The image is the spirit of Manifest Destiny, click on it to make it larger.
At least Padre Antonio Jose Martinez did. Here is a letter he wrote to Bishop Zuniga on September 2 1845.
My Dearest Father in Jesus Christ,
As I see things over here, this Department (New Mexico) will have to belong to the neighboring nation of the north that tolerates all Religions. For some time it has coveted this area, and according to what I observe, our rulers disregard these perils pretending not to believe what they are told even though the time of the change of sovereignty is near..... The change over to the Unites States will mean the introduction of diverse religious sects that are tolerated in that country according to their constitution; but given what little I know by the grace of God, and my determination, I am ready to resist with all my strength the propagation of these sects.
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Goes to show that there were several folks who could see the invasion before it happened. It seems like Padre Martinez was worried from a religious standpoint. But the fate of my ancestors was sealed.
New Mexico and New Mexicans were dependent on the U.S. Economy, not the Mexican economy. They had been since opening up New Mexico to the American Traders after the Mexican Independence from Spain.
The letter is from a book titled "Changing National Identities at the Frontier, Texas and New Mexico, 1800 - 1850" written by Andres Resendez and published by the Cambridge University Press. It is a very good history of some of the things that transpired during the period.
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