Posted by Margaret on March 22, 192003 at 12:09:35:
Quick translation of introduction to Los tejanos:
In 1931, Aurelio M. Espinosa and his son Jose Manuel discovered the fairly tattered manuscript of Los tejanos, an anonymous folkloric work for theater that celebrates the defeat and capture in the east of Santa Fe in 1841 of the invading army of the Republic of Texas. Once the Rio Grande was unilaterally declared the eastern border, President Marabeau Lamar gave the order for a military expedition under the command of General Hugh McLeod to occupy “The District of Santa Fe” and establish new relations and commercial (ties?). Governor Manuel Armijo obtained the military support of the central government of Mexico, and his victory over the Texans was highly acclaimed in New Mexico. In contrast with other theatrical works from New Mexico whose theme is victory, such as “Moros y Cristianos” and “Los Comanches,” the equestrian spectacle and rhetorical bombast are absent from this play. Instead, an elaborate subterfuge is woven between two spies from New Mexico, a Native American from Pecos and don Jorge Ramirez, a Spaniard. They explore the arrogant ambition of the Texans and succeed at winning more by trickery than by skill on the battlefield. The satirical language and the dramatic irony of the work transmit a patriotic declaration in favor of the sovereignty and independence of New Mexico. Because of the condition of the manuscript “Los tejanos,” Aurelio Espinosa speculated that the work may have been presented on stage, but no definitive proof exists. Espinosa believes that the work was written between 1850 and 1880.