This paper is a proposal to examine the changing culture of the indigenous population of New Mexico as a result of American occupation and governance. Historians have noted the transformation of this people's cultural identity despite the rhetorical efforts of the Americans of that day to protect it. Of particular interest is whether the government (and the military) saw the status of the Mexican citizens in the same light as the American citizens. In theory, all inhabitants of the New Mexico territory were equal in the eyes of the American government, but history teaches us that often our country's rhetorical stances do not necessarily correlate to the reality of the behavior of the American citizens. This study will use a variety of sources to build a social context of early New Mexican society through which to view the events and trends of the time period from 1834 (the year the press entered New Mexico), when New Mexico was in Mexican hands to 1850, two years after the end of the Mexican War.

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