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C l o s i n g t h e C i r c l e b e t w e e n P a s t a n d P r e s e n t J o s é F . A r a n d a J r . S p e c i a l Is s u e E d i t o r W h e r e d o e s o n e b e g in in t e llin g t h e st o r y o f a M e x ic a n A m e r ic a n W e st ? W it h m a p s a n d sh ift in g b o r d e r s? O r w it h a n in v a d in g ar m y a n d a r e sist in g “n a t iv e ” p o p u la t io n ? F o r m e , t h e m o st in st r u c t iv e p la c e t o b e g in is w h e r e h ist o r y a n d m y t h c o llid e in t h e p r o d u c t io n o f c u lt u r e . F o r e x a m p le , t h e r e is t h is a p o c r y p h a l st o r y o f C o lo n e l W illia m B a r r e t T r a v is a t t h e A la m o . T h e st o r y go e s t h a t T r a v is, fa c e d b y im p e n d in g m a ss d e se r t io n o f h is v o lu n t e e r s, d r e w a lin e in t h e sa n d a n d c h a h le n g e d t h e m a n h o o d a n d p a t r io t ism o f h is m e n . H e a sk e d t h e m t o c r o ss t h e lin e if t h e y w a n t e d t o b e r e m e m b e r e d b y t h e ir c o u r a ge . By a p p e a lin g t o t h e ir m a sc u lin e se n se o f h o n o r a n d p la c e in r e p u b lic a n h ist o r y , a n d b y d r a m a t iz in g t h e c o n t r a st in g t y r a n n y o f t h e M e x ic a n d e sp o t , S a n t a A n n a , T r a v is su c c e e d e d in r e t a in in g t h e ir se r v ic e s. T h is st o r y is n o t t r u e , a n d it h a s b e e n r e p e a t e d ly d e b u n k e d b y h is­ t o r ia n s.1 N e v e r t h e le ss, t h is st o r y p e r sist s in T e x a s c u lt u r...

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