TGSA

2025 TEXAS HISPANIC GENEALOGICAL & HISTORICAL CONFERENCE

SPEAKERS

Below are the Conference Speakers we have lined up so far. Click on their picture to get more information. Come back soon for updates and a schedule of when they will be presenting.

Alfredo E. Cardenas

Anthony Delgado

Dr. Christopher Carmona

Moises Garza

Dr. Adrian Chavana

Dr. Gary Moreno

Diana M. Reyes & Margot Moreno

Esther N. Camacho

Dr. Carlos Varela

Laura Esparza

Julia Lopez

Robert Rivera Ojeda

David Reta

Dr. Christopher Carmona

Title:
Palimpsest of the Frontera: The Story of the Texas Borderlands Through the Women Who Shaped It

Presentation:
Dr. Carmona's presentation tells the stories of two very different women that capture the female experience in the South Texas Borderlands of the 19th and 20th centuries. The first is Estéfana Goseacochea de Cavazos de Cortina [1782-1867], a pioneer Mexicana from South Texas, a land grant awardee that was instrumental in bringing education and the Catholic culture to the Rio Grande Valley of Deep South Texas, and my fifth great-grandmother. The second is Hermila Cuellar [1903-1946] a mother, businesswoman, bootlegger, and my great grandmother. These two women lived through very different circumstances – each an example of what life was like for women in South Texas in their lifetimes. It was a time of great loss of lands, status, and wealth, but was also a representation of the resilience of these women who did what they could in order to provide for the future of their families.

Bio:
Dr. Christopher Carmona, Director of the Center for Mexican American Studies and Research and an Associate Professor at Our Lady of the Lake University of Mexican American Studies and English, is an award-winning poet and writer and member of the national award-winning organization, Refusing To Forget, which researches and promotes the history of violence against Mexican Americans and Latinos in the early 20th Century and beyond. His latest anthology is Jovita: An Anthology of the Life and Influence of Jovita Idar. Currently, he is working on finishing this series of YA novels. Book Three is out now. He served as the Chair of the NACCS Tejas Foco Committee on Implementing MAS in PreK-12 Education in Texas; was a leader in getting the TEKS based Mexican American Studies High School Course approved by the Texas State Board of Education; served on Responsible Ethnic Studies Textbook committee that was awarded the “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” award for excellence in educational leadership from the Mexican American School Board Association and is also an inductee to the Texas Institute of Letters.

Moises Garza

Title:
Start or Reboot Your Family Tree the Right Way

Presentation:
With this presentation you will learn how to get started and how to reboot your genealogy and family tree the right way. You will also learn about software and websites that are available for using in researching your ancestors.

Bio:
Moises' passion for genealogy started in the cotton fields of West Texas. As a migrant worker he was blessed to work next to his father, Lauro Garza, who had a sharp memory and told countless stories about his own ancestors. Moises has been doing genealogy since 1998. Since then he has helped countless others in their quest to find their ancestors. He continues with this passion by creating resources to help you in your own research.

Dr. Adrian Chavana

Title:
“Remembering the Díaz Family: Tracing Indigenous Leaders of the San Antonio Missions”

Presentation:
This presentation explores the ways in which Indigenous people navigated the Spanish colonial in San Antonio to ensure their own survival. By critically unpacking the archival record of the San Antonio missions, including baptismal and census records, as well as official communiques with the colonial administration, this talk unpacks how members of the Díaz family served their fellow Indigenous mission residents as elected alcaldes (mayors) on the eve of Mexican independence from Spain.

Bio:
Dr. Adrian V. Chavana is an Assistant Professor in the Department of History at Texas A&M University. He worked closely with a tribal community of Mission Indian descendants in San Antonio to research and write his dissertation, which he is now revising into his first book, tentatively titled “Becoming Gente de Razón: The San Antonio Mission Indians and Their Descendants”. Pushing back against narratives of Indian extinction by critically unpacking issues of mestizaje and the politics of recognition, the book explores how the San Antonio Mission Indians and their descendants not only survived through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries but are now in the midst of a cultural and political resurgence, fighting for state recognition as an Indian tribe.

Dr. Gary Moreno

Title:
Mexicans in Wild West Shows

Presentation:
Histories of cowboys and Native American performers in the wild West Shows are well known. However, the history of Mexican performers in those circuses is less explored. Come learn about the forgotten stories of some of the first migrant laborers who crossed into the U.S. via the railroads.

Bio:
Gary Moreno received his PH.D in Latin American history in 2015 from the University of Oklahoma. As a cultural historian, Dr. Moreno specializes in fashion and the development of the traje de charro through literature, art and performance. He has served as Director of the Latin American Cultural Center at Austin Community College since 2020 and teaches courses in U.S. and Mexican-American history.

Diana M. Reyes & Margot Moreno

Title:
No somos Yndios y No somos Mexicanos: Uncovering Our True History at the San Antonio Missions

Presentation:
Diana & Margot will discuss the story of their journey to the discovery of their family's hidden past. It's a story of sorrow & joy, one that is filled with determination & resilience. It is a story of their ancestors who were determined to blend in with society in order to ensure their survival, and by doing so, ensured the survival of generations to come.

Bio:
Diana & Margot, sisters and descendants of Mission San Jose's last indigenous governor, have joined forces to uncover, preserve & uplift the stories of Native communities tied to the San Antonio Mission. Through genealogical research, community storytelling, and historical advocacy, they are working to ensure that the legacies of their ancestors-and those of countless others-are no longer forgotten, but honored, shared, and celebrated for generations to come.

Esther N. Camacho

Title:
Creating a Bigger Picture of Your Family Tree

Presentation:
Birth, marriage, and death data is very important to genealogical researcher. However, our ancestors are more than just data. Let’s explore and create a bigger picture to our family tree.

Bio:
Esther Camacho is a genealogist, researcher, and retired librarian. Listening to family stories from her parents and grandparents led to a passion for genealogy and local history. She is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, Texas State Genealogical Society, Hidalgo County Historical Commission, and Las Villas del Norte Genealogy Group. She has presented at local organizations and state conferences on a variety of topics including beginners’ genealogy, Hispanic and cemetery research, and local history. Esther holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and a Master of Library Science from Texas Woman’s University.

Dr. Carlos Varela

Title:
The Bourland & Miller Commission: Adjudicating the South Land Grants

Presentation:
The aftermath of the U.S.-Mexico War left the question of how Texas’ newly gained territory below the Nueces River would be incorporated into its domain. The solution was to establish a commission to review the previously standing Spanish and Mexican land grants in the area. Governor Peter H. Bell appointed William H. Bourland and James B. Miller as commissioners in charge of executing this review process. This presentation will trace the history and the aftermath of the Bourland and Miller Commission and show how the recommendations made by these commissioners shaped the history of South Texas land grants.

Bio:
Carlos Varela was born and raised in El Paso, Texas. He graduated from the University of Texas at El Paso with a master’s and doctorate degree in History. His research examines land grant issues in Texas, Tejano displacement, and U.S.-Mexico diplomatic relations. Carlos is also currently serving as secretary of the Society of Southwest Archivists and previously served as president of El Paso’s Association of Applied Border History. Lastly, he currently serves as a Spanish translator and curator for the Texas General Land Office.

Laura Esparza

Title:
Legacy of Courage: The Story of Ana and Gregorio Esparza

Presentation:
“The story runs in our veins; it’s part of our DNA…It’s our ritual re-creation of how we discovered ourselves.”

The Battle of the Alamo, as seen through the eyes of Laura Esparza, (the great-great-great granddaughter of Ana and Gregorio Esparza,) becomes the story of how a Mexican American family took inspiration from history to create a new cultural identity as courageous professionals and public servants. The irony of a Mexican who was also an Alamo hero became a secret for a family still struggling with historical PTSD. Esparza turns to events of the 20th Century and how they changed the cultural chemistry for the Esparza family to turn a story of tragedy into a story of triumph. Listen to this remarkable story told by one of the 783 descendants of Ana and Gregorio Esparza told through lecture, poetry and drama.

Bio:
Laura Esparza is currently the Executive Director of A3: Art Alliance Austin, the City’s first non-profit Local Art Agency where she facilitates a re-granting program for local artists, musicians and performers. She retired after 17 years as the Division Manager of the City’s 12 Museums and Cultural Centers that she ran for the City of Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department.

Ms. Esparza’s training is in theater; she was the recipient of the esteemed San Diego Fellowship at UCSD where she received her Master’s of Fine Arts in Latino Theater and Direction. In 1994, she received the NEA-TCG Director’s Fellowship, a national honor given to only four theater directors in the nation, every other year. Her undergraduate degree from Fairhaven College, Western Washington University, was entitled “Community Arts Development,” which brought her to her work with the City of Austin’s museums and cultural centers.

Julia Lopez

Title:
The Canary Islands and Me 1731-2025

Presentation:
Ms. Lopez steps through her realization that she descends from one of the 16 families that journeyed from Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain in 1730 at the urging of King Felipe V in an effort to colonize the area known as San Antonio today. She lays out why the families left their homeland forever, why that decision may have saved their lives, the contributions made by these Isleños to the first civil government in San Antonio and what it means to be a Canary Islander today, both in the United States and in the Canary Islands. Learn about the descendants who have been recognized as Daughters of the American Revolution and Sons of the American Revolution patriots and how so many are tracing their lineage to these ancestors today.

Bio:
Julia Lopez, a native of Victoria, and her husband Lorenzo, a retired U.S. Navy Veteran, live in Austin near their two children and five grandchildren. Ms. Lopez, studied at The University of Texas in Austin and worked for UT as a Purchasing Manager for the Department of Defense Laboratory for over 30 years. As a certified Mediator, she served on UT’s Mediation Team for nearly 15 years with a specialty in employee dispute resolution and is also certified in many disciplines such as Human Resources, Leadership, and Best Business Practices. She is semi-retired and is now Assistant to the Assistant Director of Administrative Services.

Ms. Lopez loves to share history about her Canary Islander ancestors and their impact on the founding of San Antonio! She is President of the Canary Islands Descendants Association (CIDA) and has held many other positions: two terms on the CIDA Executive Board; Board positions for Daughters of the Republic of Texas, Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and Tejano Genealogical Society of Austin as well as serving as Chair of the Republic of Texas Museum in Austin. Ms. Lopez currently serves on NSDARs Specialty Research Committee – Spanish Task Force and is Veterans Program Chair for her DAR Chapter where she executes several annual projects to assist needy Veterans in central Texas. In addition, she interviews Veterans about their service as part of the Library of Congress Veterans History Project, a project she feels passionately about. Ms. Lopez was bestowed the title of Yellow Rose of Texas by Governor Greg Abbott in 2019.

Robert Rivera Ojeda

Title:
The Development of the Mexican-American Orquesta in the United States

Presentation:
A chronological sketch of the generational developments of the Mexican-American Orquesta (1920 to the Present). The presentation highlights the history and influences of Mexican-American musicians that created this bi-musical sound in the entertainment industry.

Bio:
Robert Ojeda, M.A., M.Ed., respected musician, educator, and historian, is a 2024 grantee of the City of San Antonio’s Department of Arts & Culture Individual Artist Grant. Ojeda is dedicated to preserving the history of Mexican-American music through performance and community-based education. Ojeda is a recipient of several grants and awards over his career such as: Austin Humanities Grant, Cesar Chavez "Si Se Puede" Award, 2019 Raza Award, Austin Tejano Legends Award, and is an original member of El Teatro Campesino. Mr. Ojeda contributed two chapters to the book Mexican and Chicano Music: (1) Chicano Music, A Perspective and (2) Lalo Guerrero: the Father of Chicano Music, 2nd Ed., published by McGraw-Hill, and is also the author of "La Rondalla Mexicana" published by San Diego state University Aztec Bookstore.

David Reta

Title:
Y-DNA & mtDNA of Northeastern Mexico: What the Most Frequently Tested Lineage in the Region is Showing Us About Our Genealogy

Presentation:
You carry a living record that was passed down from your ancestors. Y-DNA and mtDNA have great importance to our genealogy research. We'll discuss different scenarios in which these DNA tests can help you solve questions for your family tree or even uncover new information the records aren't showing you. We'll explore the specifics of the most frequently found Y-DNA lineage and mtDNA lineage found in Northeastern Mexico. How those results have already impacted our understanding of our ancestors and what future results could tell us. Whether you are new or not to genetic genealogy, this is right for everyone. Bring your questions.

Bio:
David Reta is a genealogy enthusiast. His roots are in Nuevo Leon, where his family was originally from before moving to Texas decades ago. He is a volunteer administrator for some DNA projects hosted by FamilyTreeDNA. He sees great potential in using genetic genealogy. Not only to find those missing branches in our family trees, but also to gain greater confidence in our shared genealogy when DNA is used for confirmation.

Good genealogy.... Good meal... Good conversation.... What else is there?

2025 TEXAS HISPANIC GENEALOGICAL & HISTORICAL CONFERENCE SPEAKERS