In 1859, tensions between longtime Tejanos and newcomer Americans in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas exploded into a conflict that became known as the Cortina Troubles. These revolved around a Tejano named Juan Nepomuceno Cortina, the so called Red Robber of the Rio Grande. Unlike many of the conflicts in the Rio Grande Valley, the motivation behind the Cortina Troubles was not one of territory or borders but social equality and a clash of cultures still felt today.