work332

My discussion

The lives of the Mexicans living around the borderland evolved slowly; for example, the author explained that when a couple used to seek Mat-Hage reconciliation, the court followed their Catholic doctrine. Based on these doctrines, a couple in a marriage should not be separated. The situation was biased towards women because it restricted them; they regained their legal rights and independence. Divorce was not allowed in Mexico until civil law in 1917. The Rio Grande society experienced a lot of changes during the 19th century. American annexation changed the lives of Mexicans living in the ceded territories. Mexican citizens were becoming Mexican American, and they lost political, economic, and social power to newcomers. Women lost the right to reconcile their marriages in court. However, the possibility of divorce gave a new venue for Mexican Americans to end their problematic marriages. Gradually, Mexicans left their Catholic church teaching and adopted the Texas legal system. The evolution of these laws gave more power to Mexican American women. Even though the change harmed Mexican Americans in political marginalization, land dispossession, etc., it also created many new opportunities. The borders divide the distinctive legal system from both sides, but it retained the social relationship of people living along the borderland. It can be said that the constant change in legal structure caused a lot of challenges in the lives of Mexicans and Mexican Americans living around the borderland. Still, it also created a lot of success for people, especially for women.