Las Gorras Blancas
Encyclopedia
Las Gorras Blancas were a group active in the American Southwest in the late 1880s and early 1890s. Founded in April 1889 by brothers Juan Jose, Pablo, and Nicanor Herrera, with support from vecino
s in the nearby communities of El Burro, El Salitre, Ojitos Frios, and San Geronimo. The group believed in Mexican
reclamation of land taken by Anglo
farmers and used intimidation
and raid
s to accomplish their goals. They sought to develop a class-based consciousness among local people through the everyday tactics of resistance to the economic and social order confronting common property land grant communities. The name comes from the white
head coverings many wore.
market affected the Northern New Mexico
economy adversely. Communal lands dictated by the original land grants were increasingly being split up and fenced off as private land, and pastures were not as plentiful. This was most felt by the small Hispano farmers who relied on the communal lands to raise their stock. The Gorras Blancas tore down fences, burned barns and haystacks, scattered livestock and threatened worse if justice did not prevail. Additionally, a group of White Caps under the direction of Juan Jose Herrera "set thousands of railroad ties afire when the Atchison,Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad refused to raise the low wages it paid Hispano workers." Moreover, numerous demonstrations of men on horseback, wearing white caps, rode through the Las Vegas, New Mexico
streets at night typically ending at the Courthouse.
In August of 1890 several members of las Gorras Blancas ran for state office in a new populist People's Party under the name el Partido del Pueblo Unido. Pablo Herrera, Nestor Montoya, and T.B. Mills were all elected and most forms of direct action the group was known for ceased. All three were unsuccessful in passing populist legislation, however, and left the state government disillusioned with political reform. Herrerra, in a speech to the House of Representatives in February 1891, stated:
Pablo Herrera returned to Las Vegas and attempted to revive las Gorras Blancas but was murdered by sheriff Felipe Lopez. Some time after the movement died, Juan Jose Herrera left New Mexico and settled in Utah
, where he died several years later.
Vecino
In Spanish-speaking areas, a vecino is nowadays a neighbor, or a resident of a place.In older times throughout the Spanish Empire, a person who has a house and home in a town or city and contributes to its expenses, not necessarily living near to the person referring to him; a local figure of some...
s in the nearby communities of El Burro, El Salitre, Ojitos Frios, and San Geronimo. The group believed in Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
reclamation of land taken by Anglo
Anglo
Anglo is a prefix indicating a relation to the Angles, England or the English people, as in the terms Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-American, Anglo-Celtic, Anglo-African and Anglo-Indian. It is often used alone, somewhat loosely, to refer to people of British Isles descent in The Americas, Australia and...
farmers and used intimidation
Intimidation
Intimidation is intentional behavior "which would cause a person of ordinary sensibilities" fear of injury or harm. It's not necessary to prove that the behavior was so violent as to cause terror or that the victim was actually frightened.Criminal threatening is the crime of intentionally or...
and raid
Raid (military)
Raid, also known as depredation, is a military tactic or operational warfare mission which has a specific purpose and is not normally intended to capture and hold terrain, but instead finish with the raiding force quickly retreating to a previous defended position prior to the enemy forces being...
s to accomplish their goals. They sought to develop a class-based consciousness among local people through the everyday tactics of resistance to the economic and social order confronting common property land grant communities. The name comes from the white
White
White is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye in nearly equal amounts and with high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness.White light can be...
head coverings many wore.
Tactics
In the early 1890s, a depressed sheep and woolWool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
market affected the Northern New Mexico
Northern New Mexico
Northern New Mexico may simply mean the northern part of New Mexico, but in cultural terms it usually means the area of heavy Spanish settlement in the north-central part....
economy adversely. Communal lands dictated by the original land grants were increasingly being split up and fenced off as private land, and pastures were not as plentiful. This was most felt by the small Hispano farmers who relied on the communal lands to raise their stock. The Gorras Blancas tore down fences, burned barns and haystacks, scattered livestock and threatened worse if justice did not prevail. Additionally, a group of White Caps under the direction of Juan Jose Herrera "set thousands of railroad ties afire when the Atchison,Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad refused to raise the low wages it paid Hispano workers." Moreover, numerous demonstrations of men on horseback, wearing white caps, rode through the Las Vegas, New Mexico
Las Vegas, New Mexico
Las Vegas is a city in San Miguel County, New Mexico, United States. Once two separate municipalities both named Las Vegas, west Las Vegas and east Las Vegas , divided by the Gallinas River, retain distinct characters and separate, rival school districts. The population was 14,565 at the 2000...
streets at night typically ending at the Courthouse.
In August of 1890 several members of las Gorras Blancas ran for state office in a new populist People's Party under the name el Partido del Pueblo Unido. Pablo Herrera, Nestor Montoya, and T.B. Mills were all elected and most forms of direct action the group was known for ceased. All three were unsuccessful in passing populist legislation, however, and left the state government disillusioned with political reform. Herrerra, in a speech to the House of Representatives in February 1891, stated:
Pablo Herrera returned to Las Vegas and attempted to revive las Gorras Blancas but was murdered by sheriff Felipe Lopez. Some time after the movement died, Juan Jose Herrera left New Mexico and settled in Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, where he died several years later.
Declaration
In the March 12, 1890, issue of the Las Vegas Optic, las Gorras Blancas issued the following declaration:Further reading
- Las Gorras Blancas of San Miguel County. New Mexico Office of the State Historian.
- Speech by Felix Martinez regarding land and Las Gorras Blancas, Las Vegas Daily Optic, August 18, 1890.
- Arellano, Anselmo F. The Never-Ending Land Grant Struggle.
- Correia, David. (2010) "Retribution Will Be Their Reward": New Mexico's Las Gorras Blancas and the Fight for the Las Vegas Land Grant Commons. Radical History ReviewRadical History ReviewRadical History Review is a scholarly journal published by Duke University Press.The journal positions itself "at the point where rigorous historical scholarship and active political engagement converge". The Journal addresses "issues of gender, race, sexuality, imperialism, and class, stretching...
, 2010:108, 49–72. Abstract retrieved November 29, 2010. - Miller, Michael. Las Gorras Blancas: The Roots of Nuevomexicano Activism