Iquitos, Peru Sunday February 17th 3pm

So it´s Sunday and with Sunday comes The People´s History to The United States, which I read every Sunday. I wish every single American could read this book as it will open your eyes to a different telling of our nation´s history. This week I read about The Mexican War. I was quite ignorant as to the excessive brutality of that war. Though Mexico drew blood first, we were already stationed on their land provoking war. It seems the war was only fought to expand our land and destiny.

I was surprised to read the strong feelings of manifest destiny that our country had to help justify the Mexican War. Many teachers, politicians, and pastors believed in the war to be able to spread the superior white culture. This was also expressed when we slaughtered the Native Americans and is still expressed today. I think it is important to see how this idea of a superior culture was embedded in our ancestors and is still with us today. I have seen time after time where the white Western European or American still believes that their way is the correct way. It is practiced in business everyday, in medicine, in almost any field. It is also interesting to think how that was not the case of the Mexicans or Native Americans, as they accepted many or our practices. Reading about this crusade during the 1840´s seems brutal and vulgar in ways that could never occur today. Yet today we are still forcing our culture on others, whether through killing or not. It was just surprising to read how much killing we had done in the past for this cause.

Last night was more than I could handle! At 3:30 I was falling asleep in my chair waiting for my burger to come. Just call me a mamita!