Institute of Texan Cultures' Texans Series
The Spanish discovery of Texas occurred in 1519, when Alonso Alvarez de Pineda sailed the coastline and drew a map. Nine years later another Spaniard, Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, was shipwrecked on the coast with several companions and survived to write about the Texas region.
The writings of Cabeza de Vaca led to an expedition from Mexico City north to the area of New Mexico and Texas by Francisco Vázquez de Coronado in 1540. For three centuries, Spaniards claimed the area, from 1519 to 1821, bringing what was needed to build a country like their own: horses, cattle, chickens, goats, sheep, grapes and peaches, armor and firearms, laws and government, a different language, a new religion, other ways of farming and irrigation, architecture and printing.
Handbook of Texas
- TejanoThis article defines Tejano and gives insights to those who call themselves Tejano.
Selected Books
- Apuntes Tejanos byCall Number: Z1339 .D4 (ITC Library)
Early Tejano Ranching: Daily Life at Ranchos San Jose and El Fresnillo by Call Number: F392 .D9 S24 2001
The Quest for Tejano Identity in San Antonio, Texas, 1913-2000 by Call Number: F394.S2119 M5135 2004- Tejano Origins in Eighteenth-Century San Antonio byCall Number: F394 .S2 T43 1991
Tejanos and Texas under the Mexican Flag, 1821-1836 by Call Number: F389 .T53 1994
Tejano South Texas: by Call Number: F395 .M5 A77 2002
War along the Border: The Mexican Revolution and Tejano Communities by Call Number: F395.M5 W37 2011
Organizations
- University of Texas Arlington Tejano Voices ProjectAudio, transcripts and photographs from the personal recollections of 173 Tejanos and Tejanas and their struggle against racial discrimination in post-World War II Texas.
Festivals
- Fiesta de la FlorThis music festival honors Tejano music superstar Selena Quintanilla with music, food and fireworks. It is held in April.
- Tejano Conjunto FestivalEach May, in San Antonio, the festival is held at both the Guadalupe Cultural Center and Rosedale Park celebrates conjunto music.