You have already seen many of the ways that cultures coexisted and combined in the Southwest. Spain left its mark in a variety of ways, both positive and negative. On the highly negative side, Spanish conquerors enslaved native peoples and accidentally killed 50-90% of them with infectious diseases. On the positive side, Spanish colonization brought new institutions, art forms, food, and other cultural contributions. Place names (such as Santa Fe, San Antonio, and Tucson), styles of architecture, and even the traditional Spanish layout of towns featuring central plazas with surrounding buildings reflect Spanish influence.

As expansionist Americans broadened the western frontier , they left their cultural imprint alongside that of Native Americans and Spanish-speaking Mexicans. American settlers set up trading posts, mining operations, cattle ranches, forts, and built dams and railroads, which led to much faster development of the area both economically and culturally.

The imprint of American settlers

Mexican Southwestern culture started to develop in the early 1800s when Mexico took over control of territories from Spain. After the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848, most Mexicans in the Southwest chose to remain in the territories that now belonged to the United States. They changed their citizenship but kept many aspects of their culture. Other Mexicans immigrated northward for employment in the railroads and other developing American industries. They sometimes experienced discrimination and violence from Anglo-American settlers, but the populations continued to coexist.

Now that you know the history of the American Southwest, see if you can correctly put the following events in chronological order.