Noe Tijerina Papers

Noe Tijerina is the son of Reies Lopez Tijerina, Chicano land grant activist. Noe is the youngest of the Tijerina family from his father’s first marriage to Maria Escobar. His parents divorced in 1964. He grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico in the 1960s with his mother and brothers and sisters, although he frequently visited his father. His father taught him the importance of la causa, “our people, their land and what’s right is right.” In 1963, Reies Tijerina founded Alianza Federal de Mercedes (translates in English as the Federal Land Grant Alliance), a radical organization that fought for the land rights of Hispanic New Mexicans. Reies’ radical activism exposed his family to violent acts of retaliation and years of harassment from law enforcement. Noe grew up in an unstable environment facing intimidation, threats, harassment, false arrests, beatings, and home bombings.

In recent years, Noe has pursued writing and attended the University of New Mexico to develop his writing skills. Determined to write about the land grant wars, he wrote an unpublished manuscript titled “A Cause to Die For.” The book is about his experience with the Alianza and growing up in a family connected to the organization. He currently lives in New Mexico with two of his three sons and his mother.