Exhibit: Spanish Texas During the American Revolution

Spanish Texas During the American Revolution is open at The Heritage Society Museum at Sam Houston Park, 1100 Bagby Street, as part of the America250 initiative. It's a traveling exhibition that reframes the American Revolution through the experiences of Tejanos and Spanish settlers across Spanish Texas, from the Sabine to the Nueces Rivers, covering San Antonio, La Bahía, Los Adaes, and Nacogdoches.

The show was produced by the Mexican American Museum of Texas in partnership with historian and author Dr. Tim Seiter. Its centerpiece is Don Fernando, a life-sized bull by the artist known as Piñata Man, which serves as a teaching tool about the cattle drives that supplied Spanish forces. Research cited in the exhibit shows Spanish Texans contributed nearly 1,700 pesos—roughly 340 head of cattle—in donativos to aid Colonel Bernardo de Gálvez's efforts against the British. Around that bull, you'll find bilingual panels, replica objects, primary sources, and descendant stories.

The Heritage Society's executive director, Alison Bell, called it a natural continuation of the museum's summer presentation, The American Revolution Experience. It's not staying in Houston forever, either: the show travels across Texas for eight years.

Admission is $5, with free access on designated community days. The museum gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 AM to 4 PM.