Faces of Béxar

Faces of Béxar showcases the finest work of Jesús F. de la Teja, aforemost authority on Spanish colonial Mexico and Texas throughthe Republic. These essays trace the arc of the author’s career overa quarter of a century. A new bibliographic essay on early SanAntonio and Texas history rounds out the collection, showingwhere Tejano history has been, is now, and where it might go inthe future.

For de la Teja, the Tejano experience in San Antonio is a casestudy of a community in transition, one moved by forceswithin and without. From its beginnings as an imperial outpostto becoming the center of another, newer empire—itself intransition—the social, political, and military history of SanAntonio was central to Texas history, to say nothing of the largercontexts of Mexican and American history. This book exploresthis and more, including San Antonio's origins as a militarysettlement, the community's economic ties to Saltillo, its rolein the fight for Mexican independence, and the motivationsof Tejanos for joining Anglo Texans in the struggle forindependence.

Taken together, Faces of Béxar stands to be a milestone in thegrowing literature on Tejano history.