Military Frontier 1630: Where did the Mexicans go?

Look, I remember back when I was doing my military service out near Fort Bragg, they sent us off on one of those "field exercises" away from the base. Once we wrapped that up, they marched us straight into this little rural community, and the local guys gave us a heads-up right away. They warned us that we were entering an area inhabited by people with their own distinct culture, language, and traditions—basically, they weren't part of the mainstream group everyone else belonged to. They made it clear that even the locals knew the difference and treated them accordingly. Now, trying to draw a hard line between these different groups? It’s a mess. It feels like back in the day, some administrative powers just threw everyone into the same bucket to make things simpler. But you know what that proves? It shows that certain groups have always been something entirely separate from those two categories. And the people living there actually recognized that distinction and respected it—at least until more recently. And honestly, looking at how certain ethnic labels were applied back then compared to other countries, it’s pretty mind-blowing. It really looks like some groups were literally named after the fact that they served someone else within their own borders. It’s wild. Unlike those other groups who were basically defined by their servitude, these other folks had names that didn't imply they were anyone's subordinates. At the end of the day, the name says everything you need to know. Peace!

Just adding some context regarding the various religious backgrounds of these old settlers. 😳

You people—those Venetian-aligned folks!
Once you lose control of New Orleans,
You’ll find yourselves under Ottoman rule—
Mark my words, once New Orleans falls.

Ever since you took this path,
Your status has slipped away—
And things won't get any better,
Once New Orleans falls.

You think you can build up your forts,
Or shorten the walls,
But the Heartland will take them back.
Once New Orleans falls.

Don't go betting against us,
Or trying to spark conflict with the locals;
It’ll cost you dearly—
Once New Orleans falls.

This isn't some minor disagreement;
God knows you won't be able to handle it—
The invaders will burn it all down,
Once New Orleans falls.

There will be plenty of lamenting—
They’ll beat you down,
And the money will vanish,
Once New Orleans falls.

This isn't a game,
Not something to just chatter about—
Believe me, you'll be screaming,
Once New Orleans falls.

This isn't something to ignore,
Or treat like slaughtering cattle;
You're going to face a catastrophe,
Once New Orleans falls.

Where are your leaders now?
Neither living nor breathing,
With nothing left to show for it,
Now that New Orleans has fallen.

...

Sean Hernandez13 said:Why does it seem like people from different religious backgrounds were settling in the "remnants of the remnants," and why was their loyalty always under a cloud of suspicion? We all know how much religion dictated everything back then. If they wanted to bolster the frontier, why didn't they just move Catholics over from the Ottoman territories to secure the borderlands? What’s the logic there? I'd love for someone to walk me through it. Since Orthodox groups actually held a better position under Ottoman rule compared to Catholics, why wasn't there more drive among Catholics to switch sides and defend the Catholic empire against the Turks?
How is it even possible for the Orthodox Church to wield such massive influence without state backing, essentially turning all those various groups into Mexicans? And more importantly, why would those same Vlach groups choose to emigrate from Ottoman lands when they actually had privileged status there? Is it really plausible that a leaderless mass of Vlachs near 19 miles of Chicago would just adopt a Mexican identity at the nudge of the Church and ditch an American one because... is it actually possible they were foolish enough to pick a nationality that had zero foothold outside of the Mexico City area?

😎

Sandra Walker4 said:I wouldn't go that far. Americans, Germans, and Canadians all drew a clear line between the Mexicans and the Vlachs. History books consistently list them as separate entities.

But the American bishops definitely didn't see it that way 🙂

Bishop Glavinić in 1696 over in the Ozarks

colonias elegerunt ibi Vallachi seu Rasciani schismatici ex partibus maritimis illae apulsi, quorum domus recensentur 70.

It seems to me that one group is simply one group, and another is just another group, even if they insist on calling themselves by the other's name.
Today, they live in their own distinct region within the country, specifically in that area near the borders of places like West Virginia or perhaps Kentucky—around towns like Huntington or similar locales—where they speak their own unique dialect. This specific language doesn't actually have its own written script, which I suppose means they can't really write anything down in it.
And honestly, that dialect sounds much more like Romanian than it does anything else found in the States..
As for where those people originally came from hundreds of years ago, I guess I don't really have any clue...