Dawning of Liberty

The Dawning of Liberty is a documentary film project on the life and times of Padre Antonio José Martínez, a 19th century New Mexican. Martínez (1793-1867) was one of the leading historical and intellectual figures in the American Southwest during the 19th century, living through a period of rapid transformation of the region. Like tens of thousands of other 19th century individuals who lived in what is now the American Southwest, Martínez found himself caught between two worlds – the Mexican-Spanish culture which he had defended for most of his life and the Anglo American culture which was taking over his native land through conquest. His life was a microcosm of the clashing political interests and competing value systems that have shaped the history of the region.