The Texas Historical Commission has recognized musician Lydia Mendoza as a significant contributor to Texas history by awarding her an official Texas History Marker.
Mendoza was born in Houston on May 31, 1916. She spent some of her youth in Mexico before moving to San Antonio in the 1930s where she and her family would perform in city squares.
As radio took root as a form of mass media Mendoza was featured as a regular performer and became one of the first Mexican American singing stars of the air waves.
Lydia Mendoza died in San Antonio in 2007 at the age of 91, her career spanned over 60 years, during which she recorded more than 50 albums. She was awarded the National Heritage Award as well as the National Medal of the Arts.
Texas Public Radio contributor Yvette Benavides visited with Mendoza in 2006 just before her 90th birthday celebration in San Antonio.
