Tejano Epic

Every now and then a scholar appears in the field of history whose outpouring of works earns them special tribute and homage. Such a person is Dr. Felix D. Almaraz, Jr., of the University of Texas at San Antonio. Over the course of a career that spans more than four decades, don Felix (as he is respectfully known) has stamped his name on Texas history as an author of award-winning books and essays, as an ambassador for the profession, and as a winner of numerous awards and honors, many of them bestowed upon him by historical and learned societies abroad. Tejano Epic is a tribute to don Felix, compiled to recognize his outstanding service on behalf of Texas history in general and the state's Hispanic past in particular. All the contributors are well-known scholars in the field of Tejano history; all have been touched by Dr. Almaraz's exemplary scholarship, warm friendship, and consummate professionalism. The essays have a student readership in mind, each showing the historian at work: debunking stereotypes, revising the historical record, revisiting old events through new perspectives, engaging in archival detective work, or studying neglected topics in Tejano history. They are also suitable for teachers and general readers who want to know more about contributions and influences of the Mexican-origin people in Texas.

Arnoldo De Leon is C. J. ""Red"" Davidson Professor of History at Angelo State University. He is the author of Racial Frontiers: Africans, Chinese, and Mexicans in Western America, 1848-1890, and Ethnicity in the Sunbelt: A History of Mexican Americans in Houston, Texas.