HOUSE MEMORIAL 40

57th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2026

INTRODUCED BY

Andrea Romero

 

 

 

 

 

A MEMORIAL

DECLARING FEBRUARY 2, 2026 "MEXICAN AMERICAN CHICANO HERITAGE DAY" IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

 

     WHEREAS, on February 2, 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed, marking a pivotal moment in the shared history of the United States and Mexico and reshaping the cultural and geographic landscape of North America; and

     WHEREAS, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ceded to the United States the lands that make up most of today's American southwest and granted United States citizenship to Mexican citizens living in that territory, thus creating a new ethnic identity, Mexican Americans; and

     WHEREAS, Mexican Americans are the largest indigenous ethnic group in the United States, representing nearly forty million people who acknowledge their historical and cultural roots with the Mexican people, separated only by an artificial border; and

     WHEREAS, February 2, 1848 is a date that symbolizes the birth of a new identity for Mexican Americans, including the activist movement known in art, literature, politics and culture as the Chicano movement, whose legacy lies in a determination to preserve the culture, language, traditional values and honor of a people who have survived and thrived despite marginalization and discrimination; and

     WHEREAS, the date of the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo honors the vital roles Mexican Americans and the Chicano movement have carried out in building and strengthening the fabric of the United States by reshaping politics, the economy and society; creating new art forms in visual arts, music and literature; serving in the defense of the nation in times of war; and advocating for civil rights and labor reforms;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that February 2, 2026 be declared "Mexican American Chicano Heritage Day" in the house of representatives in recognition of the diverse history, culture and heritage of New Mexico's Mexican American and Chicano communities; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the observance of Mexican American Chicano Heritage Day be an occasion to foster unity in a diverse nation and promote a greater understanding of the Chicano movement in New Mexico; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the governor and members of the legislature.

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