Apr. 25 @ 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Date: Thursday, April 25, 2024
Time: 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Place: Thompson Hotel, 506 San Jacinto Blvd., Austin, Texas, 78701
Guest Speakers: Dr. Thomas H. Kreneck Presents: The Legacy of the Illustrious General Ignacio Zaragoza (1829-1862), a Native of Goliad, Texas
Attire: Business and/or Fiesta Attire
Music: Mariachis
Silent Action: Artwork and more!
The Cinco de Mayo Luncheon gathered downtown businesses and stakeholders to celebrate, promote and learn about the Mexic-Arte Museum, the Cinco de Mayo historic event, and the 5th Street Mexican American Heritage Corridor and District. Guests celebrate Mexic-Arte’s thirty-nine years in Austin with critically acclaimed exhibitions, an expanding art collection, exemplary education programs, exciting cultural events, and a growing permanent collection.
The Mexic-Arte Museum is dedicated to enriching the community through education programs, exhibitions, and the collection, preservation, and interpretation of Mexican, Latinx, and Latin American art and culture for visitors of all ages. Since its inception in 1984, Mexic-Arte Museum has been one of few Mexican and Mexican American art museums in the US. In 2003, the 78th Legislature designated Mexic Arte as The Official Mexican and Mexican American Fine Art Museum of Texas. The Museum is a major part of the fabric of downtown Austin, and thousands of diverse families enjoy annual cultural events, renowned exhibitions, and exciting programming. In fall 2016, then First Lady Michelle Obama presented the Museum and its educational staff with the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities Award. In conjunction with the Austin History Center, Mexic-Arte developed an interactive exhibition and map, titled Austin’s Mexico: A Forgotten Neighborhood, aimed at uncovering the history of some of the earliest Mexican settlers in the city. In 2018, Austin voters approved a $20 million bond to improve the Museum, managed by the City of Austin Public Works Department. Architects from El Paso and Austin are working with Mexic-Arte on the Schematic Phase of the Museum Building Project.
About Dr. Thomas H. Kreneck
A native of South Texas, Thomas H. Kreneck earned a B.A. and M.A. in history from the University of Houston and a Ph.D. in history from Bowling Green State University. Notably, he founded and developed Houston Metropolitan Research Center’s Mexican American archival component and helped HMRC to launch The
Houston Review: History and Culture of the Gulf Coast. From 1990-2012, Kreneck directed Special Collections & Archives within the library at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. There he administered the university’s rare Texana books and served as chair of the campus committee at A&M-Corpus Christi delegated to erect the statue of the civil rights leader Dr. Hector P. García. An author of articles, book chapters, and books, Dr. Kreneck is recognized in Chicano history circles for Mexican American Odyssey: Felix Tijerina, Entrepreneur and Civic Leader, 1905-
1965 (College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 2002) and Del Pueblo: A History of Houston’s Hispanic Community (College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 2012). He has been chosen three times as a Featured Author at the Texas Book Festival in Austin and is a Fellow of the Texas State Historical Association. In 2015, he received the Premio Estrella de Aztlán from the Texas Foco of the National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies, a lifetime achievement award for fostering the well-being of the Mexican American community. Dr. Kreneck’s interest in General Zaragoza is a result of his family roots in Goliad County, as well as from his lifelong association with the Goliad State Park and the Presidio La Bahia.
A Look into the Past
Cultural Heritage District Designation – Mexic-Arte Museum & stakeholders are working to earn a Cultural Heritage District Designation for the 5th Street Mexican American Heritage Corridor. The District is defined by the geographic anchors of Republic Park on West 5th Street and Plaza Saltillo on East 5th Street. The area is full of and surrounded by significant historic, cultural, heritage, and community sites, deserving of both preservation and active use. Cultural District status will preserve, develop, and highlight all the cultural assets and businesses along and around 5th Street Cultural Heritage District Designation will transform this downtown area into a beautiful and educational destination.
Cinco de Mayo: Honoring Our Mexican, French, and American Heritage – In 1886, Lino Torres and Emile Tarratasplanned a Cinco de Mayo celebration in downtown Austin, likely at what is today Republic Square. Cinco de Mayo means 5th of May. It is a day and holiday that commemorates a single victorious battle by Mexico over France, though not independence from France or Spain; Mexico won its independence from Spain in 1821. Mexico won the battle at Puebla, a town near Mexico City, on May 5, 1862, but they ultimately lost the war to France. Cinco de Mayo is now a day Mexicans and Americans today celebrate annually because of what it represents to Mexico.
You can view Austin’s Mexico virtually by visiting the Culture Connect link!
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