally Mexicans around a common and new national identity. The first document indicates these efforts, one that extols Mexico’s indigenous past against the barbarism of Spanish colonization to support republicanism in a post-independence monarchist Mexico. However, this "Neo-Aztecan" discourse ignores the concerns of the large and diverse groups of Indigenous peoples by casting upper-class pro-independence interests as if they were the interests of Mexico’s native peoples. The second document - a police report from 1825 - evidences how not all indigenous peoples agreed with a pro-republican independence regime. It reports how Indigenous peoples rose up in rebellion to assert their rights and freedoms, forcing republican authorities to ensure they treated Indigenous groups according to the law to avoid more revolts and disorder.
The Constitution "Indio": To Mexican Liberals
This document - addressed specifically for "Mexican liberals" - argues for the sacking of the monarch Augustin I and the transformation of Mexico into a republic. However, it accomplishes this through drawing upon a sympathetic but simplified "neo-Aztecan" narrative of Mexico's Indigenous past while simultaneously ignoring contemporary Indigenous presence in the country. While the author is not credited, it can be assumed that they were likely a member of the mestizo, liberal, and educated class. "El Indio Constitutional" remains a compelling historical artifact as an initial demonstration of the "neo-Aztecan" ideology that came to dominate Mexico's national narrative even with its troubled relationship with indigeneity.
Letter to the Chief of Police of Coloctan
A government official is the likely author of this small booklet recounting indigenous revolts that exploded on November 10, 1825, one year after Mexico became a republic and four years after independence. The report praises the chief of police in Coloctan, Guadalajara for managing the unrest, details how indigenous peoples attacked religious leaders, and stole money. The document also suggests how the revolt could be either against the incipient republican government or the result of existing tensions within the community. Finally, this report insists that local police must carefully follow procedure throughout their investigation, capture and adjudication of the “indios” who participated in the revolt to prevent further unrest. As such,the document reveals how Indigenous groups learned to leverage their power in numbers. A couple of questions to consider: Were revolts the only way they pressured the early republican regime? Was this pressure effective in causing the republic to adhere to fair and just treatment? (1)
(1) Michael Ducey, “Indian Communities and Ayuntamientos in the Mexican Huasteca: Sujeto Revolts, Pronunciamientos and Caste Wars,” The Americas 57, no. 4, (2001) http://www.jstor.org/stable/1007832