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Vol. 5, Number 1 |
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Vol. 5, Number 1 |
I would like to welcome everyone to our first publication of El Mesteño in paperback book form. I believe you will enjoy the new style as it is easier to handle for your reading pleasure and storing on your favorite bookshelf or nightstand. I start out the book with a story on my roots in the Mier, Tamaulipas area of México and then spreading into Duval county. History starts with genealogy and that takes much investigating through church and courthouse documents and also family documents and oral histories. Hopefully by reading how I started in my research on my family it will encourage others to do likewise, thus preserving family histories for future generations, the intent of El Mesteño. Texas is fortunate to have several Hispanic Genealogy organizations throughout the state that sponsor an Hispanic Genealogy Conference every year in a different part of the state. This is a great place to start networking with other genealogists and historians. This year’s conference will be hosted by the Las Porciones Genealogical Society in McAllen, Tx. on Sept. 27, 28, & 29, 2002. For more information see their website. We reprint some of the proverbs from our previous issues. Please send in some of your favorites for future issues. We also reprint some very special poems written by some of our readers. The poems by Humberto R. Martínez pertain to growing up in south Texas and the poem by Loretta M. Williams tells us about a very historical figure in south Texas, Cheno Cortina. These are poems written from the heart. Nick Gonzáles informs us where Hispanos came from in Spanish verse, something that takes a very special talent. James T. Escobedo, Jr. writes a very interesting essay on his examination of the different narratives written on the Alamo. Most of what has been written on the Alamo has been one-sided but Escobedo has done extensive research on the subject very well known to many of us through our Texas History school books and gives us a different scholarly account. I examine the little known battle of Lipantitlán on July 7, 1842, between Mexican forces under Col. Antonio Canales Rosillo and American/Texan forces under Gen. James Davis. Not much has been written on this battle and what has, has been mostly, again, one-sided. The last two articles deal with two of the necessary objects our ancestors had to build on the ranchos of south Texas, corrales de leña (firewood) and sillar (rock) houses. The first one relates to what has to be the longest corral de leña fence at Juan Muñoz’s Rancho Las Cuevitas, in then Starr County. The other article refers to the sillar houses also known as casas fuertes or stone forts, fortified houses constructed of caliche rock. An update on the last article of El Mesteño Magazine, Sept. 2001, on the Civil War Battle of Los Patricios. We found the location of the battle on paper and after asking several ranchers in the area I found one who had found some bullet slugs while clearing some very thick brush in 1953. He showed me four slugs that after researching them in Civil War relic internet sites, I believe that they are from a 52 caliber Sharps carbine rifle. Hopefully we will be able to do an archeological survey to determine the exact spot. I want to thank everyone for being so patient and understanding while we made this format change. It took a little longer than expected but I think we have it down now. Hasta la próxima, Homero S. Vera |
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Vol. 5, Number 1 |
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