"In colonial situations a thin line exists between banditry and rebellion.. [it is] clear that in most colonial situations dissidents are commonly labeled bandits, indeed, George Washington was once called a bandit by the British"
Rudy Acuña - Occupied America (on the "bandito")
Rudy Acuña - Occupied America (on the "bandito")
"Not all rebels were bandits... [Gregorio Cortez] became a border hero in the early 1900& #39;s when he killed a lawman who shot his brother... Texas-Mexican masses made Cortez a folk hero. Countless corridos immortalized his war with the Gringos. Clearly Cortez was not a bandit."
"... Mexicans were often left with the choice of accepting racism and a subjugated status, or rebelling. The act of rebellion forced many of them to the highway, where the Mexican community supported them if they did not steal from their own people..."