🎉We want to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at the Museum and spotlight a couple of important people and facts that helped build America, Texas, and Pasadena!
🌺Did you know that Simon de Arocha led Tejano vaqueros on the first cattle drives through over 600 miles of hostile territory in Texas to feed the hungry American patriots fighting for independence during the American Revolution? There are more stories from the War for Texas Independence, when Tejanos joined with Texians to fight for their freedom from Mexico.
🌸 Lorenzo de Zavala, Jose Antonio Navarro and Jose Francisco Ruiz were Tejanos who signed the Texas Declaration of Independence. You also had Col. Juan Sequin and the valiant Tejano Volunteer Company who fought alongside Texians during the war as well as the Fighting Flores Brothers, Trinidad Coy and night rider Blas Herrera, one of the “Paul Reveres” of the
Texas Revolution.
🌼We must not forget the brave heroes who died at the Alamo who gave all for our Independence: Juan Abamillo, Carlos Espalier, Gregorio Esparza, Antonio Fuentes, Jose Maria Guerrero, Damacio Jimenez, Jose Toribio Losoya, and Andres Nava. So influential were Tejanos during this time in history that de Zavala went to help draft the Constitution of the Republic of Texas and became its first Vice President! Jose Antonio Navarro helped draft the Texas Constitution of 1845.
🪷In the 1860’s, as the American Civil War was being fought, Tejanos were divided and served both sides. In the Confederate gray was Col. Santos Benavides, who commanded the 33rd Texas Calvary. In the Union blue, were the Enganchados, Tejano Union guerillas such as Octaviano Zapata and Cecilio Balerio.
🪻15 Latino medals of honor winners are from Texas, including Jose M. Lopez, a sergeant with the 2nd Infantry Division from Brownsville, who in Belgium in 1944 single-handedly killed more than 100 German soldiers and prevented his company from being taken by the enemy. Richard E. Cavazos of Kingsville became the first Hispanic four-star general in the U.S. Army in 1982.
❤️Mama Ninfa Laurenzo, a Houston restaurateur is credited with popularizing fajitas. Also, Freddy Fender sang, “until the last teardrops falls”. Then, we cannot forget Selena who we fell in love with who sang, “I could fall in love”.
🎖️We celebrate all the people who live their lives, raise their children, build our economy, protect our streets, and serve in uniform.
