Author: Robert Saldaña

Publisher:

Published: 2021-08-17

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 9780578948850

Tejanos make up a subculture within the Hispanic and Latino communities with whom they share many commonalities. But Tejanos have many of their own unique cultural and family traditions which set them apart. Their ancestral roots run very deep in Native American, Spanish, Mexican, Texan, and U.S American History. Unfortunately, because their history is often overlooked by American scholastic curriculums, too many Tejanos (including the author) have simply grown up unaware of much of it. As for the author himself, having essentially known only one of his grandparents, he also had limited knowledge of his own family history. For these reasons, he decided to write this book. Tejano Experience is a case study in Spanish-American and Mexican-American genealogy which resulted from the author's efforts to learn more about himself, his family, and his fellow Tejanos. It tells the stories of his maternal grandfather, Celestino Olivares Garza and his extended Garza and Olivares Families, by embellishing their stories with historical context. Having received land grants from Spanish Royalty on both sides of the Rio Grande River in the 18th Century, these families were some of the earliest pioneers and settlers of South Texas before the American Revolution ever happened. Many of the descendants of these families have resided in deep South Texas for over 140 years and remain there to this very day!Although the subject matter of this book is primarily genealogical in nature, it also offers an introductory glimpse into the history of South Texas and how its Tejano residents lived through and adapted to the challenges and changes that have occurred in this part of Texas over time. Furthermore, the stories of the families in this book are very representative of thousands of other Tejano family stories from South Texas. The author hopes that these stories will inspire others to discover more about (and record) their own respective family histories, and that this work might serve as a "how to" book for those desiring to do so.