At times, the Mexican authorities treated Spaniards shabbily for
it is important to note that contrary to what many histories state,
Spaniards unanimously refused to take the Constitutional Oath of
Allegiance to Mexico, and withdrew as a consequence from all public
affairs, only inasmuch as their family interests or the good of the
community demanded their intervention. Thus we find no Spaniard as
Governor, General, or the like during this period. But here a curious
thing occurred. In later years when writers and historians of California
became numerous many Mexicans declared themselves Spaniards or classed
themselves as of purely Spanish descent, passing as such into some
histories, while at the same time they did not hesitate to "sting" the
Spanish name; and there are many California families who are referred to
as "Spanish" whose ancestors in the baptismal and marriage records of
the various mission archives are recorded as "neofita de la mission"
("neophyte of the mission") for the Spanish missionaries were most
accurate of details, and their records of marriages, baptisms and
funerals are like sketches of the persons concerned; parentage, birth
all are given in detail.
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