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Tejano Learning Center, San Antonio, TX (2026)

05/28/2026

With our nation’s 250th birthday just around the corner, today’s spotlight shines on “The two Bernardos” in U.S. & Texas history. (l) General Bernardo de Gálvez and (2) José Bernardo Gutiérrez de Lara Uribe. They both symbolize the Spanish Mexican people’s long & deep friendship connections with the U.S.A.
General Gálvez. A Spanish General who pulled more than his share in assuring U.S. independence from Britain. Spanish King Carlos III awarded General Gálvez the royal motto, “Yo Solo” (I alone) in recognition of Gálvez’ heroic assistance to General George Washington. That may seem too bold an expression, but it’s well justified. Why and what exactly did he do for the young U.S.? He single-handedly expelled the British from the Gulf of Mexico, denying them access to the Mississippi River. In short, after the war, Gen. Washington rewarded his Spanish ally, General Gálvez, by placing him by his side during the official war’s-end victory parade.

José Bernardo Gutiérrez de Lara Uribe, The first President of Independent Texas. Don Bernardo’s life has the drama, action, and intrigue of a Hollywood movie, but it’s a true story. He was born in today’s binational community of Revilla, Nuevo Santander (now Guerrero, Tamaulipas) and Zapata, Texas, on the lower Rio Grande.
He led Mexico’s Army of the North (First Texas Army) and defeated the Spanish Army in five battles. His accomplishments: (l) first President of Texas (1813); (2) wrote & signed the first Texas Declaration of Independence (April 6, 1813) and its first Constitution (April 17, 1813); and (3) his was a genuine first Texas revolution, not an expedition, as diminished in official Texas history. (In short, Sam Houston first joined and then commandeered Tejanos’ 1810-13Texas independence movement.)
Overall, Don José Bernardo Gutiérrez de Lara Uribe led an illustrious career as a family man of deep faith, rancher, military leader, gifted communicator, and skilled diplomat.
One anecdote deserves mention that displayed his patriotism passion. When he was preparing for the fifth and last battle against the Spanish (first Battle of Béxar), he was told that his wife and children had just arrived in San Antonio from Revilla. Assured that they were safe, he proceeded to lead his troops and won the battle. Before the battle, he is quoted as having said “Mi patria primero.” (My country first.).

05/25/2026

Decoration Day is the original name for what we know today as Memorial Day. It’s recorded that shortly after the end of the Civil War, some communities held ceremonies honoring local soldiers who had given their lives in defense of the Union (U.S.A.). Still, it was on May 30, 1868, that veterans groups made the dedicated memorial an annual event. The solemn occasion at that time honored Union fatalities (those who had died defending our nation during the Civil War). By 1890, the day had been officially recognized and adopted by all the states.
After the world wars, the solemn event included all military troops who fought and died serving in the U.S. military. In 1968, Congress changed the date to the last Monday in May. In 1971, the name was officially changed to Memorial Day.
Finally, as to what we owe our war dead, WWII General Douglas MacArthur had this to say: “No one is entitled to the blessings of freedom, unless they be vigilant in its preservation.”. Great advice as we prepare to celebrate our soon-to-be 250-year-old nation’s birthday.
“Honor to the soldier and sailor everywhere, who bravely bears his country’s cause.” (Abraham Lincoln).

05/21/2026

“Compañias Volante”. You never heard of this term? It’s not surprising, because it’s one of the many pre-1836 founding secrets within the collective family tree of our state not covered in official Texas history.
By way of background, the safety and security of our early Texas pioneer founders in Texas was a civilian enterprise that mirrored a military unit. They were called Compañias Volante (Flying Squadrons). It is an apt name, given their rapid response to track down cattle rustlers, renegades, and bandits threatening our ancestral settlements.
In 1713, Viceroy Duque de Linares organized the unique grassroots defense force. The reason he did so is that he didn’t have enough regular troops to provide the needed security. Thus, he ordered landowners to organize themselves to protect their families and property.
The typical unit consisted of over 50 mounted citizen soldiers and included Tlaxcala & local Coahuilteca members. In short, each rider committed themselves to drop everything and respond quickly when receiving word that they were needed within their area of responsibility.
Their horsemanship was unrivaled. That’s why in my view; they earn their reputation as the “Cossacks of Texas”. The unit was highly mobile due to their superb handling of the horse, as well as scouting and tracking abilities. In short, Compañias Volante pre-date the Texas Rangers. (See enclosed slide.)
In summary, to learn more about early Texano Texas history, visit the Tejano Monument in the South Lawn of the Texas State Capitol, Austin, Texas. Also, visit TSHA’s Tejano History Online. Other ways? Visit and/or join one of the several Texas State Hispanic Genealogy & History groups nearest you. BTW, you don’t have to be Spanish-surnamed to join.
There’s more. Click on to Texas Hispanic genealogy sites and the many other Tejana/Tejano web sites. Plus, several new books featuring pre-1836 people, places, and events appear to be published almost every month.
Equally important, a shout-out to our blood-related Native American brethren, whose online informative web sites are also increasing.
Lastly, rest assured that none of these efforts are rewriting Texas history. Rather, they are filling in the missing pieces in the seamless story of this great place we call Texas.
“Truth is stranger than fiction.” (Mark Twain).

05/14/2026

By way of background, the genealogical taproot of Spanish Mexican-descent South Texans is Las Villas del Norte (est. 1747-1755), a “String of Pearls” along the lower Rio Grande.
In short, our ancestral South Texas pueblos and those in San Fernando/San Antonio, La Bahía/Goliad, and Nacogdoches, (long ago settled “Deep in the Heart of Texas”), were already up and running in 1755. At the same time, our future first U.S. President George Washington was serving as a British soldier in Virginia. The U.S. itself was still years away.
Spanish Colonel José de Escandón established these towns straddling both sides of the Rio Grande (i.e., sister cities Laredo/Nuevo Laredo) and many more. Plus, his assigned territory in “el Seno Mexicano” (Gulf of Mexico), stretched from Tampico, upward the Texas coastline to La Bahía (Goliad). In fact, Colonel Escandón is the one who relocated La Bahía/Goliad from the coast to its present location. Incidentally, families that settled further inland (i.e., de León/de la Garza in Victoria) have direct ties to Las Villas del Norte. Enough to say that in populating South Texas, it was a family affair.
By the early 1800s, the Villas along the river had established themselves as crucial crossing points on the Rio Grande. That was especially true with Dolores & Laredo, the only two Villas settled on the east (Texas) side of the river. Incidentally, at the time, the Rio Grande was a local river settled on both sides (ambos lados) by the same Spanish-speaking families. In other words, it wasn’t yet the rigid political boundary that it is today.
(Keynote: Ignoring this last historical point contributes greatly to today’s very misinformed view that most people in the U.S. have of the U.S.-Mexico border.)
As for travel, El Camino Real was the only superhighway of the day. In addition, our ancestors carved out Los Caminos del Río within the villas settlements. They built the local road system with their own backbreaking pick-and-shovel labor. In fact, parts of today’s U.S. Highway 83 follow the same route.
It was in that setting that my great, great grandfather Blas María Uribe founded his freight transport business (ref. enclosed slide).
Blas María was a dedicated son of Las Villas del Norte (Revilla). After spending his entire life as a man of great faith, family man, successful businessman, and community leader, he died in 1895 at the age of 84. He is buried in San Ygnacio, Texas.
Finally, not all the brutal attacks on Mexican carretas (freight carts) were recorded by the authorities or publicized by the press. So, the total number of murdered victims is unknown. Indeed, this affair is a sad chapter that’s missing in our state’s official history. To learn more of the Cart War, there is a Cart War static display inside the Interstate 10 rest stop near Seguín, Texas.
“Some people will never ask for the other side of the story, because the one they’ve heard fits what they want to believe.”

05/05/2026

Today, we remember a Texas favorite son: General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín, born & raised in Presidio La Bahía (Goliad), Texas (1829). Sadly, most people in Texas are unfamiliar with Texas-born, Texas-bred General Zaragoza’s story (see slide for brief key details). Yet, there’s much more to the story.
As mentioned in the slide, many Spanish Mexican-descent Texans and Southwestern brethren volunteered to fight in defense of Mexico against France during the 1862 Battle of Puebla. Once again, what would compel them to do so if they were already U.S. citizens? The quick answer is family ties. That is, former Spanish Mexican Texas had only been a U.S. state for less than 15 years.
Given that such information is missing in official Texas history, the following notes will hopefully help prove the proverb “Blood is thicker than water” when describing the interlocking bond embracing people living on both sides of the Rio Grande (no pun intended).
(1). It is this Borderlands extended family system that justifies Mexico’s green-white-red banner as one of the two founding flags of Texas.
(2). The communal Spanish Mexican-descent Texans’ genealogy family tree roots themselves grow on both sides of the lower Rio Grande. Oddly, before 1848, today’s South Texas’ Las Villas del Norte individual border towns were at one time cohesive single communities divided by the Rio Grande.
(3). As an example, my hometown of Laredo was split by the U.S. in 1848, when it made the Rio Grande a permanent Mason-Dixon Line, dividing our close-knit families in two. The result? Laredo families continue to be separated from blood-related kin across the river to this day.
(4) Most importantly, Borderlands families look alike, share last names, culture, cuisine, & speak Spanish because they are one-and-the-same. In short, the vibrant Spanish Mexican ambience on the Texas side of the border continues to thrive because it was planted long before 1848.
(5). As the victor of the U.S.-Mexico War of 1846-48, the U.S. had a free hand in writing the provisions in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo that ended the war. Specifically, U.S. officials knew fully well that the sprawling northern Mexico land mass they’d just acquired contained a significantly large population of brown skin Native Americans and their blood brethren, Spanish Mexican-descent residents. Oddly, the treaty allowed the existing population in Texas and Northern Mexico (today’s Southwest) to retain their unique culture and Spanish language, ostensibly to be ruled via an English colonial-style approach. Sadly, that de facto perception is still present today.
In hindsight, were the U.S. treaty promises made in good faith? Not exactly. From the start, the Spanish Mexican residents’ birthright “On this side of the border” was ignored and soon officially discouraged. Likewise, Southwest Native Americans were brutally persecuted, rounded up, and shipped to U.S. Reservations far from their homes. The result? Spanish Mexican-descent Texans & Native Americans continue to be treated as strangers in their own homeland.
“Sometimes, people don’t want to hear the truth, because they don’t want their illusions destroyed.” (Friedrich Nietzsche.)

04/30/2026

As an 8th-generation Texan, I’m blessed that my genealogical roots are clearly planted deeply in Texas, both through my indigenous and European lineages. However, I also speak for the multiple cultures that have made Texas their home. They’ve continued to arrive so many years after our Spanish Mexican pioneer ancestors in the 1820s, first invited and then welcomed U.S. immigrant Stephen F. Austin and his Old 300 families as the original Anglos in Texas.
Today, the iconic Institute of Texan Cultures in downtown San Antonio displays a collaborative “come together” of the world’s very diverse people & their contributions. In short, it’s San Antonio’s local application of our nation’s motto: “E Pluribus Unum” (Out of Many, One.) Yes, we are all Texans!
In fact, most people experience diversity encounters. Many do so without thinking. Such a mixture is often described as a win-win proverbial melting pot, with each group in Texas adding its own fundamental value to the whole.
Hopefully, the enclosed slide helps explain how it all began in this great place we call Texas. Foremost, our Spanish Mexican ancestors founded the ranching, cowboy, & rodeo phenomena that make Texas famous. Without question, this deep-rooted way-of-life in our state and its terminology is solidly based in the Spanish language.
Interestingly, today there are some people who object to Spanish being spoken in Texas and Southwest. Oddly, they don't realize that Spanish is hiding-in-plain-sight even within official post-1836-48 Texas history. For that reason, the examples below highlight this curious contradiction.
(l) Two of the six flags that Texas claims as its own (Spain & Mexico) symbolize the birth of Texas. (2) The “Álamo”, a historical structure built in 1718 by Texas’ founders, defines the pure Spanish Mexican heritage of New Spain, not New England.
(3) The Texas food scene is another great reminder as to the impact that the Spanish language has in everyday life. That’s especially true when people of all backgrounds order food at their favorite Mexican restaurant or shop for Mexican items at the grocery store. Incidentally, bilingual labels have proven to be a preferred profit-making marketing strategy for food industry CEOs. Recognized as cuisine-of-choice favorites every day, their popularity peaks during holidays and major sports events, i.e., Super Bowl.
As for mainstream U.S. society, there’s no better example of cross-culture acceptance & adaptation than Food Network’s “The Pioneer Woman”. Representing Middle America, TV personality Ree Drummond regularly features a family-favorite Mexican food fix. Most importantly, she makes every effort to respectfully & correctly pronounce Spanish Mexican dishes & ingredients.
(4) Lest we forget, in deciding to leave the U.S., Stephen F. Austin immigrated to Mexico with his Old 300 Anglo families to become Spanish-speaking Mexican citizens. Incidentally, Señor Austin fluently spoke & wrote Spanish and taught it to his children.
(5) Even when discussing Sam Houston’s 1836 Texas Revolution, the Spanish language is there. Texas, Álamo, San Antonio, Goliad, San Jacinto, Texano Cavalry, et al, are all Spanish words. The same goes for the many sports team mascots with Spanish Mexican origins (Dallas Cowboys (Vaqueros), Houston Texans (Texanos), Denver Broncos (Broncos), etc.)
Bottom Line? The Spanish language is ingrained in the Texas spirit. Said another way, the entire official Texas history narrative stands squarely on the shoulders of Texas’ Spanish Mexican foundation.
In closing, Stephen (Estéban) F. Austin said it best himself, “Mexico is the most munificent country in the world toward immigrants.”

04/25/2026

Explaining the robust Spanish Mexican genealogical roots in the U.S. has always been tough. The biggest obstacle standing in our way is that most people don't realize that Texas and the Southwest are in Spanish-speaking New Spain and not in English-speaking New England.
In other words, Texas and the Southwestern states aren’t part of the Northeast 13 English Colonies. Even before 1776, New Mexico, Texas, and California were already “states”.
Plus, the rest of the territory farther north was already settled along the Pacific Coast and inland. Thus, when the U.S. forcefully subsumed Northern Mexico in 1848, they simply took over already-settled Native American &Mexican land. In short, there’s no Plymouth Rock off the Texas coast.
A few days ago, you read about how the Gadsden Purchase blurred what was supposed to be a win-win border solution for both nations. Today, we’re covering another piece of the often-contentious U.S. & Mexico relationship puzzle.
That is, the origins of the Apr 25, 1846-Feb 2, 1848, U.S. Mexico War. Learning the real reason may present itself as an inconvenient truth for most people in this country. Still, there’s an old saying that goes “Truth is stranger than fiction”, and so it is with how the U.S. “Won the West.” So, knowing the cause-and-effect of the war will hopefully help un-tie that knotty issue.
(Hint. The “West” (Old West) is really conquered Native American/Mexican land. Alas, that key fact is masked in official U.S. history by the Homestead Act, Horace Greeley’s “Go West young man”, and largely influenced by Hollywood movies and TV programs, such as, “Wagon Train”, “Little House on the Prairie”, and “How the West was Won”, to name just a few.)
Moreover, during Pres. Polk’s saber-rattling bluster leading up to the war, a group of U.S. leaders fully recognized it as a blatant land-grab deception. Thus, they refused to violate Mexico’s sovereignty, a concept that at that time was sacred. They heavily debated the topic in Congress.
Besides U.S. Army General U.S. Grant’s contrite comments after the war (see slide), a young U.S. Congressman from Illinois, Abraham Lincoln, expressed similar moral concerns before the war.
For some time, expansionist President James K. Polk had “stoked the embers of war” to incite his jingoist base against Mexico. Without proof, he announced that U.S. soldiers had been killed by Mexican troops on U.S. soil. While not waving the bloody shirt himself, he fueled his pro-war supporters with his inflammatory oratory, seeking Congressional war funding.
Still, Abe Lincoln wasn’t having it. He thought that President Polk’s accusations lacked credibility. During a speech from the house floor, he dared Polk by demanding that he share with the Congress the details of the soldiers’ death and the exact spot on U.S. territory of the alleged killings. Polk refused to accept Lincoln’s challenge.
The reason is that Pres. Polk knew that the die was cast, so he didn’t care to answer. War with Mexico was approved, won, and allowed the U.S. to spread its wings from sea to shining sea.
In summary, Polk’s pre-planned ploy ended up occupying Northern Mexico (over half of Mexico’s sovereign territory).
Worse, Polk’s trick wasn’t forgotten, since it has served as a model for several wars since then. At least three examples come to mind, “Remember the Maine”, “The Gulf of Tonkin” incident, and “Weapons of Mass Destruction”, all propelled by and designed to spread fear rather than reality among supporters.
“Who lies for you will lie against you.” (John Locke).

04/23/2026

This week is the 172nd anniversary of the Gadsden Purchase, a hasty, afterthought acquisition that the U.S. made in 1854. Sadly, that deal created much of the distorted dilemma at the U.S. Mexico border, none more so than today’s very misunderstood Arizona & Mexico section.
By way of background, in 1848 when the U.S. forcibly subsumed Northern Mexico (the entire Southwest & north to the Canadian border), U.S. surveyors knowingly placed Arizona’s southern border farther north than it is today. They did so to exclude the large Tucson region (i.e., left it inside Mexico). Why? Tucson & surrounding area was already heavily populated by indigenous Native Americans & their brethren Spanish Mexican residents. Said another way, the U.S. particularly didn’t want them (ref. U.S. Senator John C. Calhoun’s anti-Mexican/Native American speech on the Senate floor (1848).)
Key Point. The entire region in question is also in the Sonora Desert that straddles both sides of the U.S. Mexico border. Moreover, it’s home to the Tohono O’odham people, whose thousands-year-old homeland likewise overlaps both the U.S. and Mexico.
Food for thought. The U.S. coercively bought the extra parcel of land from Mexico due to the terrain offering a more stable surface for the Transcontinental Railroad. In doing that, the U.S. promised residents that they could continue to freely cross the adjusted U.S. Mexico border as they had done for ages (that is, the desert denizens didn’t have to pay a fee or show passports.) Those rights echoed guarantees contained in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, i.e., to practice their Native American & Spanish-speaking culture “on this side of the border”.
Unfortunately for the Tohono O’odham people, the U.S. made them promises that they never intended to keep. That betrayal doomed the Tohono O’odham population to be treated as foreigners (ref. Book, “Trespassers on our own Land”, by Mike Scarborough, 2011).
Bottom line? What happened to the Native Americans and Spanish Mexican-descent residents in Tucson and surrounding area that the U.S. didn’t want in 1848, but grudgingly accepted in 1854? Well, they didn’t disappear. They stayed in their homes. They are still there, thriving, contributing, & giving Tucson (and the state of Arizona) its vibrant world-famous ambience. If only people would learn the historical roots and causes of today’s border predicament, the immigration misinformation machine would stop in its tracks.
“Knowledge is of no value, unless you put it into practice.” (Anton Chekhov).

04/14/2026

It’s always a good day to highlight and preserve the memory of our military war heroes. Today is the anniversary of the birth of U.S. Army Corporal Rodolfo (Rudy) Pérez Hernández, Korean War Medal of Honor (MOH) recipient. He’s yet another one of countless U.S. soldiers of Mexican descent who proved their loyalty to the U.S. in the battlefield. (See enclosed slide for his incredible patriotism story.)
After the war, Rudy got married and they had three children. He joined the VA and after his retirement, he settled in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
His community never forgot that among them lived a true U.S. military hero. The Carteret County Veterans Council named Rudy one of two grand marshals of its November 11, 2006, annual Veterans Day Parade.
On November 10, 2007, once again as co-grand marshal of the Morehead City Veterans Day Parade, Rudy reunited with Keith Oates, his lifesaving rescuer, a Morehead City resident.
In 2012, Rudy was once again named as the North Carolina Memorial Day Parade Grand Marshall in Thomasville, North Carolina. In 2013, he attended as an honored guest.
Battling cancer and other medical issues, U.S. Army Corporal Rodolfo “Rudy” Pérez Hernández died at Womack Army Medical Center in Fayetteville on December 21, 2013.
Bottom Line? The last sentence of his MOH Citation says it all: “The indomitable fighting spirit, outstanding courage, and tenacious devotion to duty clearly demonstrated by Cpl. HERNANDEZ reflect the highest credit upon himself, the infantry, and the U.S. Army”.
Remembering U.S. Army Corporal Rudy Hernández reminds us of how much we owe our military men and women. God continue to bless our active-duty troops and their families.
“We few, we happy few, we band of brothers. For he today that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother; be he never so vile, this day shall gentle his condition.” (William Shakespeare).

04/09/2026

April, Tejano/Tejana History Month. “Mi casa es su casa” is a Spanish greeting known worldwide. Translation? “My house is your house”. So it was when our Spanish Mexican ancestral leaders like General Victoria invited & then warmly welcomed Stephen F. Austin & the Old 300 Anglo immigrant families to Texas as new Mexican citizens to help Spanish Mexican-descent Tejano families settle north and northeast Texas.
Obviously, our ancestors never imagined that the U.S. Anglo immigrants would take their family-based Mi casa es su casa welcome offer so seriously. Yet, that’s what basically happened after 1836-48. Collateral damage was significantly severe from the git-go.
As the Anglo immigrants set up & filled positions in their Texas government, they ignored their Tejano allies. (Note: Lorenzo de Zavala was the only exception. He became Texas Vice President. However, after only a few months, he saw the handwriting on the wall & resigned his position. He retired to his home in east Texas Sadly, he died soon afterward.
Worse, the Spanish-speaking population was subjugated to colonial-style rule; doomed to second-class status in all quality-of-life issues. (As part of the attempted ethnic-cleansing efforts, the entire Tejano leadership tier was erased and hounded out of Texas.)
Tejanos had to wait more than 100 years for the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1954 “Class Apart” decision. Therein, the U.S. highest court (Chief Justice Earl Warren) publicly rebuked the State of Texas, demanding that Texas state officials stop blatant bigotry against Spanish Mexican-descent Texans.
Think about it. The historic decision occurred 10 years after WWII, meaning Tejanos & Tejanas finally got to experience the full array of U.S. Constitutional freedom guarantees. Today, however, more than 70 years later, Texas students are still deprived of learning about the seamless history of this great place we call Texas.
For the record, Victoria, Texas is named after Guadalupe Victoria. Likewise, Goliad is named for Miguel Hidalgo. La Bahía Mayor Rafael Manchola & cabildo (city council) renamed their pueblo to Goliad by rearranging the letters in Hidalgo, without the H. (BTW, Goliad is correctly pronounced with emphasis on the "a" and not the “o”.)
To summarize, we remember Guadalupe Victoria today, but we do so as part of our unique & long-rooted early Spanish Mexican Texas heritage, not as political allegiance to Mexico. Remember also that Mexico’s tri-color flag (verde, blanco, y colorado) is one of the six flags of Texas. Incidentally, Mexico’s flag flew over Texas four times longer than Sam Houston’s Texas flag.
Lastly, “The proof is in the pudding”. Our unbroken Spanish Mexican genealogical lineage is the reason why everything historically old in Texas and the Southwest is in Spanish. “Aquí todavía estamos, y no nos vamos.” (We are still here; we never left.)

04/01/2026

April is yet another important month in the history of this great place we call Texas. Why? Because it was in April that Padre Miguel Hidalgo’s Independence seeds he planted in 1810 sprouted the first freedom fruit in Texas, 1813. See below.
Two hundred thirteen (213) years ago today, Lt. Colonel José Bernardo Gutiérrez de Lara Uribe and his Army of the North (1st Texas Army) triumphantly entered the Texas Regional Capital of San Fernando (San Antonio). A man of his word, he wrote & signed the First Texas Declaration of Independence (April 6) and read its contents to jubilant Bexareños and Army of the North troops (Tejanos, Native American allies, & Anglo volunteers) outside the Spanish Governors Palace. On April 17, he wrote & signed the First Texas Constitution. So began Texas Independence as an autonomous province of Mexico. Following are additional key details.
Imagine for a moment, a school remedial geography class inside the White House in 1811. Two students: U.S. President James Madison and Secretary of State, James Monroe. The teacher? Lt. Colonel José Bernardo Gutiérrez de Lara Uribe, a blacksmith by trade, rancher, a family man of strong conviction, and Texas independence leader.
Don Bernardo, Mexico’s First Ambassador to the U.S., was in the White House asking for help in Mexico’s (& Texas) independence revolution. President Madison agreed with one condition. He told Don Bernardo that the U.S. would help because the U.S. already owned Texas, adding that the U.S. had bought Texas from France, as part of the 1803 Louisiana Purchase.
It was then that after some tense moments, Don Bernardo gave the U.S. president and secretary of state a quick geography and history lesson. First, Texas was in New Spain (Mexico). Second, he showed them that Mexico’s eastern border with Louisiana was the Rio Sabinas (Sabine River), not the Rio Grande, proving that Texas had never been part of Louisiana.
In response, President Madison accepted Don Bernardo’s explanation and yielded. He further allowed Gutiérrez de Lara to organize Mexico’s Army of the North (1st Texas Army) in Natchitoches, Louisiana. Don Bernardo then successfully led the first Texas Revolution (1812-13).
Alas, after the 1836 Anglo immigrants’ revolt, the U.S. illegally admitted Texas as a slave state in 1845, provoking the 1846-48 U.S.-Mexico War. (Note: Objective-minded historians have described that U.S. action as a pre-planned ploy to expand its territory from sea to shining sea.)
The people of Mexico fought the U.S. invasion, ending with their heroic world-famous last stand (i.e., Los Niños Heroes at Chapultepec Castle). Albeit after a valiant struggle, Mexico was overpowered by their more dominant next-door neighbor and forced to give up half of its sovereign territory (from California to Texas, stretching north to the Canadian border). It was at this time that the U.S. arbitrarily chopped off the northern part of Tamaulipas and added it to Texas (today’s South Texas, generally south of U.S. Highway 90).
“If history were told in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.” (Rudyard Kipling.)

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