Preserving Early Texas History

José Antonio López

Description

At a time in our history where the Spanish Mexican roots of this great place we call Texas are being questioned, this third volume of selected essays is most timely. For example, if Texas history begins in 1836 as implied in mainstream Texas history, why then is everything historically old (towns, roads, rivers, mountain ranges, regions, etc.) named in Spanish? Our ancestors’ legacy is why we have a right to practice our heritage year-round; not just during Hispanic History Month.
Importantly, the network of vibrant communities in New Spain connected by the Camino Real are indeed what first attracted U.S. Anglo Saxon and Northern European immigrants to Texas and the west. In remembering our ancestors, “Aquí todavía estamos, y no nos vamos”. (Here we still are and we’re not leaving.)

Sujets

• Indigenous Peoples of the Americas
• Histoire
• Preserve
• Preservation
• History
• Texas

Informations

• Publié par: Xlibris US
• Date de parution: 05 mars 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781669865971
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 8 Mo

Extrait

Other Xlibris books written by José Antonio López
“The First Knight (Don Bernardo Gutiérrez de Lara Uribe, A Texas Hero)”
(Book for 7 th grade Texas history students)
“Nights of Wailing, Days of Pain (Life in 1920s South Texas)”
(A novel)
“Preserving Early Texas History (Essays of an 8 th Generation South Texan)”
“The First Texas Independence (A brief biography on Don Bernardo Gutiérrez de Lara Uribe, The First President of Texas)”
(Reprint of The First Knight; Bilingual)
“Preserving Early Texas history (Essays of an 8 th Generation South Texan)”, Volume 2
“Friendly Betrayal”
(Prequel to novel, “Nights of Wailing, Days of Pain (Life in 1920s South Texas)”




Preserving Early Texas History


Essays of an Eighth-Generation South Texan


VOLUME 3





José Antonio López



Copyright © 2023 by José Antonio López.

Library of Congress Control Number:
2014922876
ISBN:
Hardcover
978-1-6698-6599-5
Softcover
978-1-6698-6598-8
eBook
978-1-6698-6597-1

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.





Rev. date: 03/02/2023





Xlibris
844-714-8691
www.Xlibris.com
851028



CONTENTS
Dedication
Introduction
Exhibits
1. Author’s Maternal Family Tree (page 1)
2. Author’s Maternal Family Tree (page 2)
3. Common Early Texas Themes
4. There’s no Álamo in the Álamo City
5. New Spain (El Camino Real)
6. The Seven Sisters of Texas
7. Building Blocks of Early Texas History
8. The First Texas Independence
9. “First” Texas First Lady - Maria Josefa Uribe de Gutiérrez de Lara
10. Connecting the Dots of the Birth of Texas Independence
11. Attention, 1836 Mexican Soldier Reenactors
12. The Reality of Texas History
13. Early Communities Deep in the Heart of Texas (1718 – 1755)
14. Gregorio Cortez
15. Juan Cortina
16. Catarino Garza
17. Jovita Idar
18. Tejano Monument
Chapter 1 2018
A. Franklin, the U.S. State that could have been
B. Remembering our Coahuilteca Connections
C. RGV Legislative Hearing Provides Great Opportunity for Border Region
D. Celebrating Texas Spanish History
E. Hapsburg and Bourbon Texas
F. Tomás Sánchez and El Paso de Jacinto
G. The Stars & Stripes (And Unique State Flags Facts)
H. Trespassing in their own Land
I. The Long Struggle to Equality and Independence
J. Mexican American Studies – An Open Letter to the Texas SBOE
K. Do you Speak Spanish? “(¡Habla usted Español?)”
L. Mount Rushmore (Crown of Empire)
M. First we were Mexicans (Primero fuimos Mexicanos)
Chapter 2 2019
A. The 1846-48 U.S. Mexico War (A pre-planned ploy)
B. Braceros (The Mexican Civilian Army that helped the U.S. in WWII)
C. Journey into Texas History
D. María Amparo Ruiz de Burton (Wonder Woman of the West)
E. Old Mexico (México Viejo, México Lindo)
F. Patriots All – Red and Blue
G. The Rio Grande, the Transcendental Border
H. San Ygnacio, Zapata County -- Historic Home of Heroes
I. The Southwest & Puerto Rico – Brethren by U.S. Annexation
J. The Sabine and Red Rivers – The Texas Rubicon
K. Texas, our Land (Texas, nuestra tierra)
L. Tohono O’odham Nation (Our Southern Border Neighbor)
Chapter 3 2020
A. The Four C’s Americans (Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, & Creek)
B. American Diaspora (The Campaign to Drive Native Americans into Reservations)
C. A Deserved Salute to Early Texas History
D. Pioneer Women Founders of Texas
E. Going to Texas (Alonso de León)
F. The Kingdom of Zapata
G. Lorenzo de Zavala (How a Yucateco became a Tejano)
H. Palace Power Play
I. Revilla Rebels (The Gutiérrez de Lara Brothers)
J. The Statue of Liberty (Liberty enlightening the world – La liberté éclairant le mond)
K. The Texas Two-Step (Achieving Equality in Texas)
L. The Texas Plan
Chapter 4 2021/2022
A. The Birth of Texas Ranching
B. The American Revolutions
C. Celebrating El Diezyseis and El Cinco de Mayo in Texas
D. Deep in the Heart of Texas
E. Duel of Eagles
F. This Hispanic Heritage Month, Let’s Honor the Mexican and Spanish Origins of Texas
G. A New Bright Beginning
H. Revisiting July 4, 1776 (U.S. Independence Day)
I. A Flawed Civil Disobedience Lesson (A Commentary)
J. The Absurdity of Today’s Civil War Talk
Chapter 5 Selected Poems by José Antonio López
Chapter 6 The Little Vaquero

Appendix 1 Who put the star on the Texas Lone Star Flag?
Appendix 2 12 Things Everyone Must Know about Texas History
Appendix 3 Worksheet The Padres Hidalgo in Texas History
Appendix 4 The Battle of Medina (The Total Price of Freedom in Texas)
Appendix 5 Tejano Texas Trivia
Appendix 6 Tejanas and Tejanos

Summary
Epilogue
Bibliography



Dedication
Dedicated to Las Villas del Norte founding families and their descendants.



Introduction
(Tejanas and Tejanos Defending their Birthright in Texas)
*
“That Spaniards came to the New World simply to plunder,
whereas Englishmen and Frenchmen came to settle and to
engage in honest trade is a popular, but false statement.”
(Historian David J. Weber)
*
“It is time to realize that there will not be found any more
cruelty, tyranny, and superstition in the résumé in past Spanish
history than in the corresponding résumé of Anglo-Norman history.”
(Poet Walt Whitman, 1883)
*
“As for those in power, they are so anxious to establish
the myth of infallibility, that they do the utmost to ignore truth.”
(Poet Boris Pasternak)
*
“History is always written by the winners. When two cultures clash,
the loser is obliterated, and the winner writes the history books –
books which glorify their own cause and disparage the conquered foe.”
(Historian Dan Brown)
*
Selected Early Texas History Words of Wisdom and Key Points.
****
Oftentimes, during my ten-year career of sharing our early Texas story with others, a particular question has been asked by many attendees to my presentations. “Why isn’t the information you just provided not found in Texas history books?” It’s a very revealing question and is at the core of my early Texas history educational venture. The answer is that mainstream Texas history books, school curricula, and most online history content, is written with a pronounced and heavy post-1836 Anglo-slanted viewpoint. (See above for Dan Brown’s view.) Doing so, generations of mainstream historians have purposefully tried to hide the Spanish Mexican founding families and their history of this great place we call Texas. It is with that thought in mind that I became a writer.
Thus, with this third (and last) volume of “Preserving Early Texas History”, the details below are provided as food for thought. (Though the items are somewhat listed chronologically, they are not in any particular order.) This book and volumes 1 & 2 cover the topics in more detail, and so, they are listed here as a quick reference. They describe the reasons it is important to preserve and practice our Spanish Mexican heritage “on this side of the border”. (Note: Always remember that when it comes to early Texas history, it’s never repetition, it is reinforcement.)
Most importantly, it is at this time that I take the opportunity to thank God, family, and friends for their awesome support during my second career as an early Texas history aficionado, public speaker, author, and newspaper columnist.
First, indeed I am truly blessed that God granted me the ability to effectively write English to preserve our pre-1836 Spanish Mexican Texas history and share it with a wider audience. For a child who grew up with English-as-a-second language (ESL) in “El Barrio Azteca” (Laredo, Texas), it is a gift beyond words.
Second, a particular response some years ago was a great motivator. It came from a distinguished and most respected Tejano historian. After listening to one of my presentations, he said “Joe, you present your material as we professors wish we could teach it, but we’re not allowed to.” Thankfully through the many years of giving presentations, many other educators provided me with similar encouragement.
In retrospect, two other comments stand out. One was from a gentleman from Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico. After one of my presentations in Harlingen, he told me in Spanish, “Señor López, vine preparado a criticar su presentación, pero después de haberle oído hablar, no es necesario. (I came here prepared to criticize your presentation. However, after hearing you speak, there’s no need. )”
Likewise, a teacher approached me after I visited her school, “Mr. López, I am a Texas history teacher and a history major. I’m sorry to say that I never heard any of this in my college Texas history courses.”
There is one more specific comment that I am pleased to add. After one of my prese