Tejano Empire: Life on the South Texas Ranchos

Clayton Wheat Williams Texas Life Series

by Andrés Tijerina

Texans of Mexican descent built a unique and highly developed ranching culture that thrived in South Texas until the 1880s. In Tejano Empire historian Andrés Tijerina describes the major elements that gave the Tejano ranch community its shared reaction to Anglo-American in-migration, tightly interconnected families, cultural loyalty, networks of communication, Catholic religion, and a material culture well adapted to the conditions of the region. After the introduction's historical overview of the region, the chapters address specific elements of the lives people led in the Rio Grande Valley and South work ways and tools, housing and ranch layouts, family networks and authority patterns, education and the arts, religion and daily prayer. A gallery of energetic line drawings by the late Ricardo M. Beasley and graceful pen-and-ink detail drawings by Servando G. Hinojosa of Alice, Texas, commissioned especially for this book, intricately portray scenes from South Texas daily life. "The scope and depth of Tijerina's research is breathtaking and the detail in which he passes his findings to us is exhaustive. . . . Tejano Empire is a long-needed corrective and valuable addition to the historical record of Texas. It's sure to become a standard reference on Hispanic culture in the state."--Dallas Morning News

159 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1998

Reviews

[Henry Enriquez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read for anyone with a Tejano heritage, and especially if born in the Rio Grande Valley. Am a big fan of the work of Andres Tijerina.

[Asuman · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a person who relocated to the US very late in life, the more I travel around, the more I learn that how little I know about the cultures that were present on this land. After living in California for years, being exposed to the Mexican culture, the dance, the colors, the festivals, the food, the music....the old town touch of San Diego...., it was a whole different story when I spent 1 year in Texas. Maybe, it felt like that because I was still a "foreigner".

I read this book after I visited the state capital, the battle fields, the border towns, the Rio Grande, the Missions all over South TX, and watching Charrería in San Antonio. So, as I understood again that the same history may have more than one version and it may not be objective after all.

If one wants to know about the Mexican legacy, Texas exposure is a must. Where one cannot make it to Texas, this book is a very good starting point from the historical and cultural perspective.

I love how the author manages to interlace history with traditions and culture without suffocating the reader. Very easy to read and follow. And check the Amazon reviews as well!

[Anthony Garza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Andres Tijerina's Tejano Empire is a historical masterpiece that captures the life and history of Tejanos that lived on South Texas Ranches for almost 300 years. As a descendant of these Spanish land grant owners, I finally understand my own family history and the roots of my Tejano culture. American and Texas history has for too long ignored the historical and economical impact the Tejano people had on Texas and the United States. The book brings to light the struggles Tejanos had to face from the Anglo American invasion of Texas. I highly recommend this book to anybody who wants to learn about Texas history.

[Dad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting. covered the Spanish settlements that were established including Laredo and how the ranches that became the Tejano Empire branched out from these settlements. Good history