For two and a half centuries Tejanos have lived and ranched on the land of South Texas, establishing many homesteads and communities. This modest book tells the story of one such family, the Sáenzes, who established Ranchos San José and El Fresnillo. Obtaining land grants from the municipality of Mier in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, these settlers crossed the Wild Horse Desert, known as Desierto Muerto, into present-day Duval County in the 1850s and 1860s. Through the simple, direct telling of his family’s stories, Andrés Sáenz lets readers learn about their homes of piedra (stone) and sillares (large blocks of limestone or sandstone), as well as the jacales (thatched-roof log huts) in which people of more modest means lived. He describes the cattle raising that formed the basis of Texas ranching, the carts used for transporting goods, the ways curanderas treated the sick, the food people ate, and how they cooked it. Marriages and deaths, feasts and droughts, education, and domestic arts are all recreated through the words of this descendent, who recorded the stories handed down through generations. The accounts celebrate a way of life without glamorizing it or distorting the hardships. The many photographs record a picturesque past in fascinating images. Those who seek to understand the ranching and ethnic heritage of Texas will enjoy and profit from Early Tejano Ranching.

The uniquely Texan system that arose from the state's agricultural heritage, a mixture of practices and traditions from New Spain, Mexico, Europe, and the South, was the foundation for Texas' economic strength after the Civil War. In "Texas Roots," Jones brings alive this aspect of the state's history that contributed immeasurably to its identity and prosperity.

When the South Texas State Teaches College first opened its doors 75 years ago, there was only one academic building in the middle of a cotton field, no paved roads, dormitories, or even a cafeteria. Today, the Javelinas boast a proud tradition, distinguished alumni, and an unmatched passion for education. As it looks toward the certain trials of the future, Texas A&M-Kingsville shines with promise, confident in the knowledge that no obstacle is too great that the Javelina cannot triumph over. Robert B. Cousins, who had served as the Texas State Superintendent of education in South Texas, was given the mission of training teachers in South Texas to raise the standards of education and prepare the future leaders of tomorrow. Through 75 years, Texas A&M-Kingsville has overcome five name changes, lackluster state financing, and fiscal prejudices, to create a premier university in a rural, bilingual, and multicultural region.

On the plains between the San Antonio River and the Rio Grande lies the heartland of what is perhaps the largest ethnic region in the United States, Tejano South Texas. In this cultural geography, Daniel Arreola charts the many ways in which Texans of Mexican ancestry have established a cultural province in this Texas-Mexico borderland that is unlike any other Mexican American region. Arreola begins by delineating South Texas as an environmental and cultural region. He then explores who the Tejanos are, where in Mexico they originated, and how and where they settled historically in South Texas. Moving into the present, he examines many factors that make Tejano South Texas distinctive from other Mexican American regions—the physical spaces of ranchos, plazas, barrios, and colonias; the cultural life of the small towns and the cities of San Antonio and Laredo; and the foods, public celebrations, and political attitudes that characterize the region. Arreola's findings thus offer a new appreciation for the great cultural diversity that exists within the Mexican American borderlands.

Sixteen South Texas women stand proudly in the public mural Mujeres a Través del Tiempo by Arnold Gonzáles Sr. housed on the campus of Texas A&M University–Kingsville. These women are pioneers; they are ranchers, educators, artists, politicians, and community activists; they are general and specific, known and unknown. Inspired by the mural, this study assumes the biographer’s task: to fill in the gaps of knowledge between the figures as seen and the lives they lived, with their trials and triumphs. Assembled by editor Susan L. Roberson, this collection features essays on the lives of the women who are depicted in the mural, women who live or lived in the South Texas region between the Nueces River and the Rio Grande, particularly Kleberg, Kenedy, and Nueces counties. Situated near the boundary between Mexico and Texas, these women navigated more than geographic borders as they tested their place in economic, political, and artistic arenas long recognized as male domains. Taken together, these biographical sketches contribute to a revision and reimagining of the history of South Texas and provide a corrective to an Anglo-dominated history of the area by showing how Tejanas found places of leadership and creative outlets. By sketching the contributions of female students at Texas A&M University–Kingsville, the final essay brings the collection to the present and forecasts a future where opportunities for women extend beyond borders.