Letter to the Editor

Posted

Dear editor,

In February 2020, I attended a Q&A meeting with the former mayor, along with many people of the Gonzales, Texas, community. At this meeting, I brought up the topic of the Tejanos, which in Spanish means Texians.

These groups of Hispanic volunteers sided with the settlers that wanted to be free from the Mexican dictatorship and fought alongside the Texian Army against Santa Anna's army. They were instrumental in the battles that helped propel the Texian Army into victory and helped form our great state of Texas.

I believe these men that sacrificed so much — some, even, their lives — deserve to be honored and remembered. A lot of these stories that the Tejanos were involved in actually transpired here in Gonzales and I urge everyone to take a look at the Tejano Volunteer Group site and look up the stories of the “Runaway Scrape,” “The Flores Brothers” and our very own “Come & Take It” for insight to who these brave men were.

At this site, you will also see a tribute story dedicated to the “Old 18” because the Tejanos will always honor the sacrifice and sacred memories of their Texian brothers. I'm hoping the mayor and the Gonzales City Council will honor the promise of the previous administration and do right by these Texas heroes by placing informational panels similar to the ones they created for the African-American community downtown.

I would like to see these panels erected near the old Riverside School, where the children in our community practice their quinces (Spanish Sweet 15th birthday party). I believe this will also help attract more tourists to our historically rich town and generate revenue for the small businesses operating in our community. These brave Tejanos fought for our Texas Independence; now it's only right we fight to honor their legacy.

Thomas Enriquez

Gonzales

Comments