Like him or not, Tijerina important part of our history

Like him or not — and there is no shortage of people who were on both sides of the spectrum — Reies Lopez Tijerina was an iconic figure in New Mexico who raised awareness to a national level of many issues unique to the state, especially concerns facing some of its native Hispanic residents.

Tijerina died Monday at an El Paso hospital. He was 88.

“People either hated him or loved him. And sometimes they loved him until they hated him,” said Lorena Oropeza, a University of California at Davis associate professor who has written extensively about the activist.

Former New Mexico Gov. Toney Anaya recalls Tijerina as “one of the early leaders ... as far as advocating for civil rights and equal justice.” In contrast, after his heyday Tijerina was roundly criticized for making antisemitic remarks.

A Texas preacher known for his oratory, Tijerina became a national figure during the turbulent 1960s after leading an armed raid by land grant activists on the Rio Arriba County courthouse in Tierra Amarilla.

The attack by the Alianza Federal de Mercedes was an attempt to make a “citizens arrest” of the county’s district attorney, who the activists claimed had violated their civil rights. But DA Alfonso Sanchez was in Santa Fe that day, and two police officers were wounded. A journalist and another officer also were kidnapped.

The raid led to the deployment of New Mexico National Guard troops and wide coverage in newspapers nationally and on all three television networks — extending knowledge of some Hispanics’ claims to federal lands in the state, as well as its poverty.

Tijerina was instantly elevated to leadership status in the Chicano Power movement of the time, though as the movement faded so did his influence on politics and Hispanic issues. And 45 years later, the claims to the land — much of it national forests — remain unfulfilled.

Like many such colorful figures, Tijerina remains a study in gray. But he also remains an important part of New Mexico history.

— Albuquerque Journal