A Fluid Frontier: The Chamizal Land Dispute, Mexican-American Relations, and the Cold War

In 1864, prolonged rains caused the Rio Grande, the natural border of Mexico and the United States, to shift drastically southward. The sudden deviation of the river left roughly 700 acres of Mexican land in United States territory. Known as “El Chamizal,” this expanse of disputed land became the target of a century’s worth of diplomatic negotiations between the North American powers. Because the relationship of the two nations soured in the early twentieth century, it was not until 1964 that the United States and Mexico reached a formal resolution. While scholars have examined various social and cultural implications of the Chamizal disagreement, more work is needed to link the dispute to the larger geopolitical context of the 1960s. In essence, American Cold War strategy prompted the United States to settle the land controversy and repair its relationship with Mexico. More importantly, American leaders believed that the settlement of the land dispute not only helped repair Mexican-American relations, but solidified a crucial Cold War alliance and strategic partnership between the two powers. An examination of the dispute within the broader context of Cold War prompts the following questions: How did sour Mexican-American relations shape U.S. Cold War policy in Latin America? For what reasons did American leaders seek rapprochement with Mexico, and how did Mexico benefit? Finally, how did long-running border tensions filter into American foreign policy in the 1960s? This study of the last significant land settlement between the neighboring countries not only illuminates Mexico’s importance as a Cold War ally, but also demonstrates the pivotal role the U.S.-Mexico border played in mid-twentieth century American policy.