🌎 The Land Was Never Empty: A Timeline of Truth Before and After Columbus
By Tina Winterlik aka Zipolita
Most people in North America grow up learning a version of history that starts in 1492 — with Columbus “discovering” America. Then it jumps to pilgrims, founding fathers, and a so-called “manifest destiny” that justified expanding westward. If Mexico is mentioned, it’s usually as a footnote in the story of Texas or the U.S.–Mexico War. Indigenous peoples are often erased entirely or treated as obstacles to be overcome.
But that story is broken.
This post is a deeper timeline — a re-centering of truth — that begins long before 1492 and follows through to the moment when the U.S. seized half of Mexico’s land. At its heart is a simple fact: this land was never empty. It was lived in, loved, and fought for — not just by Mexico, but by hundreds of Indigenous nations who still fight to be recognized today.
🪶 Before 1492 – The Real “First Nations” of the Americas
Long before any European ship touched these shores, this land was full of life, language, law, and learning. From the Arctic to the Andes, Turtle Island (North America) was home to an estimated 50–100 million Indigenous people, speaking over a thousand different languages.
They built:
- Cities like Cahokia (Illinois), with pyramids and vast trade networks.
- Complex societies like the Haudenosaunee Confederacy (Iroquois), with democratic systems that inspired parts of the U.S. Constitution.
- Civilizations like the Aztec, Maya, and Inca — with astronomy, medicine, engineering, and literature.
They cultivated:
- Corn, beans, squash (“the three sisters”)
- Potatoes, cacao, tomatoes, chili peppers
- Wild rice, agave, and hundreds of medicinal plants
The idea that Indigenous people were “nomadic” or uncivilized is a myth designed to justify colonization. They had deep spiritual and cultural relationships with the land — and systems of land stewardship we would do well to learn from now.
⚓️ 1492 – Columbus and the Beginning of the Invasion
When Columbus landed in the Caribbean, he began an era of genocide, slavery, and disease. Within a century, up to 90% of Indigenous populations in some areas were wiped out — not just by germs, but by swords, starvation, and mass enslavement.
He didn’t discover anything. He disrupted everything.
And yet, the U.S. still celebrates “Columbus Day” in many places, while resisting calls to rename it Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
📖 1500s–1700s – Colonization by Spain, France, Britain
- Spain conquered what is now Mexico and much of the U.S. Southwest and California.
- France took parts of Canada, the Mississippi River Valley, and Great Lakes.
- Britain claimed the East Coast.
This was a time of mission systems, forced conversions, and land theft — where Indigenous people were often enslaved, removed from ancestral homes, and punished for practicing their traditions.
In California alone, missions led to the deaths of tens of thousands of Native people.
🪔 1821 – Mexico’s Independence from Spain
After a long and brutal war, Mexico became free from Spain. The newly-formed Mexican Republic inherited a massive territory that included:
- All of modern-day Mexico
- California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, Nevada, and parts of Colorado and Wyoming
Mexico abolished slavery early and had complex relationships with Indigenous communities — some were integrated as citizens, others continued to resist colonization.
🔥 1830s–1840s – U.S. Expansion and the Myth of “Manifest Destiny”
The United States began aggressively pushing westward with a belief that it was “destined by God” to stretch from coast to coast. This mindset ignored:
- Indigenous sovereignty
- Mexican independence
- Treaties, boundaries, and human rights
Key Events:
- 1830: Indian Removal Act leads to the Trail of Tears, forcibly relocating 60,000+ Indigenous people.
- 1836: Texas, largely settled by white Americans who brought enslaved people despite Mexican law, breaks away from Mexico.
- 1845: The U.S. annexes Texas, provoking war with Mexico.
⚔️ 1846–1848 – The U.S.–Mexico War
This war was not a defensive one — it was an invasion. The U.S. sent troops into Mexican territory, aiming to grab land. Despite fierce resistance, Mexico was internally divided and lacked military resources.
1848 – The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo:
- Mexico was forced to cede over half its land to the U.S.
- Included California, Arizona, New Mexico, and more — nearly 1 million square miles
- Promised protections for Mexican citizens and Indigenous peoples — most were broken or ignored.
A video I shared with you saw was likely referring to — a quick 20-year period where Mexico lost much of its land. But it leaves out an even deeper truth...
💔 The Truth Behind the Truth: It Was Indigenous Land First
Before Mexico, before Spain, before the U.S. — it was Indigenous land.
What the U.S. took from Mexico, Mexico had already taken (through Spanish colonization) from Indigenous nations such as:
- Tohono O’odham
- Yaqui
- Apache
- Pueblo
- Tongva
- Kumeyaay
- Navajo
- Ute
- ...and many more.
These peoples were not just caught in the middle — they were the original nations. Many still live in those same regions and continue to fight for their rights, land, water, and survival.
🧠 Why This History Is Left Out
The U.S. national story depends on a few myths:
- That land was “empty” or “wild”
- That settlers brought “civilization”
- That Indigenous people “disappeared”
- That conquest was “inevitable”
But the truth is:
- Indigenous people never disappeared
- Colonization was a violent choice, not destiny
- The land is still sacred, still occupied, still contested
🕯 What We Must Remember
We cannot talk about land being stolen from Mexico without also talking about how it was stolen from Indigenous peoples — again and again.
That doesn’t mean dismissing Mexico’s losses. It means telling the whole story:
A story of nations built on nations.
Of erasure layered on top of erasure.
Of survival, resistance, and resurgence.
🌱 What Can We Do Now?
- Learn the real history — not just the U.S. version.
- Support Indigenous sovereignty — land acknowledgments, yes, but also land return.
- Listen to Indigenous voices — artists, writers, activists, elders.
- Push for curriculum reform in schools to teach this full timeline.
- Challenge myths whenever you see them — in movies, textbooks, news, or casual conversation.
“They tried to bury us. They didn’t know we were seeds.”
— Mexican proverb (popularized by Indigenous and resistance movements)
Let’s plant those seeds of truth and grow something better.
✍️ Written with love, truth, and respect.
Tina Winterlik aka Zipolita
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