Message to Aztlan

by Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales

Pub. 2001

Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales (1928 – 2005), has been portrayed as a civil rights leader in the media and US history textbooks in public schools and colleges. Nothing could be further from the truth.

While Mexican Americans had legitimate grievances, Gonzales blamed every problem Mexican Americans had on the hated gringos – Anglo Americans. Nothing was their fault.

An examination of Gonzales’s autobiography – Message to Aztlan – proves he was not interested in civil rights – rather he was an ethnic supremacist – a racist who promoted ethnic separation, domination and xenophobia. This is a book of propaganda with many factual errors.

In 1967, Gonzales founded the ‘Crusade for Justice.’ The violence and intolerance preached in his autobiography manifested itself in the organization. Members of competing organizations were violently
attacked by Gonzales’s thugs. On March 17, 1973, a gun battle erupted with Denver police that ended when explosives stored in the building occupied by the Crusade for Justice detonated – blowing a second floor wall into the street. One person was killed and 17 people were injured.

Gonzales goal was to build a large organization and in collaboration with other militant Chicano groups, reclaim the southwest US for Mexico – which they call Aztlan – or else make it a Spanish state within the US. Their goal is advancing rapidly in California.

The reason for this anger against ‘the gringos’ is his belief that the southwest US was stolen from Mexico after the Mexican American War of 1846-8.(1) Today, 170 years after the war, many Mexicans are still holding a grudge against ‘the gringo.’ There are some Mexican American ‘civil rights’ leaders who want to kick all ‘gringos’ out of the southwest US and some the entire US.

Here are just three racist Mexican Americans who believe this: Mario Obledo(2), who co-founded MALDEF, a ‘civil rights’ organization in 1968, Reies Lopez Tijerina(3), who founded the Alianza Federal de Mercedes organization in 1963 over land grant issues and Augustin Cebada, Information Minister of the Brown Berets.(4) With the exception of Cebada, these men are dead, but it’s important to study these haters from the past because their evil ideas are embraced by millions of gullible Americans today.

Gonzales and others repeatedly claim that Anglo culture stole the Chicanos’ heritage. This is just not true and no other ethnic group has made these bogus claims. Millions of people from Germany, Poland, Italy, Norway and many other countries have come to America, learned English, and did not feel ‘oppressed” or “Culturally deprived.”

The entire Chicano Movement is based on lies, hate and ethnic superiority based on fraudulent history. It’s time to expose thugs like Rodolfo Gonzales who have always been treated with respect they NEVER deserved. Here are some revealing excerpts from Gonzales’ book so you find out about the REAL Rodolfo Gonzales.