The Alamo Remembered: Tejano Accounts and Perspectives

by Timothy M. Matovina

Overview

A collection of all known Tejano accounts of the Battle of the Alamo.

As Mexican soldiers fought the mostly Anglo-American colonists and volunteers at the Alamo in 1836, San Antonio’s Tejano population was caught in the crossfire, both literally and symbolically. Though their origins were in Mexico, the Tejanos had put down lasting roots in Texas and did not automatically identify with the Mexican cause. Indeed, as the accounts in this new collection demonstrate, their strongest allegiance was to their fellow San Antonians, with whom they shared a common history and a common plight as war raged in their hometown.

Timothy M. Matovina here gathers all known Tejano accounts of the Battle of the Alamo. These accounts consist of first reports of the battle, including Juan N. Seguín’s funeral oration at the interment ceremony of the Alamo defenders, conversations with local Tejanos, unpublished petitions and depositions, and published accounts from newspapers and other sources. This communal response to the legendary battle deepens our understanding of the formation of Mexican American consciousness and identity.

“A fascinating and much needed anthology of Tejano accounts of America's most storied battle. . . . There are no books like it in the field, despite considerable publishing on the Alamo and the Texas revolt.” —Paul Hutton, Executive Director, Western History Association

“The first full-scale collection offers a rich insight into the formation of Mexican American identity in San Antonio. . . . [The book] speaks eloquently to a general audience trying to gain a more balanced perspective of the storied conflict [at the Alamo].” —Review of Texas Books

“Matovina’s message is that historians who concentrate on the question of which side [Tejanos] joined or did not join miss the larger point: for the Tejanos themselves, the choice of sides during the revolt was not the overriding issue of their lives, nor was it the touchstone of their identity. What the Tejano accounts of the Alamo show, Matovina argues, is that the divisions engendered by the revolution failed to destroy what remained “an amazingly cohesive community” in which families, friends, and neighbors split apart by the war reunited in harmony in its aftermath.” —Southwestern Historical Quarterly

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780292759909
Publisher:	University of Texas Press
Publication date:	02/24/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	160
Sales rank:	307,407
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Timothy Matovina is Professor of Theology and Executive Director of the Institute for Latino Studies at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana.

Table of Contents

PrefaceIntroductionFIRST REPORTS1. Andrés Barcena and Anselmo Bergara, Examination by Texas Military Officials, 11 March 18362. Andrés Barcena and Anselmo Bergara, Letter of E. N. Gray, 11 March 18363. Juan N. Seguín, Letter to General Albert Sidney Johnston, 13 March 18374. Juan N. Seguín, Columbia (later Houston) Telegraph and Texas Register, 4 April 1837CONVERSATIONS WITH LOCAL TEJANOS5. Anonymous Local Tejanos, Diary of William Bollaert, 19-20 September 18436. José Antonio Navarro, Diary of Josiah Gregg, 23 September 18467. Antonio Cruz Arocha, Papers of Theodore Gentilz, no dateUNPUBLISHED PETITIONS AND DEPOSITIONS8. Gabriel Martínez, Petition, 1 January 18509. Damasio de los Reyes, Deposition, 4 September 185610. Juana Navarro Alsbury, Petition, 1 November 185711. Francisco Esparza, Deposition, 26 August 185912. Candelario Villanueva, Deposition, 26 August 185913. Brigidio Guerrero, Petition, 4 January 186114. Francisco Antonio Ruiz, Deposition, 16 April 1861PUBLISHED ACCOUNTS15. Juan N. Seguín, Personal Memoirs of John N. Seguin, 185816. Francisco Antonio Ruiz, The Texas Almanac for 186017. Juana Navarro Alsbury, John S. Ford Memoirs, c. 1880s18. Juan N. Seguín, Clarksville Standard, 4 March 188719. Juan N. Seguín, Letter to William Winston Fontaine, 7 June 189020. Andrea Castañón Villanueva, San Antonio Express, 6 March 189221. Eulalia Yorba, San Antonio Express, 12 April 189622. Andrea Castañón Villanueva, San Antonio Light, 19 February 189923. Enrique Esparza, San Antonio Light, 10 November 190124. Enrique Esparza, San Antonio Express, 22 November 190225. Pablo Díaz, San Antonio Express, 1 July 190626. Enrique Esparza, San Antonio Express, 12, 19 May 190727. María de Jesús Delgado Buquor, San Antonio Express, 19 July 190728. Juan Díaz, San Antonio Light, 1 September 190729. Juan Antonio Chávez, San Antonio Express, 15,22 December 190730. Pablo Díaz, San Antonio Light, 31 October 190931. Juan Vargas, San Antonio Light, 3 April 191032. Enrique Esparza, Pablo Díaz, and Juan Antonio Chávez, San Antonio Express, 26 March 1911 33. Juan Díaz, Enrique Esparza, and Juan Antonio Chávez, San Antonio Express, 27 August 191134. Trinidad Coy, As Recalled by His Son Andrés Coy, San Antonio Light, 26 November 1911 35. José María Rodríguez, Rodríguez Memoirs of Early Texas, 191336. Juan Antonio Chávez, San Antonio Express, 19 April 191437. Antonio Menchaca, Memoirs, 1937Tejano Alamo Accounts: Collective LegacyBibliographyIndex

What People are Saying About This

Paul Hutton

A fascinating and much needed anthology of Tejano accounts of America's most storied battle.... There are no books like it in the field, despite considerable publishing on the Alamo and the Texas revolt.
— Paul Hutton, Executive Director, Western History Association

Editorial Reviews

Matovina's collection of Tejano memories of the Alamo not only proves essential in shedding light on the battle and its aftermath but, more importantly, contributes to an understanding of an understudied culture and that culture's effect on the most romanticized story of Texas history.

Journal of the American Studies Association of Texas

The first full-scale collection offers a rich insight into the formation of Mexican American identity in San Antonio. . . . [The book] speaks eloquently to a general audience trying to gain a more balanced perspective of the storied conflict [at the Alamo].

Review of Texas Books

Matovina's message is that historians who concentrate on the question of which side [Tejanos] joined or did not join miss the larger point: for the Tejanos themselves, the choice of sides during the revolt was not the overriding issue of their lives, nor was it the touchstone of their identity. What the Tejano accounts of the Alamo show, Matovina argues, is that the divisions engendered by the revolution failed to destroy what remained 'an amazingly cohesive community' in which families, friends, and neighbors split apart by the war reunited in harmony in its aftermath.

Southwestern Historical Quarterly

A valuable addition to the already abundant [Alamo] literature. . . . Ordinarily, the battle of the Alamo is considered in a traditional adversarial manner—Santa Anna and his troops against the band of defenders. But there were many other people in the area, primarily Tejano citizens of San Antonio. These accounts both directly and indirectly deal with what was inevitably an ambivalent and uncertain dilemma of these people who were caught in circumstances beyond their control. It is an aspect of the battle of the Alamo too long ignored.

Journal of the West

A valuable addition to the already abundant [Alamo] literature. . . . Ordinarily, the battle of the Alamo is considered in a traditional adversarial manner--Santa Anna and his troops against the band of defenders. But there were many other people in the area, primarily Tejano citizens of San Antonio. These accounts both directly and indirectly deal with what was inevitably an ambivalent and uncertain dilemma of these people who were caught in circumstances beyond their control. It is an aspect of the battle of the Alamo too long ignored.-- "Journal of the West" (1/1/1998 12:00:00 AM)

Matovina's collection of Tejano memories of the Alamo not only proves essential in shedding light on the battle and its aftermath but, more importantly, contributes to an understanding of an understudied culture and that culture's effect on the most romanticized story of Texas history.-- "Journal of the American Studies Association of Texas"

Matovina's message is that historians who concentrate on the question of which side [Tejanos] joined or did not join miss the larger point: for the Tejanos themselves, the choice of sides during the revolt was not the overriding issue of their lives, nor was it the touchstone of their identity. What the Tejano accounts of the Alamo show, Matovina argues, is that the divisions engendered by the revolution failed to destroy what remained 'an amazingly cohesive community' in which families, friends, and neighbors split apart by the war reunited in harmony in its aftermath.-- "Southwestern Historical Quarterly"

The first full-scale collection offers a rich insight into the formation of Mexican American identity in San Antonio. . . . [The book] speaks eloquently to a general audience trying to gain a more balanced perspective of the storied conflict [at the Alamo].-- "Review of Texas Books" (3/1/1996 12:00:00 AM)

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