Andres Tijerina is busy making Texas history come alive for students, Texans, and Hollywood. The award-winning historian and ACC professor is spearheading a statewide effort to create a Tejano monument on the Capitol grounds while currently consulting on Disney’s epic film, “The Alamo,” directed by native Texan John Lee Hancock and produced by Oscar-winner Ron Howard.

“There’s no mention of Tejanos in the Capitol at all,” says Tijerina. “There’s no plaque, no moment, nothing. There’s been a glossing over of Tejano culture in Texas.”

Last year, the Texas Legislature unanimously passed a bill drafted by state Rep. Kino Flores of Mission to authorize the monument. Since then, Tijerina, who heads the fundraising committee, Flores, and others, have begun raising the $1.5 million necessary to erect the monument on Capitol grounds. Tijerina estimates that the monument will be a reality in about three years.

“This monument is long overdue, especially considering that Tejanos were among the first inhabitants of Texas,” Flores says. “They should be credited for many of the state’s early innovations, such as farming and ranching techniques; the birth of the “vaquero,” which the American Cowboy is based upon; many cultural and culinary favorites; numerous fine examples of architecture; and the language which is embedded in everyday use.”

The monument will consist of 10 to 12 life-size bronze statues that will depict Spanish explorers giving Tejanos, which means “Texans,” land grants from the King of Spain; a Mexican-American family; longhorns; and a vaquero (buckaroo) and his horse. Bronze plaques with graphics and text will inform visitors about the life and culture of Tejanos. There will be benches for people to sit on, making the area more like an open-air museum exhibit.

“Most people don’t know that Tejanos brought longhorns and mustangs to Texas and were ranchers and rangers long before Sam Houston or William Travis arrived,” Tijerina says. “Tejanos were the first Texas rangers, and they taught the Indo-Europeans how to fight the Comanche Indians. Tejanos introduced ‘Texans’ to cowboy hats and boots and horses.”

Tijerina is a well-respected expert on Tejanos and has written numerous books about them, including Tejanos and Texas under the Mexican Flag, 1821-1836. Governor Rick Perry recently appointed Tijerina to the Historical Representation Advisory Committee. Tijerina is also consulting on the IMAX film “Story of Texas.”

Tijerina’s expertise in Tejano history and culture has caught the eye of Hollywood producers of “The Alamo,” set to be shot early next year in a replica of the San Antonio mission in Dripping Springs.

“The questions and issues that the producers have been asking me give me great confidence that they’re not being ethnocentric,” Tijerina says. “They seem to be very conscientious about paying attention to minute details about the time period and the battle.”

Of the half a dozen Tejanos who joined in the legendary fight against Santa Anna, the most famous is Juan Sequin. He was one of 25 men to accompany Colonel William Travis into the Alamo and was chosen to carry an urgent plea for reinforcements to the Texan commander at Gonzales. He is the only Tejano who also fought in the Battle of Bexar and the Battle of San Jacinto. In the former battle, his bravery resulted in a commission as a captain of the cavalry in the regular Texas army.