I started this painting not out of some type of revenge or retribution of any kind, but from the desire to honor and to memorialize my Great grandfather Manuel Moralez, who was killed that early morning along with the 14 innocent men and boys
“We’re not going to open [the door] for them. I told them already.” The words decisively uttered by a Mexican immigration agent lingered in the air
Written by Tim Bowman I decided to experiment with something a little different in my Texas history class here at West Texas A&M University (WTAMU) this past fall semester. Typically, for a Core-curriculum class, I would assign two books that the students would read in common outside of our primary source readings and central class
By Juan Carmona, RTF Member November 3, 2024, is going on my list as one of my proudest moments as an educator. In the past, I have had students participate in recreating important moments in history and sharing them with the public, such as readings from “The 1919 Canales Commission” highlighting the Underground Railroad in
By Ruben A. Arellano, 2024 The Mexican American Museum of Texas just celebrated its second year of existence, and in that time, it has brought three exhibits to North Texas. The museum’s tireless board members have worked hard to spread its message of preserving the deep roots of ethnic Mexicans in Texas and creating exhibits
The Mexican American Museum of Texas Presents: “Life and Death on the Border” Read More »
On February 8, 1918, Texas Ranger Captain William Hanson wrote a letter to his boss, Adjutant General James Harley, about his trip to Marfa, Texas. Just two weeks earlier, Marfa-based Texas Rangers under the command of Captain J.M. Fox had perpetrated the Porvenir Massacre, one of the most reprehensible actions ever undertaken by the Rangers,
On a gloomy Saturday afternoon in January, the Duval County Historical Commission unveiled a historical marker commemorating the signing of El Plan de San Diego. A The declaration, written over a hundred years ago, called for a revolution against the United States to free the Southwest. This declaration was not the work of a fringe
The Plan de San Diego: A Triumph of the Mexican American Spirit Read More »
#OTD on November 24, 1922 Texas Ranger William Lee Wright was dispatched to Weslaco to investigate the brutal beating and lynching death of Elias Villareal Zárate. Villareal (called Zárate by the press) died at the hands of a mob that had broken him out of jail. Villareal did construction work in Weslaco. On the night
#OTD on November 15, 1922 a white mob of 300 people, in KKK fashion, marched through the streets of Breckenridge, harassing and intimidating Mexican American and African American workers. Gov Pat Neff sent in Ranger Frank Hamer, who investigated but did nothing. 1922 was a particularly violent year in Texas. It saw the murder of
#OTD on November 16, 1918, Texas Rangers Daniel Hinojosa and George Hurst threatened the life of San Diego Constable Ventura R. Sanchez, even though he was a fellow law officer who attempted to do his duty. Hinojosa had a sordid past. In 1915 he and Sheriff Frank Carr had arrested Adolfo Muñoz, whom they later
