With his pistol in his hand is surprising because it is not a novel but a scholarly work on the Chicano culture. The book uses the oral tradition by studying in detail a corrido on a folk hero, Gregorio Cortez, as a means of providing a social and cultural history of the Texas-Mexico border.

The first point I would like to make is that Paredes’ book is a mixture of different genres. It is partly historical with its chapters 1 and 2, which provide an in-depth factual study of the history of the north of the former Spanish province of Nuevo Santander, which became South Texas between the Rio Grande and the Nueces Rives, and the true story of Gregorio Cortez. Chapter 2 is of a folkloric nature with a complete account of the legend of Gregorio Cortez as it was told in the oral corrido. The book is also ethnographic in its description of the Tejano culture. This mixture allows Paredes to provide a complete description of the political and social climate of the northern Rio Grande.

The ballad of Gregorio Cortez describes a region where border conflicts are the cause and consequence of a cultural conflict between Anglo-Americans and Mexican-Americans living in South Texas.

In Chapter 1, Paredes demonstrates that knowledge of the historical border conflicts between the two countries is necessary to understand the cultural discrimination of Hispanic Tejanos. The history of the Mexican border is not the history of a peaceful straight line. The region was the scene of several border conflicts during the second part of the nineteenth century as well as the first part of the twentieth century. As the author explains, the conflicts between the Republic of Texas and Mexico around the Rio Nueces and the major impact of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo were crucial in creating this cultural rivalry. The former had the most dramatic impact by using the Rio Grande as the border between the United States and Mexico. This treaty thus created a separation where Mexican communities lived in cohesion. Moreover, these border conflicts were predominant in the association of Mexicans with the enemy. First of all, Mexicans were considered violent, thieves or criminals because of the atrocities committed by General Santa Anna during the war of secession between the Republic of Texas and Mexico. Second, Mexicans were considered to be foreigners from the United States. This is reflected in the glorification of the Texas Rangers who were considered a crucial element of border control. Mexican Americans were not considered part of the Nation but merely immigrants who wanted to benefit from the economic development of the region. As a result, the presence of Mexican Americans in Texas was seen by some Anglo-Americans as a violation of the border, which is ironic given that Mexicans were there long before the Anglo-Americans. This implies that Mexican-Americans were seen as people who had no place in the territory and were therefore considered undesirable. This construction of the Mexican as a foreigner was central to the association of Mexicans as a threat to the security of Anglo-Americans, as evidenced in the Ballad of Gregorio Cortez the association of several innocent people as belonging to the “Cortez gang”. Furthermore, treating Mexicans as second-class citizens or enemies provides the Texas Rangers with a moral justification for “enforcing” the law as they see fit. As a result, this cultural conflict has also fueled future border disputes.

Thus, through his academic study of the Ballad of Gregorio Cortez, Paredes provides crucial work on cultural conflicts in Texas. The story of Gregory Cortez could have been anyone’s story. This is why Mexican-Americans were able to identify themselves and translate the reality of conflict in this region into a ballad. Therefore, Paredes shows us that folklore is therefore a primary subject of study to understand the history of this region.