Authenticity and the Cliques of History

Today, my sister and I attended what was purported to be a Reenactment of The Battle of Dominguez Hills and a celebratory fandango held at Dominguez Adobe Museum, Rancho Dominguez, CA. Sadly, the turnout was rather slim to say the least and -- for someone steeped in the local history -- very disappointing.

For one thing, the other reenactors seem to have taken their "historical garb" ideas from the "Romance of Old California" mode popular in the 1920s with certain nods to the gypsy vamps and Rudolph Valentino films of the time. Needless to say, the historical accuracy is entirely lacking. Another problem was that the "troops" making up the reenactment armies were far too few in number and the Mexicans -- the battle was fought in 1847 -- were dressed much as the village peons in The Magnificent Seven. Historically, the actual Mexican soldiers were lancers and I suspect would not have been caught dead in the peon garb of baggy white pants and shirts with straw hats. Finally, the "fandango" featured a single elderly couple performing a very slow foxtrot, apprently unaware that a fandango is and was a dance very similar to a flamenco and that the dancers' bodies did not touch, let alone dip and sway in a embracing clinch. We noted as well as none of the some dozen other reenactors could even properly pronounce any words in Spanish. All in all, it was a very disappointing affair.