Spanish Texas During the American Revolution: Life and Legacy, 1775–1783 Launches at The Heritage Society

HOUSTON — The Heritage Society at Sam Houston Park will expand its America250 programming this fall with the launch of Spanish Texas During the American Revolution: Life and Legacy, 1775–1783, a traveling exhibition that reframes the American Revolution through the experiences of Tejanos and Spanish settlers. The exhibit is produced by the Mexican American Museum of Texas in partnership with The Heritage Society, the Order of the Granaderos y Damas de Gálvez and the Daughters of the American Revolution, Texas Society.

The project is supported by sponsors including Houston City Council Member Twila Carter and Humanities Texas, whose funding helps bring the exhibition and its related educational programs to communities across the state.

Covering the years 1775 to 1783, the exhibition highlights Spanish Texas communities stretching from the Sabine to the Nueces Rivers, including San Antonio, La Bahía, Los Adaes and Nacogdoches. Organizers say the goal is to broaden public understanding of the Revolution as a continental conflict shaped by diverse communities far beyond the thirteen colonies.

The Heritage Society will host a series of programs throughout the exhibition’s run, including Lunch and Learn sessions focused on daily life in Spanish Texas — from foodways and medicine to courtship, leisure and frontier justice. Scholars will also examine the region’s relationships with Native nations and the role Tejanos played in supporting Spanish military campaigns.

The exhibition will officially open with a grand opening reception in September at The Heritage Society Museum. A Family Heritage Day in September will kick off Hispanic Heritage Month with bilingual interpretation, hands‑on activities and historic house tours designed for elementary and middle‑school audiences. Two Evening Speaker Events will bring historians and community leaders together to discuss Tejano military service, cattle drives and the donativos — donations made by residents to support Spanish Colonel Bernardo de Gálvez’s campaigns against the British. Research shows Spanish Texans contributed nearly 1,700 pesos, equivalent to about 340 head of cattle.

Executive Director Alison Bell said the exhibition builds directly on the museum’s summer presentation of The American Revolution Experience, part of the American Battlefield Trust and Daughter’s of the American Revolution initiative.

“This exhibition is a natural continuum of our America250 work,” Bell said. “The American Revolution Experience introduced visitors to the many communities who shaped the fight for independence, and Spanish Texas During the American Revolution: Life and Legacy, 1775–1783 shows how the territories of New Spain helped sustain that effort 250 years ago. It gives us a deeper, more accurate understanding of how global alliances — including the people of Spanish Texas — aided a soon‑to‑be‑freed America.”

Bell added that the exhibition’s centerpiece — a life‑sized bull representing the cattle drives that supplied Spanish forces — is already drawing attention.

“We may have to gently remind children that it’s not a mechanical bull,” she said with a laugh. “It’s a teaching tool that shows how vital cattle were to the Revolution, but I can already tell it’s going to be a fan favorite.”

The exhibition includes bilingual panels, replica objects and primary sources, along with descendant stories connecting historical figures to present‑day families. Organizers say the goal is to highlight the diversity of the Hispano community and expand the public’s understanding of the Revolution as a shared, multi‑ethnic struggle.

The exhibition will travel across Texas for eight years, mirroring the duration of the Revolutionary War.

About the Mexican American Museum of Texas

The Mexican American Museum of Texas, founded in 2022 and based in San Antonio, is dedicated to preserving, interpreting and promoting the history, culture and contributions of Mexican Americans across the state. The museum develops statewide partnerships, traveling exhibitions and educational programs that highlight underrepresented narratives in Texas history. Its leadership and curatorial team work closely with scholars, descendants and community organizations to ensure historical accuracy, cultural authenticity and broad public access to Mexican American heritage.

About The Heritage Society

The Heritage Society, a 501(c)(3) organization, tells the stories of Houston and Texas through collections, exhibits, educational programs and the arts. Founded in 1954 to save the 1847 Kellum Noble House from demolition, the organization has since preserved nine additional historic buildings, relocating them to Sam Houston Park and restoring them to reflect their eras. These 10 structures, along with the museum gallery, house more than 23,000 artifacts documenting life in Houston from the early 1800s to the mid 1900s. For more information, contact info@heritagesociety.org or visit heritagesociety.org.