Forging Arizona: A History of the Peralta Land Grant and Racial Identity in the West

In Forging Arizona, Anita Huizar-Hernández examines a nineteenth-century land grant scheme where a con artist passed his wife off as the heiress to a Spanish land grant to claim ownership of a significant portion of the newly-acquired Southwestern territories. This case reveals the mechanisms by which narratives forge borders, reminding us that the stability of these borders depends on the narratives that define them.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 162 pages
Publication date: 30 April 2019
Publisher: Rutgers University Press

In the captivating book "Forging Arizona," Anita Huizar-Hernández delves into a peculiar and intriguing nineteenth-century land grant scheme that sheds light on the complex interplay between race, citizenship, and national expansion. During the aftermath of the U.S.-Mexico War and the establishment of the current border, a cunning con artist named James Addison Reavis embarked on a daring mission. He falsified archives across the globe, portraying his wife as the rightful heiress to a vast Spanish land grant. This fraudulent act allowed them to claim ownership of a substantial portion of the newly acquired Southwestern territories.

Drawing from a diverse range of sources, including court records, newspapers, fiction, and film, Huizar-Hernández meticulously reconstructs the intricate details of Reavis's scam. Through her analysis, she compellingly argues that the creation, collapse, and eventual forgetting of Reavis's scheme unveil the mechanisms by which narratives, both real and imaginary, shape borders. This book serves as a valuable addition to the existing scholarship on the U.S. Southwest border, as it reclaims a forgotten case that serves as a poignant reminder that the borders that divide nations, identities, and even truth from false are only as stable as the narratives that define them.

Huizar-Hernández's meticulous research and compelling storytelling make "Forging Arizona" a must-read for anyone interested in exploring the intricate dynamics of race, citizenship, and national identity in the American West. The book offers a fresh perspective on a historical episode that has largely been overlooked, shedding light on the ways in which narratives shape our understanding of the world around us.

Weight: 260g
Dimension: 154 x 228 x 11 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780813598819