Lauren Terrazas

One of the most popular hotels in the country is in San Antonio. It's named for a woman most people have never heard of. The woman behind the Hotel Emma ran a prominent brewery in South Texas for nearly two decades through some of the harshest times of the 20th century.

Hispanic Heritage Month comes a little over a month after an act of violence targeting Mexicans and Mexican Americans claimed 22 lives in El Paso. Activists want communities across Texas and the U.S. to have more profound observations to elevate Hispanic history and culture.

Tony Diaz, a Houston-based writer, says the rich culture should not be recognized and appreciated for just 30 days, but all year long.

On the campus of Sul Ross State University Rio Grande College, historical images and posters from the 1960s are mounted on easels and lined up through the halls of the Small Business Development Center. While some passersby may overlook the display, the historical and cultural significance is far from subtle. These collection of images in part of a traveling exhibition from the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.

It’s Sunday afternoon and church-goers shuffled into El Paso’s historic Sacred Heart Parish. Tucked away in Segundo Barrio, one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods, the church is a spiritual anchor to the predominantly immigrant community it serves.

Sacred Heart is less than one mile from an international bridge that connects El Paso to its sister city, Ciudad Juárez.

This weekend, there was a different presence of peace as four therapy dogs quietly sat in the back pew, ready to greet parishioners.

Despite being met with opposition, renovation work is underway at the Alamo as the Texas General Land Office plans to restore and recapture the historical 1836 battle.

Karina Erickson, Communications Director with the GLO, said the project aims to elevate the Alamo to the level of the Gettysburg memorial in Pennsylvania.

The Texas Historical Commission designated the Alamo a “Historic Texas Cemetery” in 2019, but local indigenous peoples and descendants of early settlers want to go a step further with an “unverified cemetery” designation. 

Ramón Juan Vásquez, executive director of the American Indians in Texas, said members of the Coahuiltecan Nation and descendents of early settlers have fought for recognition of the cemetery for 24 years.

Latino arts and culture is rich, colorful and varied. The National Association of Latino Arts and Culture is dedicated to promoting, developing and cultivating Latinx artists. Sometimes, however, outside forces can take a toll on their community.

Maria López De León, president and CEO of NALAC, said the organization has not been shy around the country’s immigration debate.

Chicana writer Cherríe Moraga is the author of the literary memoir, “Native Country of the Heart.” It explores not just Moraga’s life, but that of her mother, Elvira.  Elvira was born in 1914. Her father hired 11-year-old Elvira and her siblings as cotton pickers in California. As a young teen, she worked at a Tijuana casino that was frequented by Hollywood stars and mob bosses.