Professor of History at WNMU, Andy Hernandez, Ph.DSILVER CITY, NM — A study by Western New Mexico University (WNMU) Professor of History, Andy Hernandez, Ph.D., challenges prevailing narratives about the end of slavery in the United States. In the chapter he contributed to " Unpacking Silver City: Revealing the Rich Tapestry of a Historic Town," Hernandez's central argument is that Indigenous slavery and closely related practices persisted in Silver City and in the larger United States until as recently as 1977.
While most histories mark the 13th Amendment as the end of slavery, Hernandez's research reveals that Southwest New Mexico maintained exploitative methods like slavery and domestic servitude involving Indigenous peoples for nearly a century afterward. Backed by archival records and oral histories, the book exposes how displaced or orphaned Indigenous individuals were forced into local households and ranches under conditions constituting illegal and unethical enslavement.
"As a scholar, I'm dedicated to emphasizing the "human element" of history—ensuring that the story of Silver City isn't only about mining or other basic elements of economic development, but about the diverse people who built the town," Hernandez said.
Hernandez emphasizes that understanding the region's modern identity requires direct confrontation with this persistent legacy. His research aims to provide an honest, unvarnished account of the experiences of those marginalized and exploited, thereby expanding the common understanding of the Southwest's development. "By centering the voices of the enslaved or those otherwise taken as captives, the work contests the sanitized versions of frontier progress often found in local lore," Hernandez explained.
The book explores the complex transition of Silver City from a volatile, high-stakes mining camp into a settled community, noting that the "boom" eras frequently depended on oppressive labor systems that lacked even the most basic human rights protections.
Hernandez identifies specific legal loopholes and rigid social structures that allowed slavery and closely related practices to persist in the shadows of the law until the late 1970s, denoting a significant and jarring break from standard historical chronologies of American labor and civil rights.
"My research contends that Silver City's evolution depended not only on mineral resources and other forms of economic development but also on coerced labor tied to the partial assimilation of Native Americans that persisted through major national shifts," Hernandez said. He argues that a system of hidden ownership existed, with Indigenous people forced into domestic roles and stripped of identity, showing a broad failure of oversight. "The book's findings are positioned to spark the needed community and statewide dialogue about reconciliation and historical truth," Hernandez said.
Hernandez concludes that confronting the community's foundational injustices is essential for healing and accurate remembrance. His study argues that these violations are not distant history, but a lived experience for many residents. This recency stresses the ethical obligation to examine and address the region's past.
"Unpacking Silver City: Revealing the Rich Tapestry of a Historic Town," by Bart Roselli, features chapters from WNMU professors Hernandez and Scott Fritz, and is available for purchase through several online book retailers.
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