An Analysis of Certain Selected Causes of Poverty in San Miguel County.

San Miguel County, one of the larger, older, and more predominantly Spanish American counties in New Mexico, is located in the north central section of the State. Marked by varied topographical and climatic characteristics, the county was once one of the more prosperous and densely populated areas of the State. Today it suffers from high rates of malnutrition, unemployment, welfare, disease and infant mortality, poverty, malfunctioning social systems, and few sources of employment other than Federal, State, and local governments. It is hypothesized that a major cause of today's poverty among the Spanish Americans there is the imposition of alien Anglo American legal, political, social, and economic systems shortly after the American occupation of the Southwest, systems that the rural village people have not yet completely understood or assimilated. There is a history of conflict between Spanish and Anglo land tenure systems, of a negative impact caused by imposition of Anglo county systems, and of failure of government programs to benefit the Spanish Americans. The document examines the geographic environment, natural resources, genetic backgrounds, social and economic systems, land grants, taxes, State and county government systems, Federal programs, and the rural farm economy of the area. (KM/BRDR)