My journey with Texas Tejano.com

I freely admit that it is very hard for me to remain unbiased or impartial when discussing Texas Tejano.com (that’s dot com as in www.texastejano.com) and all that it has accomplished in its brief, yet influential existence. This is mainly to my having been involved with the company since its inception over six years ago.

I humbly think that I helped to build the company from the ground up, taking it from an idea of what it could be – dreamed up by its President and Founder and Patron Saint Mr. Rudi R. Rodriguez.

He and I started out with the simple goal of taking a manuscript left behind by one of his illustrious ancestors and drafting a new publication out of it. Not an impossible task to be sure and to my chagrin at the time, the ease with which we published this new book planted the seeds in Rudi’s imagination of what else we could do.

Before I go any further, let me tell you in a little more concrete fashion about what Texas Tejano.com is and what it does. Formed by Rudi, Texas Tejano.com is an Internet-based research, communications and publishing in San Antonio specializing in Texas history ... Hispanic (Tejano) Texas history from the 18th and 19th centuries beginning with Texas’ founding in June of 1690.

And when we say “Tejano,” we define that as being the descendants of the first Spanish, Mexican and indigenous families on the Texas frontier. The way Americans are from America or Germans from Germany, thus Tejanos are from Tejas/Texas.

Since the initial printing of the book, entitled A Tejano Son of Texas: The Autobiography of Jose Policarpio “Polly” Rodriguez, there we grew a Web site, a feature-length documentary, a series of traveling exhibits – which have been on display across the state and seen by millions of Texans – several original and world-class works of art, a stage play and, as incredibly as it may sound, a movement to recapture Texas’ lost Hispanic (i.e. Tejano) history and heritage.

'''Tejas History'''

Growing up, I was always one of those “weird” kids that just found history in general to be utterly a fascinating concept. Learning the origins of where we come from was something I naturally gravitated to for some reason. Growing up in South Texas in the Alamo City … that just captured my imagination even further.

Texas is beyond rich in history. By the time I’d finished with college – earning a minor in general history to boot – I thought I had learned all I could learn about our great state. Then I came to work at Texas Tejano.com, plying my trade as a trained editor. That was when the real education began. There was a wealth of history that had yet to be tapped.

Most people, myself included prior to signing with the company, make the assumption that everyone of Hispanic or Latino origin in our state are of Mexican descent. History, no matter how much it can be twisted around, it doesn’t lie. And true history tells us that there was no such place as the Republic of Mexico prior to 1821. So if Texas was formed in 1690 and the oldest city in the state, my hometown of San Antonio was formed in 1731 who was here then? Tejanos.

I would learn the bits of Texas history that really weren’t taught on any level of school; at least they weren’t taught to me. I learned about Texas’ great connection to the American … that’s right, the 1776 American … Revolution. I found out how Bernardo de Gálvez actively aided the American cause on behalf of Spain.

Gálvez corresponded directly with founding father Patrick Henry, helped supply the upstart colonial army with arms, ammunition and military supplies. He secured the Port of New Orleans ensuring only American, French and Spanish ships could use it and actively engaged the British and defeated them at the Battle of Mobile. He was a hero and a living legend in his times. So great were his accomplishments, that after his passing, the largest bay in Texas was named in his honor: Bahía de Galvezton. Today, we call it Galveston.

I would learn more, much more. Over time, I became fascinated with the first Texas Revolution and the first Republic of Texas. From 1812-1813, the Green Flag of the Republic of Texas flew proudly as the republican army (also known as the Gutiérrez-Magee Expedition after its original two organizers Augustus William Magee and José Bernardo Maximiliano Gutiérrez de Lara), comprised of Anglos from the eastern seaboard of the fledgling United States, native Tejanos and indigenous Indians, routed the royalist Spanish armies in engagements at Nacogdoches and La Bahía – that’s Goliad to you and me – and in San Antonio.

Now, you may be asking yourself this question … if the Republic was created over 20 years before the Battle of the Alamo, why don’t we know about it? It is a shame really. This independence was not nearly as long-lived as the more famous 1835-1836 one and history favors the victors and is harsh to those who come up with the proverbial short end of the stick.

The republican army was crushed at the Battle of the Medina, 20 miles south of San Antonio. It is the bloodiest battle ever fought on Texas soil. The republican army of 1,400 men was decimated by the Spanish with only 100 escaping with their lives.

An interesting footnote to that battle – a young lieutenant learned a lesson on how to deal with insurgents that day by serving under the command of Spanish Gen. Joaquín de Arredondo. Juan Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna learned a great deal that he would put into practice during the next Texas uprising that day.

Texas history is full of interesting subject matter such as this. If I had more room, I would tell you all about Alamo defender José Toribio Losoya, who would not only lose his life that fateful March day in 1836 along with the 300 other patriots in San Antonio, but he was the only fighting literally for his home that day.

Losoya, to whom the street in San Antonio is named after (and if you’re ever down that way, I invite you all to visit the statue of him that proudly stands today in Downtown S.A.), was born right there in a small two-room stone home in the Southwest corner of the Alamo compound. Not only that, but during his stint in the Mexican cavalry, he was garrisoned there with the rest of his unit! Imagine that, being born at, working at and ultimately dying at the place you call home. A fascinating story for another time.

'''From the Capitol Steps to the Gates of the Alamo'''

I mentioned earlier the movement that was created by Texas Tejano.com. I would like to expand on the bold statement at this time. Early on in our history, one of the greatest pleasures both Rudi and I experienced was being able to take our materials and this history that we were shedding new light on to the masses.

This started out in lecture halls in universities in the San Antonio community, expanded into area museums and to area historical organizations and then we moved backwards. Instead of preaching our message to men and women, we were tasked by an area elementary school to teach Tejano history to … fourth graders!

The school we presented to was on the West side of San Antonio. Its population was almost 100% Hispanic. When we arrived at the school, the students were already in the library waiting for us. They had just begun learning Texas history and the Battle of the Alamo. They wanted to know if we were going to teach them about Bowie and Crockett and Travis and Fanin … really, they already knew about Fanin!

“Yes,” we told them. But, we were going to also teach them about the Tejanos who were there and fought for their country. Silence … there is nothing more eerie or disconcerting than a room full of 9 and 10 year olds. We go through our 30 minute presentation with nary a peep from any one. I thought we had completely lost them.

We asked if there were any questions and hands went up by the score! They all wanted to know if their great-grandfathers were there at the Alamo along with Losoya or Gregorio Esparza or Juan Seguin.

Their last names were the same as who we had been telling them about; a connection was made to the history that they were learning and seeing those glowing smiles went a long way towards easing the long hours that we put in those early days.

Now again, back to that movement I have been mentioning. Imbued by knowing that what we were doing really did matter to people, we strove for a way to bring this learning to the masses. That was the impetus for Tejano Heritage Month. In 2006, we successfully lobbied Gov. Rick Perry’s office in officially declaring the month of September as Tejano Heritage Month across our great state.

Our goal was to precede national Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15) to draw more attention to the accomplishments of the Tejano pioneers of Texas. Texas Tejano.com has had kickoff celebrations on college campuses, in front of the State Capitol with the south steps as our stage in Austin and this year in front of the Alamo. We’ve celebrated our heritage in Brownsville and Huntsville; in Blanco and Big Spring; Bandera and Alice.

During my time with the company, we traveled thousands of miles across our state and put in thousands of hours of blood, sweat and … well more blood and sweat. Never tears though. We have made countless men, women and children of all ages proud of who they are and where they come from. And it is seeing the pride … not only in the eyes of Hispanics, but in all Texans when they learn about this collective history … it is that pride that made it worth all the while.

I have moved on from the company recently, but I still carry my own earned sense of pride with me. Not only my heritage, but in helping others connect with theirs too.

If they happen to be in your neck of the woods one of these days, be it for a lecture or a screening of the documentary or a production of the stage play or even if one of the exhibits is on display, I encourage everyone to come by for a visit. You just might learn something you didn’t know about this great place live. In fact, I just about guarantee it.