Soy de Duval

  (Editor’s note: I knew that my father, Servando Cárdenas , had a column in the newspaper La Voz which he published in the 1930s. I, however, had not taken the time to read any of them as I was working on a book on his poetry, La Voz de Amor . Recently I read one of his columns and discovered where I got my opinion writing skills. His column, Kaleidoscope , was the predecessor of “Telling It Like It Is,” a regular feature of the Duval County Picture . Who knew, especially since my father, unlike his youngest, had a very reserved personality. Hope you enjoy his pronouncements, which may seem outdated, but they are still relevant today and always.) Without caring about the smooth or stormy turns of politics, I will try to embellish something on one of the purposes of the recent political organization called “Progressive Political Club” (Club Político Progresista). “We solemnly declare once and for all: that we keep a sincere and respectful devotion for our racial origin.” If all t...

by Alfredo E. Cárdenas Emilio Zamora. Emilio Zamora has done it again.  He has translated, from Spanish to English, the works of a leading Tejano civil rights pioneer. In his latest book, In Defense of My People , Zamora brings to life the incredible works of Alonso Perales, the co-founder of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). In 2014, Zamora published The World War I Diary of José de la Luz Sáenz , which also originally appeared in Spanish. Both Perales and Sáenz came to maturity in Alice. Perales was born in Alice while Sáenz was a native of Realitos in Duval County. Both were among the leading Tejano civil rights leaders in the first half of the 20th century. Alonso Perales Perales was born in 1898, was orphaned at age twelve, and raised by adoptive parents who saw to it that he graduated from high school. He was the first Mexican-American to graduate from high school in Alice. He went on to graduate from Draughon’s Business College in San Antonio in 1915 and ...

  The Santa Cruz Concepción Tejanos has released its Spring Schedule of events, which will be held at El Encuentro , their new facility in Rios – the old St. Francis of Assissi Catholic Church.    Los Bucakroos , the Freer High School Mariachi,  will kick off the Spring schedule on  April 16 . Under John Vela's direction, the group will perform from 2-3:45 p.m. Presale tickets are available for $10, and at-the-door admission will be $12. Los Buckaroos will receive 50 percent of the proceeds.  On April 23 and May 21, SCCT will host charity bingo events at the Concepción Civic Center. The April function will run from 2-4:30 p.m., and the May activity will be from 3-4:30. Players can purchase pachages of six tickets for a chance to win gift cards to HEB or Walmart in the amounts of $35, $50 and $250. Adriana Benavides will serve as the event caller.  Azul y Oro , the state-ranked mariachi group from San Diego High School under the direction of Sandra Qui...

    by  Arnoldo De Leon Arnoldo De Leon Distinguished Professor of History Emeritus, Angelo State University In 1880, when the railroad company asked his permission to locate a depot on property that belonged to him, he quickly granted the request. Thus the erection of the depot on Placido Benavides’ property symbolizes the beginning of Benavides the town. 18 The following year, the founder generously donated eighty acres of his property to the community developing around the little railroad station. 19 After that, the town named after him and situated less than a mile from his ranch house grew steadily so that newspaper reporters mentioned the town matter-of-factly within the year. 20 Don Placido took an active interest in the politics of the pueblo. In 1888, for example, he served as a delegate to the county convention meeting in San Diego. 21 As before, Don Placido continued tending to his stock at his ranch and selling horses throughout the state. 22 In the mid-1...

  by  Arnoldo De Leon Arnoldo De Leon Distinguished Professor of History Emeritus, Angelo State University Despite their role in the Texas Revolution, however, the Benavides family encountered the same fate as other Tejanos faced once the fighting ended. Suspected of aiding Santa Anna and being involved in the massacre of Goliad and the Battle of the Alamo, many Tejanos had been chased from their homes and ranches. Some fled to the Rio Grande Valley, where the settlements established by Jose de Escandon in the 1740s and 1750s provided them refuge. Others fled to Louisiana to escape vengeful white men. Among those leaving for Louisiana were the four Benavides brothers who had helped found Victoria--Placido, Eugenio, Ysidro, and Nicolas. It was in Louisiana that Cayetana Moreno Benavides, the wife of Ysidro, gave birth in 1836 to Placido, the future founder of Benavides, Texas. After two years in exile, the Benavideses (except their brother Placido who had died in Opelousas, ...

by  Arnoldo De Leon Arnoldo De Leon Distinguished Professor of History Emeritus, Angelo State University Despite their role in the Texas Revolution, however, the Benavides family encountered the same fate as other Tejanos faced once the fighting ended. Suspected of aiding Santa Anna and being involved in the massacre of Goliad and the Battle of the Alamo, many Tejanos had been chased from their homes and ranches. Some fled to the Rio Grande Valley, where the settlements established by Jose de Escandon in the 174Os and 175Os provided them refuge. Others fled to Louisiana to escape vengeful white men. Among those leaving for Louisiana were the four Benavides brothers who had helped found Victoria--Placido, Eugenio, Ysidro, and Nicolas. It was in Louisiana that Cayetana Moreno Benavides, the wife of Ysidro, gave birth in 1836 to Placido, the future founder of Benavides, Texas. After two years in exile, the Benavideses (except their brother Placido who had died in Opelousas, Louisia...