The full account of Spanish-Mexican settlement in Texas in the crucial eighteenth and nineteenth centuries has yet to be written. The groundbreaking works of Herbert Bolton, Carlos Castañeda, Arnoldo de León, and David Weber have identified important sources, but not even their devotion to history enabled them to manage a topic as big as Texas. In nine essays, including an introduction and conclusion by Poyo, Tejano Journey, 1770-1850 provides intimate glimpses into the lives of Spanish-Mexican Texans during what may be considered the state’s most turbulent period.
A century before the creation of the republic of the United States, Spanish missionaries and civilians had begun building communities in Texas. By 1716 these intrepid frontier settlers had laid out a city plaza and cathedral in San Antonio. More communities followed. The authors in Tejano Journey show the impact of changes in the political landscape on the ordinary citizens of Spanish-Mexican-Indian descent. For example, in the span of less than forty years the Seguín and Navarro families, discussed by Timothy M. Matovina and Stephen L. Hardin, lived under the political governance of Spain, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, and the United States of America.
The essays in Tejano Journey document the economic, political, and cultural transformation and adjustments of ever-changing frontier communities. Throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Tejanos lived under duress, for frontier life could be violent; in addition, carving a living out of the Texas land could be harsh on natives and outsiders alike. Paramount among all material goals of the frontier settlers was land acquisition. A land rush began in Texas during the late 1820s following Mexico’s offer of 4000 acres of land for as little as $100. The “land fever” of the following two decades led to a dramatic demographic shift: the Texas Anglo population came to overwhelm the native frontier Tejanos by a margin of nearly ten to one. Following the land rush came new demands for beef and hides, in addition to increased trade in horses and mules. Quick profits in cotton attracted southern slaveholders, an element that would generate new political and social problems for Mexico and trigger a series of revolts.
The value of this study is its contribution to the scholarship on the role of Tejanos in forging a new frontier republic. While these Tejanos fought with Sam Houston, their opposition to Mexican rule did not interfere with their desire to defend their rights as Texas-Mexicans. The pieces by Jesús F. de la Teja, Andres Tijerina, and Ana Carolina Castillo Crimm describe the experiences of the Tejanos and show how they mediated their differences with the Anglo newcomers. The contributions by Timothy Matovina, Paul D. Lack, and Stephen L. Hardin make a strong case that the Tejanos and their ancestors before them left a rich legacy of ranching, farming, and commerce that shaped the future of Texas.
Despite living “at the margins of the Empire,” the Spanish-Mexican inhabitants of this region developed ranches, founded towns, and built a string of missions and presidios from the Sabine in East Texas to the Rio Grande in the southern region. The establishment of these missions and presidios in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries reflected a reactive response to European intrusion. Stranded on the frontier, Tejanos traded with the French in Louisiana and later collaborated with the economic ventures of Americans in New Orleans and Santa Fe. Eventually, this trade led to Anglo-American filibusters and growing encroachment by Americans from Southern states.
Tejanos grew accustomed to political change. Thus the creation of the Republic of Texas did not lessen their appreciation of Tejano traditions. As Professor Matovina demonstrates, in a span of several months Tejanos honored the celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe and danced at the inauguration of Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar as president of the Republic of Texas. It should be noted that the inauguration may have evoked a special celebration among Tejanos since Lorenzo de Zavala, a Tejano, was at this time elected vice president.
The contributors to this collection demonstrate an excellent command of the themes and historiography of early Texas-Mexican history. In particular, students at the secondary and college level in Texas institutions will learn about Cabeza de Vaca’s exploration in the 1530s and the events of the Alamo. This collection of essays is a welcome attempt to close the gap in our knowledge about Texas and the people who settled it.
