Carole Sikes Artist / Writer in Austin, Texas

WHAT DO YOU KNOW about Spanish Texas? It is believed that the shoreline from Florida to Texas was first viewed by a Spaniard as early as 1519. Spanish explorers came long before the English settled the Atlantic Coast of North America______ Strong, proud Spain struggled to persuade its own citizens to colonize the vast and remote lands in North America, so in 1820, it opened up Texas to Anglo Americans. After Mexico became independent from Spain in 1821, sparsely populated Texas became part of the Mexican Nation. Both Mexicans and U. S. citizens, wanting inexpensive land to farm and ranch, flocked to Tejas. This accounts for the myriad of Spanish names for towns, counties, rivers and creeks, mountains and islands.______ Spaniards brought horses. Many became wild, multiplied and were acquired and tamed by Indians. Spanish laws had established land ownership, water rights, community property and inheritance by daughters and widows. Crops were brought and irrigation was implemented. Pre...

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WHAT DO YOU KNOW about the Alamo? Much has been written about the Alamo. The battle of the colonists and the revolutionaries in the Mexican state of Tejas against the Mexican General Santa Anna’s army is one of the great defeats that has been romanticized and made legendary. So what does one say that hasn’t already been said? Jason Stanford, along with two others, has written a book entitled Forget the Alamo, the rise and fall of the American myth. To hear what he had to say I viewed a webinar. He discussed some Alamo myths that we have come to celebrate and enjoy. Labeling the tale “a white supremacy myth,” he did conclude that one can still enjoy Christmas without believing in Santa Claus. Stanford is an educator. As best I could tell without reading his book, the intent or theme is to debunk the white heroes and save the brown children from being uncomfortable in Texas History classes. He cited three Alamo heroes, all tall, intelligent and instinctive warriors. Davy Crockett, an ...