Product Code Database
Tejanos ( , ) are descendants of Texas Creoles and Mestizos who settled in Texas before its admission as an American state. The term is also sometimes applied to Texans of Mexican descent.
Texas Creole culture revolved around ranchos (Tejano ranches), attended mostly by vaqueros (cowboys) of African, Spaniard, or Mestizo descent who established a number of settlements in southeastern Texas and western Louisiana (e.g. Los Adaes).
Black Texas Creoles have been present in Texas since the 17th century and served as soldiers in Spanish garrisons of eastern Texas. Generations of Black Texas Creoles, also known as "Black Tejanos," played a role in later phases of Texas history during Mexican Texas, the Republic of Texas, and American Texas.
Tejano settlements developed in three distinct regions: the northern Nacogdoches region, the Bexar–Goliad region along the San Antonio River, and the frontier between the Nueces River and the Rio Grande, an area used largely for ranching. Those populations shared certain characteristics, yet they were independent of one another. The main unifying factor was their shared responsibility for defending the northern frontier of New Spain. Some of the first settlers were Isleños from the Canary Islands. Their families were among the first to reside at the Presidio San Antonio de Bexar in 1731, which is modern-day San Antonio, Texas.
Ranching was a major activity in the Bexar-Goliad area, which consisted of a belt of ranches that extended along the San Antonio River between Bexar (San Antonio area) and Goliad. The Nacogdoches settlement was located farther north and east. Tejanos from Nacogdoches traded with the French and Anglo residents of Louisiana and were culturally influenced by them. The third settlement was located north of the Rio Grande, toward the Nueces River. Its ranchers were citizens of Spanish people from Tamaulipas, in what is now northern Mexico, and they identified with Spanish Criollo people culture.
On September 16, 1810, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, a Catholic priest, launched the Mexican War of Independence with the issuing of his Grito de Dolores, or “Cry of Delores.” He marched across Mexico and gathered an army of nearly 90,000 poor farmers and civilians. The troops ran up into an army of 6,000 well-trained and armed Spanish troops; most of Hidalgo's troops fled or were killed at the Battle of Calderón Bridge.Minster,
Bernardo Gutiérrez de Lara, a supporter in independence from Spain, organized a revolutionary army with José Menchaca, who was from the Villa de San Fernando de Bejar. After Hidalgo's defeat and execution, Gutiérrez traveled to Washington, DC, to request help from the United States. He requested an audience with President James Madison but was refused. He met with Secretary of State James Monroe, who was busy planning the invasion of Canada in the War of 1812. On December 10, 1810, Gutiérrez addressed the US House of Representatives. There was no official help by the US government to the revolution. However, Gutiérrez returned with financial help, weapons, and almost 700 US Army veterans.
Gutiérrez's army would defeat the Spanish Army and the first independent Republic of Texas, "the Green Republic" was born with the Declaration of Independence. Spain had reinforced its armies in the colonies, and a well-equipped army led by General Juaquin de Arredondo known as the "El Carnicero," invaded the Green Republic of Tejas. During the time of the Republic, the Spaniard José Álvarez de Toledo y Dubois had been undermining Gutiérrez de Lara's government. Toledo was successful, and Gutiérrez was ousted. Toledo then led the Republican Army of the North (the Green Army) into a trap against the Spanish Army, and no prisoners were taken by the Spanish at the Battle of Medina. The Spanish Army marched into San Antonio, rounded up everyone it could find from Nacogdoches to El Espiritu de Santo (Goliad), and brought them to San Antonio. The Spanish killed four males a day for 270 days, eradicated the Tejano population, and left the women when they left in 1814. Toledo returned to Spain, a Spanish hero.Jarratt, Rie (1949). "Gutiérrez de Lara: Mexican-Texan The Story of a Creole Hero". Creole Texana. Archived from the original on 2012-04-11. Retrieved 2008-07-04.James Monroe during the War of 1812 by Eugene van Sickle, University of North Georgia http://www.bandyheritagecenter.org/Content/Uploads/Bandy%20Heritage%20Center/files/1812/James%20Monroe%20during%20the%20War%20of%201812.pdf
In January 1840, the northern Mexican states of Nuevo León, Coahuila, and Tamaulipas seceded from Mexico to establish the Republic of the Rio Grande, with its capital in what is now Laredo, Texas, but they became part of Mexico again in November 1840.
During the 1820s, many settlers from the United States and other nations moved to Mexican Texas, mostly in the eastern area. The passage of the General Colonization Law, encouraged immigration by granting the immigrants citizenship if they declared loyalty to Mexico. By 1830, the 30,000 recent settlers in Texas, who were primarily Englishspeakers from the United States, outnumbered the Hispanos Tejano six to one.
The Texians and Tejano alike rebelled against attempts by the government to centralize authority in Mexico City and other measures implemented by President Antonio López de Santa Anna. Tensions between the central Mexican government and the settlers eventually resulted in the Texas Revolution.
Other sources attribute the founding of the organization in 1929 largely to Tejano veterans of World War I, who wanted to improve civil rights for Mexican-American citizens of the United States. They were socially discriminated against in Texas. Only American citizens were admitted as members to LULAC, and there was an emphasis on people becoming educated and assimilated to advance in society.Gutierrez, David G. (March 1995). Walls and Mirrors: Mexican Americans, Mexican Immigrants, and the Politics of Ethnicity. University of California Press. , p. 9
In 1963, Tejanos in Crystal City organized politically and won elections; their candidates dominated the city government and the school board. Their activism signaled the emergence of modern Tejano politics. In 1969–70, a different Tejano coalition, the La Raza Unida Party, came to office in Crystal City. The new leader was José Ángel Gutiérrez, a radical nationalist who worked to form a Chicano nationalist movement across the Southwest in 1969 to 1979. He promoted cultural terminology ( Chicano, Aztlan) designed to unite the militants; but his movement split into competing factions in the late 1970s.
Although the number of Tejanos whose families have lived in Texas since before 1836 is unknown, it was estimated that 5,000 Tejano descendants of San Antonio's Canarian founders lived in the city in 2008. Canarias en el Mundo. Niños canarios y tejanos conocerán detalles de la fundación de San Antonio, en EEUU (In Spanish; "Canarian and Tejano Children Will Know How Some Isleños Founded San Antonio in the U.S.") The community of Canarian descent still maintains the culture of their ancestors.
Tejanos may identify as being of Mexican people, Chicano, Mexican American, Spanish people, Hispanic, Americans and/or Indigenous ancestry. In urban areas, as well as some rural communities, Tejanos tend to be well integrated into both the Hispanic and mainstream American cultures. Especially among younger generations, a number identify more with the mainstream and may understand little or no Spanish language.
Most of the people whose ancestors colonized Texas and the northern Mexican states during the Spanish colonial period identified with the Spanish people, Criollo people, or Mestizo people who were born in the colony. Many of the latter find their history and identity in the history of Spain, Mesoamerica and the history of the United States. New Spain (Spanish Texas and Spanish Louisiana) participated on the side of the rebels in the American Revolutionary War.
Tejanos have a unique cultural identity that is a mixture of Spanish, Indigenous, and African influences. Tejanos have made greatcontributions to the cultural heritage of Texas in terms of music, food, language, and . The term "Tejano" has been employed to describe various expressions of culture and as an emblem of the unique heritage of Texans of Mexican descent over time.
Sunny and the Sunglows lead the rock and roll era in the 1950s along with Little Joe, and Rudy Guerra, who were originators of the rock and roll portion of genre. Today, Tejano music is a wide array of multicultural genres including rockteno and Tejano rap. The American cowboy culture and music was born from the meeting of the European-American Texians, Indigenous people, colonists mostly from the American South, and the original Tejano pioneers and their vaquero, or "cowboy" culture.
The 1990s were the peak years for Tejano music, with artists such as Selena, La Mafia, and Emilio Navaira going mainstream. Selena, the "Queen of Tejano Music," played a key role in making the genre popularamong the masses, adding pop sensibilities to traditional styles
Tex-Mex cuisine is characterized by its widespread use of melted cheese, meat (particularly beef), Capsicum, , and , in addition to maize or flour tortillas. Chili con carne, burritos, carne asada, chalupa, chili con queso, , and are all Tex-Mex specialties. A common feature of Tex-Mex is the combination plate, with several of the above on one large platter. Serving and a hot sauce or salsa as an appetizer is also a Tex-Mex development. Etienne MARTINEZ, "Mexicans in the U.S.A: Mexican-American / Tex-Mex Cousine", Light Millennium Cabrito, barbacoa, carne seca, and other products of cattle culture have been common in the cultures of South Texas and northern Mexico. In the 20th century, Tex-Mex took on Americanized elements such as yellow cheese, as goods from the rest of the United States became cheap and readily available.Robb Walsh. The Tex-Mex Cookbook (New York: Broadway Books, 2004), XVI Tex-Mex has imported flavors from other spicy cuisines, such as the use of cumin. Cumin is often referred to by its Spanish name, comino.
A common Tex-Mex breakfast dish served is a "breakfast taco" and usually consists of a flour tortilla or corn tortilla served using a single fold. That is in contrast to the burrito-style method of completely encasing the ingredients. Some of the typical ingredients used are a combination of eggs, potatoes, cheese, peppers, bacon, sausage, and barbacoa. Breakfast tacos are traditionally served with an optional red or green salsa.
The psychological effects of the annexation crossed generations. Intergenerational trauma, a consequence of loss of land, language, and cultural practices, has been passed down through generations. The intergenerational trauma is felt in diverse ways, including anxiety, depression, and a fractured identity. Tejanos, however, have exhibited remarkable resilience and have retained and reclaimed their cultural heritage in terms of music, celebrations, and community institutions. Such cultural expressions are primary avenues for healing and self-expression in the presence of ongoing adversity.
The annexation of Texas was a watershed in Tejano history, initiating a complex process of cultural transformation and Psychology readjustment. Although the impact of this change was deeply felt, the ability of the Tejano people to survive these tribulations and preserve their cultural identity is a testament to their strength and resilience. An understanding of this history is essential to an appreciation of the richness of Tejano contributions to the cultural heritage of Texas and the United States.
Tejanos are noted to be more supportive of the Republican Party than other Latino populations in Texas. Politically, Tejanos have been compared to Cuban Americans and Venezuelan Americans, who also disproportionately vote for Republican candidates among Latino voters. The New York Times attributed the relative success of Donald Trump among the Tejano community to concerns about regional economy, which is based on gas and oil. The Wall Street Journal described concerns about possible unemployment caused by COVID-19 lockdowns as another source of Republican Tejano support. Reporter Jack Herrera argues that Tejanos are culturally conservative and identify with Republican positions on gun rights, Christianity, and abortion. Also Tejanos are more likely to be Evangelical Protestants than Roman Catholics, the latter denomination in which most Latinos across the US identify as being part of.
|
|
