Tejanos
Tejanos (/teɪˈhɑːnoʊz/, Spanish: [teˈxanos]) are descendants of Texas Creoles and Mestizos who settled in Texas before its admission as an American state. The term is also sometimes applied to Texans of Mexican descent.
History
As early as 1519, Alonso Álvarez de Pineda claimed the area that is now Texas for Spain. The Spanish monarchy paid little attention to the province until 1685. By 1821, at the end of the Mexican War of Independence, about 4,000 Tejanos lived in Mexican Texas, alongside a lesser number of foreign settlers. In addition, several thousand New Mexicans lived in the areas of Paso del Norte (now El Paso, Texas) and Nuevo Santander, incorporating Laredo and the Rio Grande Valley.
During the 1820s, many settlers from the United States and other nations moved to Mexican Texas, mostly in the eastern area. The passage of the General Colonization Law, encouraged immigration by granting the immigrants citizenship if they declared loyalty to Mexico. By 1830, the 30,000 recent settlers in Texas, who were primarily Englishspeakers from the United States, outnumbered the Hispanos Tejano six to one.
The Texians and Tejano alike rebelled against attempts by the government to centralize authority in Mexico City and other measures implemented by President Antonio López de Santa Anna. Tensions between the central Mexican government and the settlers eventually resulted in the Texas Revolution.
Demographics
Most Tejanos are concentrated in southern Texas, in historic areas of Spanish colonial settlement and closer to the border that developed. The city of San Antonio is the historic center of Tejano culture.
Politics
Tejanos were one of most ethnic groups that turned to right during 2024 US presidential election. Many southern counties in Texas turned to red such as Hidalgo, Starr and Cameron County.[1] Tejanos are culturally conservative and identify with Republican positions on gun rights, Christianity, and abortion. Also Tejanos are more likely to be Evangelical Protestants than Roman Catholics.[2]