Messages from the promise land The American Southwest
... During his journey he developed an appreciation for the physical beauty of the Southwest, and for its native cultures. Lummis had contracted the disease called Malaria and believed that moving to the Southwest would cure his ailment. ... Charles Lummis, throughout his journey, was amazing with the hospitality of the Mexican American people. By spending a lot of time with the Mexican American people, Lummis becomes a convert of the Southwest and believes that he has been healed by their culture. From that moment on, he makes it his objective to bring the Southwest culture to people all over the world, especially in Los Angeles. ... Charles Lummis believed that the Southwest is a blend between the best of Europe and the best of America. ... By assimilating the Southwestern culture and making it his mission to convert those in Los Angeles to the Mexican American ways, Charles Lummis was “inventing” Los Angeles. By introducing this particular culture to these people, he was basically trying to sell and convince these unaware people of the traditions of the Mexican American people.