UHV to host symposium highlighting Tejano ranchers
The University of Houston-Victoria is bringing back its annual Martín de León Symposium on the Humanities this coming October.
This year, the symposium will present Los Ranchos Tejanos: El Ranchero Y Su Rancherita, which will celebrate the history, culture and impact of ranching and rancheros in Texas and the American Southwest.
"This year's Martin De León Symposium on the Humanities will show how ranching not only had a significant impact on the economy of Texas, but on Texas culture as well,” said Jim Dupree, UHV assistant professor of history.
Set for Saturday, Oct. 5, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., the symposium will take place inside Kay & Ron Walker Auditorium, UHV University North, 3007 N. Ben Wilson St. The event will be hosted by UHV University Advancement and the UHV College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, and the event is organized by the History program in the Department of Social Sciences.
To celebrate the rich history of past cattlemen and cattlewomen who shaped the Texas landscape, the symposium will feature two keynote speakers and a panel of three ranchers to discuss their experiences on cattle ranches in Texas, said Esther Cuenca, UHV assistant professor of history and organizer of the event.
“At UHV, we are a Hispanic-serving institution, and we have a lot of pride in the fact that we have deep connections to Mexican American culture here,” Cuenca said. “Part of that celebration of Mexican American culture, which the De Leon Symposium has been promoting for more than 30 years at UHV, is about acknowledging the importance of the history of Mexican Americans and their impact on Texas history overall.”
One of the keynote speakers for the event will be Armando Alonzo, an associate professor of history from Texas A&M University. He will be discussing the impact of Mexican and Tejano ranchers from the 1820s to 1875. The second keynote speaker will be Gary Moreno, a professor of history from Austin Community College. Moreno will be touching on how Wild West show performers in Texas portrayed their experiences as ranchers.
In the middle of the two keynotes, there will be a three-person panel featuring ranchers from across Texas who will share their experiences, Cuenca said. Following the event, UHV will host various events for attendees to enjoy during Family Weekend, she said.
“This year’s symposium is thematically linked to a new historical ranching exhibit at the Museum of the Coastal Bend, which opens on Oct. 10,” Cuenca said. “We’re excited to amplify the stories and significance of ranching and rancheros in our region.”
The event is open to the public, and attendees are encouraged to RSVP by contacting Cuenca at cuencae@uhv.edu.
The University of Houston-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 50 academic programs in the schools of Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. UHV provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as an instructional site in Katy, Texas, and online classes that students can take from anywhere. UHV supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.