This week on Texas Matters — The story of Texas that we typically hear is one with a conservative bias.But there are parts of Texas history that reflect a more progressive vein of the state’s identity. Stories of the fence cutters, the great cowboy strike and the struggle against the power of big business. The new book "The Myth of Red Texas: Cowboys, Populism, and Class War in the Radical South" challenges the common view of Texas history.
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The book "Los Adaes, the First Capital of Spanish Texas" explores the colonial history of this all-but-forgotten Spanish fort and mission. -
The history of the Mayan civilization seemed to be lost forever when Spanish explorers first saw the ruins of the ancient cities in Mexico and Central America. Today with recent decipherment of their writings the story of the Maya can now be told from their perspective. -
New allegations that César Chávez sexually assaulted women and girls, including minors, have triggered a fast and painful reckoning over one of the most celebrated figures in Mexican American and labor history. -
Historian Jorge Luis García Ruiz discusses the lesser-known contributions of Spain to the American cause during the 18th-century war. -
No other phenomenon has shaped human history as decisively as capitalism. It structures how we live and work, how we think about ourselves and others, how we organize our politics. But is capitalism what you think it is? It's rooted in the ideas of private property, self-interest and profit — but it is dependent on the rule of law and state support. We hear the story of capitalism. -
Millions of Texans tell pollsters religion is very important in their lives. Every Sunday hundreds of megachurches fill up and celebrate their faith – which also shapes their politics. The result , elections are won and lost based on performances of righteousness. The State Board of Education bends the nation’s textbooks to a conservative Lone Star gospel, and laws are passed based on Christian values. How did Texas become “one state under God"? -
Archeologist Carolyn Boyd discusses recent discoveries made at the Pecos River-style mural site on the Texas-Mexico border near Del Rio. -
An unveiling ceremony was held on Wednesday recognizing the significant contributions of San Antonio Lodge No.1, the first Masonic Lodge for African Americans in Texas.
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Today on Texas Matters: The old Spanish missions of San Antonio — 300 years of history, community memory and meaning. Joel Daniel Kitchens is the author of “San Antonio and Its Missions: Three Centuries of History, Memory and Heritage.” -
The Mexican American Civil Rights Institute in San Antonio presents the story of William Merriweather Peña with a new exhibit.
