TSHA Launches Online Handbook

Texas State Historical Association Launches Online Handbook Celebrating Tejano History

AUSTIN, TX — The Texas State Historical Association’s (TSHA) Handbook of Texas Online, the authoritative digital encyclopedia of Texas history, geography and culture, today launched the Handbook of Tejano History with over 1,200 entries, including 300 new entries. To mark the occasion, the TSHA is releasing an accompanying eBook entitled Tejanos Through Time: Selections from the Handbook of Tejano History. This eBook, which is available for free download on the TSHA website, offers a glimpse into the larger Handbook of Tejano History, which includes hundreds of new Handbook entries detailing the critical influence of Tejanos on the Lone Star State.

Co-edited by distinguished historians Dr. Emilio Zamora of the University of Texas at Austin and Dr. Andrés Tijerina of Austin Community College, the eBook features 30 entries about prominent Tejano individuals, organizations, and events that defined many of the Lone Star State’s most iconic symbols and traditions. The Handbook of Tejano History and accompanying eBook are being released on March 29 to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the Tejano Monument unveiling on the Capitol grounds in Austin.

According to Zamora, “The story of Texas would be incomplete without celebrating its Tejano influence. Through the inspiring stories of prominent Tejano figures and the histories of iconic symbols and traditions, we come to understand the importance of Mexican Americans in Texas history. This publication acknowledges the unique and prominent impact of Tejanos on our state and the need to preserve their rich history.”

Tijerina added, “We cannot speak about Texas history without acknowledging the significant Tejano contributions to intellectual, working class, women’s, and labor rights history. Nor can we deny the extraordinary record of military service and battlefield sacrifice by Tejano servicemen in American conflicts. The new entries we have gathered for this project about Spanish Texas, elected officials, community leaders, ethnic conflict, education, and influential organizations reflected the vitality and continued development of Tejano history.”

The eBook provides a representative sample of the new entries generated by the project, as well as some updated versions of previously published Handbook entries, demonstrating the research and writing of dozens of historians, educators, students and Texas history enthusiasts committed to capturing and sharing Tejano contributions to Texas life and culture.

The Handbook of Tejano History is the latest in a series of projects by the Handbook of Texas. Previous projects include the Handbook of African American Texas, the Handbook of Civil War Texas and the Handbook of Texas Music. The online Handbook of Texas currently contains more than 26,000 entries about all things Texan.