LatinaLista — Amid all the bills that were signed into law in this session of the Texas legislature, there was one that was loooooong overdue about 500 years to be exact.
El Tejano
Sculpture by Armando Hinojosa
The bill honors Tejano Americans and recognizes the influence they had on the history of the state. But that’s not all. Now, visitors to the Texas state capitol will be reminded of the state’s Tejano legacy with a special statue on the capitol grounds.
Since 2001, the Tejano Monument Foundation has been fundraising to pay for the statue they have commissioned to be sculpted by artist Armando Hinojosa. So far, they’ve raised 1,457,000 of their goal of $1,606,954. It seems the Texas State Legislature also contributed — $1,086,857.
The statue, christened “El Tejano,” will be the largest of the 32 statues that currently sit on the capitol grounds. It depicts a proud Tejano vaquero or horseman on horseback surveying the horizon.
Yet, the pride conveyed by the vaquero can be nothing compared to the pride the men and women must feel who were behind the effort to gain overdue recognition for a state hero.
Texas Gov. signs bill recognizing “El Tejano”
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