Tijerina recalls the challenges in making the Tejano Monument a reality

 

Ten bronze statues set on marble and five descriptive plaques depict the story of the founding of Texas by Tejanos. The five tablets in front tell the story of Tejanos’ contribution to the founding of Texas. The monument is in front of the Texas Capitol in Austin.

(photo by Rene Renteria Photography)

Two Duval County natives, Homero Vera and Juanita Garcia Tijerina, played an instrumental role in the Tejano Monument on the State Capitol grounds becoming a reality. The monument, consisting of ten bronze statues on a marble foundation, was dedicated by Gov. Rick Perry in 2012 after an effort that took 12 years to complete.

Andres Tijerina addresses the Tejano

Genealogical Spanish Society symposium

on June 10 in Austin.

(photo by Rene Renteria Photography)

The idea for the monument came about at a gathering of four individuals, including Andres Tijerina, a native of Ozona in West Texas, and South Texans Dr. Cayetano Barrera, a native of Encinal in Brooks County, Richard Santos from Mission and Vera. Banker Renato Ramirez from Zapata and Asutin architect Jaime Beaman who grew up in Brownsville later joined the original four organizers.

“There was nothing to recognize the existence of Tejanos in Texas,” historian Tijerina said. “So we decided to do something abouit it.”

With Ramirez’s and the Texas Legislature’s help, the group raised $2.6 million for the project. By this time, the “committee” had increased to 30 people, including Tijerina’s wife Juanita, a San Diego native, and Laredo sculptor Armando Hinojosa. Initially, the monument included columns, to which the architect asked, “are any of you Italians? Are you Romans?” The columns were out of place in Texas’s plains and brush country. 

The monument took the shape of 10 statues. The first depicted a Spaniard with a land grant, denoting the importance of land ownership to Tejanos. The next was a vaquero mounted on a horse, also a couple holding a baby, depicting the importance of family to Tejanos, two longhorns brought to Texas by early Spanish expeditions, and two young children tending a sheep and a goat.

At Juanita Tijerina’s suggestion, descendants of early “first families of Texas” did the honor of unveiling sculptures instead of having political dignitaries unveil the art pieces. Among them were the Esparzas, Seguins, De Leons, and others.

At the center of the photo, looking to the front, is Homero Vera pulling the rope to remove the cover from the Vaquero sculpture. In front of Vera, facing the statue, is Governor Rick Perry.

(Photo from internet, released by Governor Perry’s Press Office.)