On June 5, 1967, Reies López Tijerina and members of the Alianza Federal de Mercedes raided the Rio Arriba County Courthouse in Tierra Amarilla, New Mexico, to protest the loss of historic Hispano land grants protected under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The confrontation turned violent and triggered a major statewide manhunt. Although the raid remains controversial, it brought national attention to Hispano land rights and became a defining moment in the Chicano civil rights movement. The courthouse where the raid occurred still stands and continues to serve Rio Arriba County.