From Santa Anna to Selena: Notable Mexicanos and Tejanos in Texas History since 1821

415 Pages·2018·18.43 MB·English

by  Harriett Denise Joseph

FROM SANTA ANNA
TO SELENA
Notable Mexicanos and Tejanos
in Texas History since 1821
HARRIETT DENISE JOSEPH
From Santa anna to Selena
Notable mexicanos and Tejanos in Texas
History since 1821
Harriett Denise Joseph
University of north texas Press
Denton, texas
©2018 Harriett Denise Joseph
all rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of america.
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Permissions:
University of north texas Press
1155 Union Circle #311336
Denton, tX 76203-5017
the paper used in this book meets the minimum requirements of
the american national Standard for Permanence of Paper for Printed
library materials, z39.48.1984. Binding materials have been chosen
for durability.
library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Joseph, Harriett Denise, author
From Santa anna to Selena : notable mexicanos and tejanos in texas
history since 1821 / Harriett Denise Joseph.
pages cm
Includes index.
ISBn-13 978-1-57441-715-9 (cloth : alk. paper)
ISBn-13 978-1-57441-723-4 (ebook)
1. texas—Biography. 2. mexico—Biography. 3. texas—History—19th
century. 4. texas—History—20th century. 5. mexicans—texas—
Biography. 6. mexicans—texas—History. 7. mexican americans—
texas—Biography. 8. mexican americans—texas—History.
F385 .J67 2018
976.4/0046872—dc23
2017051198
the electronic edition of this book was made possible
by the support of the Vick Family Foundation.
typeset by vPrompt eServices.
Dedication
this book is dedicated to marilyn Payne and Donald Chipman,
who inspired my career, and to lindsey nicole, eldee, Simi,
aron, and Hillary, who inspire my life.

Contents
H
Preface ............................................................................vii
acknowledgments ............................................................xi
Introduction .....................................................................1
1. antonio lópez de Santa anna
Napoleon of the West .................................................13
2. erasmo and Juan n. Seguín
Mexicans or Texans? .................................................53
3. Juan nepomuceno Cortina
Crusader or Criminal? .............................................93
4. adina De Zavala
The Angel of the Alamo ...........................................131
5. emma tenayuca
Passionate Labor Activist ........................................169
6. Jovita González and edmundo e. mireles
Gente Decente.........................................................209
7. raul “roy” Pérez Benavidez
The Mean Mexican .................................................245
8. Irma lerma rangel
Latina Legislator ....................................................285
9. Selena
The Tragic Tejana ..................................................325
Conclusion ..................................................................365
Glossary ........................................................................379
Index ............................................................................381

Preface
H
tHIS BooK IS tHe result of an evolutionary process that began
with two works co-authored with Dr. Donald e. Chipman: Notable
Men and Women of Spanish Texas, 1519–1821 (1999) and Explorers
and Settlers of Spanish Texas, 1519–1821 (2001). the first was an
award-winning publication with scholarly vocabulary and ample
documentation. the latter was designed for secondary students and
their teachers with simpler language and no citations. Both volumes
used biography as a vehicle to present the history of texas during
the Spanish colonial period, as well as illuminate the roles played by
noteworthy men and women during those centuries.
as originally conceived, the current work was intended as a
sequel to Explorers and Settlers of Spanish Texas. through the study
of carefully selected biographies, middle and secondary school
students would learn about important events that occurred in texas
after mexico declared its independence in 1821. In the process,
they would also gain a greater understanding of the critical role that
certain mexicans and mexican americans have played in the history
of the lone Star State.
after the project was well underway, valued friend and experi-
enced editor theresa may suggested that I rethink my target audi-
ence. She saw potential for a supplemental college reader for courses
in texas History and mexican-american Studies. after carefully
considering this advice, I redefined the project to produce a manu-
script not only for college students but also for the general public.
the writing level became a compromise between the extremes of
Notable Men and Women and Explorers and Settlers. Information
was presented as clearly as possible, while assuming that the reader
had limited prior knowledge of texas—or mexican or United
vii
viii From Santa anna to Selena
States or mexican american—history. While still lacking footnotes
or endnotes, each chapter would conclude with a bibliographical
commentary. although chapters were designed to stand alone, the
whole would be greater than the sum of its parts.
as the revised version was finally nearing completion, the
University of north texas Press published one chapter as part of a
larger anthology, This Corner of Canaan: Essays on Texas in Honor of
Randolph B. Campbell (2013). Unt Press Director ron Chrisman
subsequently read the prospectus for the “From Santa anna to
Selena” book manuscript and indicated interest in the project;
however, he advised that documentation was needed. thus began
yet another step in the lengthy process, the endeavor of providing
citations for hundreds of pages of material, some of which had been
researched and written years earlier. With documentation completed,
the manuscript was formally submitted to Unt Press, which sent it
to readers for review. after receiving favorable recommendations,
Chrisman determined to publish the book on a “fast track.” even
so, another eight months were required to get the volume into print
by February of 2018, the intended deadline.
taking the manuscript through the stages described above,
while also meeting the demands of my position as a univer-
sity professor, took much longer than anticipated when the
endeavor began in the early 2000s. at that time, one could never
have envisioned the events that would follow in the wake of
September 11, 2001, or predicted the escalating hostility toward
latinos that have made illegal immigration an increasingly divisive
political issue. Ironically, the contents of this book are more rele-
vant now than when the project began. the time devoted to this
work will be considered well-spent if it helps readers—whether
college students or the general public—to become more apprecia-
tive of the contributions that Mexicanos (mexicans) and tejanos
(mexican texans) have made to the lone Star State and, by exten-
sion, to the United States.
PreFaCe ix
lastly, the reader might wonder why a non-Hispanic historian
is writing on this topic. Decades ago, as a high school student in
a small town in north Central texas, I was inspired by a gifted
Spanish teacher. From ms. marilyn Payne, I gained a life-long love
of the Spanish language and the people who speak it. that love was
nurtured when I was a graduate student in latin american history
at the University of north texas (then north texas State Univer-
sity) by my major professor, Dr. Donald Chipman. thanks in large
part to the influence of these two people and to having lived on the
mexican border for more than forty years, en mi alma soy Mexicana
(in my soul I am a mexican).