100 years ago, they were separating families and deporting citizens; not much has changed.
One thing I still do is read. I read a lot, mostly on the internet now, but I still read books; over the past few years, nearly 200 books. Recently,
When America Wanted Mexicans More Than Some Europeans
There was a time when the United States slammed the door on Italians, Poles, Greeks, Russians, Jews from Eastern Europe, and millions of other southern and eastern Europeans — while
1921 San Antonio Flood killed mostly Mexican Americans.
Some of you may have read about the San Antonio flood and how it helped create the River Walk. What you probably did not read was that most of the
A Tejano, Procopio Elizondo, who became a general, and maybe killed un Pinche Rinche
In March 1915, Procopio Elizondo stood on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande defending Matamoros against the army of Pancho Villa. Thirteen years earlier, he had been a schoolteacher
Molina 1950 Census
My parents moved into the neighborhood in 1951. Based on the census map, the neighborhood had just started being built. My uncle Aniceto lived on Molina St.; he was already
White men in Texas bragged about raping Mexican Women: Whitewashing Texas History:
Backing the White Texans were the “Pinche Rinches,” killing any “Mexican” who stood up for their women or their rights. The Texas Rangers the monsters of South Texas. By their
White Men Only Primaries: How Texas Kept “Mexicans” and “Negroes” from Office
Do you remember reading about the white men’s primaries in Texas? I don’t remember, but while reading a book, I came across the term and decided to look into it
Elias Garza – a migrant trying to survive
Many years have passed, but the migrant worker still finds himself at the mercy of the authorities. His story reminded me of what my mother told me: when they first
The Tejano Revolt of 1915
History has usually remembered what happened along the South Texas border in 1915 under names such as the Plan de San Diego, the Border War, the Bandit War, or the
Violaron a Sus Mujeres, Les Quitaron Sus Tierras y Les Robaron el Agua — Luego Contrataron a Sus Hombres para Trabajar los Campos
Sí. Como el artículo completo está en este chat, puedo traducir esta versión exacta al español sin tener que reconstruirla desde la página web. Mantendría el tono fuerte y directo,
They Raped Their Women, Took Their Land and Stole Their Water — Then Hired Their Men to Work the Fields
I was reading John Weber’s From South Texas to the Nation: The Exploitation of Mexican Labor in the Twentieth Century when I came across several paragraphs about irrigation in the
1940 Fronton, Texas census
1940 Fronton Census Searchable transcription of the 1940 census records in the Fronton project. Search works across every displayed field. Click a column heading to sort. Show 102550100All entries Search:
American history they don’t want you to read: the real barbarians: Mier
We Found the Invaders: The Real Barbarians Who Crossed the Rio Grande I started looking backward because I wanted to know where my family came from. The farther I went,
El Paso, Early Sixties: Young, Mexican, and Just Across the River
Twenty years earlier, young Mexican-American men from El Paso had marched off to war with Company E of the 141st Infantry. Many came from Segundo Barrio and the neighborhoods near
My Tia Juanita Garcia de la Cruz and her remarkable life
The Things They Refused to Leave Behind To my cousins, this is a little of what I have learned about your mother and father—not simply from records, but from the
Rosita Barrera: The Girl From Fronton Who Went to College
. . When we began looking closely at the 1940 census for Fronton, Texas, one thing stood out immediately: how little formal education most people had received. On page after
Houston as a friend and godfather to one of my sons recalls: Felix Fraga
Growing Up Mexican in Houston: Felix Fraga Remembers the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s Felix Fraga was born in Houston in 1929. When he looked back on his childhood decades later,
The Last One: Paula Garcia de la Cruz
A few days ago, my aunt Paula García De La Cruz died. She was 86 years old. She was also the last living aunt or uncle I had. Paula was
Puerto Rico Was the Homeland. New York Was the Borderland.
Something extraordinary happened in New York after World War II. Hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans left the island and came north. They brought Spanish, family, food, politics, and music.
From the Civil War to Today: I Found the Missing Soldier in My Family
For years, I knew military service ran through my family, but I didn’t realize how far the line stretched. I knew of an ancestor who served in the Confederate Army