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De Burton, Maria Amparo Ruiz, and Vallejo, Mariano Guadalupe. “Conflict of Interest.

The

Letters of Maria Amparo Ruiz de Burton.” In Major Problems in American History;

Volume II: Since 1865, edited by Elizabeth Cobbs and Edward J. Blum, 35. Thomas G.

Patterson, 2015.
Letters have always been an important means of communication. Back in 1867, this was

no exception, especially between two young Mexican women who wanted to express to each

other their fears, hopes, and beliefs over an interracial marriage. One woman writes a strong

letter to her friend while the other replies with a simple, but undeniably weak, argument.

The document is really two letters exchanged between friends Maria Amparo Ruiz de

Burton and Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo. Mariano explained to her friend, Maria, that she

believed that the Mexican race had better blood but that the Yankees still surpassed them in

many other ways and that together, a Mexican and Yankee could have children that were far

fairer and stronger than the individual races. Maria wrote back to Mariano that she believed that

a Yankee-Mexican cross-race would be very pretty, but went on to explain that she believed

there were other racial, and religious, crosses that could be even more superior.

Mariano supported her reasoning that a Yankee-Mexican cross would be far superior

from either of those races individually by explaining that the Mexicans had tastes, joys, and deep

passions. She also explained that the Yankees had surpassed the Mexicans financially and in

spirit and religious beliefs, among other things. She firmly backed up her reasoning for why she

believed each race on its own was a strong and proud race, thus meaning that a combination of

the two would create a race that would be stronger and prouder still.

Maria, on the other hand, failed to support her reasoning as to why she thought that a

Belgian and Mexican cross or a Protestant and Catholic cross would be more beautiful than a

Yankee and Mexican cross, stating that she believed a Protestant and Catholic cross being the

most beautiful of the combinations in her opinion. She went on to say she believed that,

essentially, any mixed race would be more beautiful than one of just an individual race. Despite

what she said in her reply to Mariano, however, she never did explain her reasoning for a
Belgian-Mexican cross to be superior to a Yankee-Mexican cross or for a Protestant-Catholic

cross would be superior to either of the previously stated crosses. Maria simply stated, “let this

process continue, and our nationality will die walked upon by the foot of the Saxon.”1

Strengths and weaknesses can be shown in many ways, including what evidence is given

to support arguments. While the debate between these two young women may not seem to be all

that valuable to the historical world on first glance, with a little more thought, it can be

understood that it is very applicable to the time period. Interracial and interfaith marriages were

just starting to come about in that era, particularly between the Catholic and Protestant religions

and Mexican and American religions. So the debate these young women had with each other

helps to show where the thinking might have been for some people in that time period about

mixed marriages.

1
Maria Amparo Ruiz de Burton, “Conflict of Interest. The Letters of Maria Amparo Ruiz de Burton,” in Major
Problems in American History; Volume II: Since 1865, ed. By Elizabeth Cobbs and Edward J. Blum (Thomas G.
Paterson, 2015), 35.

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