The Squatter and the Don

María Amparo Ruiz de Burton

• Publisher: Mint Editions
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN: 9781513271590
• eBook ISBN: 9781513276595
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Classics
• Index: Literature

The Squatter and the Don (1885) is a novel by Mexican American author María Amparo Ruiz de Burton. The novel, Ruiz de Burton's second, explores the consequences of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo for the Californios whose land was taken following the Mexican American War. Central to its focus are the ways in which Californios were forced to provide proof of ownership while squatters, with the support of the US government, settled on their land.

Following the conquest of California, the Alamar family struggles to assimilate into American culture while maintaining their cultural heritage. Faced with immense prejudice, the Alamars, who like many Californios consider themselves to be racially white, embrace the capitalist culture introduced by American settlers and accelerated by the introduction of the railroad. Against this sociopolitical backdrop, the Alamars become increasingly entwined with the Darrells, a settler family, turning a story of political and economic circumstances into tale of romance between Clarence and Mercedes, whose love becomes representative of a new United States. Both personal and political, historical and fictional, The Squatter and the Don is a novel that captures a complex moment in American history without losing sight of the humanity at its heart.

This edition of María Amparo Ruiz de Burton's The Squatter and the Don is a classic of Mexican American literature reimagined for modern readers.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• I. Squatter Darrell Reviews the Past
• II. The Don’s View of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
• III. Pre-empting under the Law
• IV. Efforts to Right the Wrong
• V. The Don in His Broad Acres
• VI. Naughty Dog Milord an Important Factor
• VII. From Alameda to San Diego
• VIII. Victoriano and His Sister
• IX. Clarence is the Bearer of Joyful News
• X. But Clarence Must Not be Encouraged
• XI. George is a Christian Gentleman
• XII. Why the Appeal was not Dismissed
• XIII. At San Francisco
• XIV. Of Miscellaneous Incidents
• XV. Journeying Overland
• XVI. Spanish Land Grants Viewed Retrospectively
• XVII. Doña Josefa at Home
• XVIII. At Newport
• XIX. In New York
• XX. At the Capitol
• XXI. Looking at the Receding Dome
• XXII. Perplexities at Alamar
• XXIII. Home Again
• XXIV. The Brewers of Mischief
• XXV. The Squatter and the Don
• XXVI. Mrs. Darrell’s View of Our Land Laws
• XXVII. Darrell Astonishes Himself
• XXVIII. Shall it be Forever?
• XXIX. Hasty Decisions Repented Leisurely
• XXX. Effect of Bad Precept and Worse Example
• XXXI. A Snow Storm
• XXXII. A False Friend Sent to Deceive the Southerners
• XXXIII. San Diego’s Sentence is Irrevocable
• XXXIV. The Sins of Our Legislators!
• XXXV. The Fashion of Justice in San Diego
• XXXVI. Clarence and George with the Hod-Carrier
• XXXVII. Reunited at Last
• Conclusion—Out with the Invader
• A Note About the Author
• A Note from the Publisher