Tejano Monument, Inc. Records

The records documents the activities of Tejano Monument, Inc. from the organization's founding in 2001 to its dissolution in 2013. The collection is divided into five series: Promotional Materials and Ephemera, Records of President Cayetano Barrera, Records of the Secretary/Treasurer Richard Sanchez, and Records of Vice President Andrés Tijerina, and Oversize Materials.

The documents within each series are most often arranged alphabetically, but some are arranged chronologically due to the nature of their content. These include the correspondence, news articles, and board meeting materials. This chronological arrangement provides a greater sense of these documents’ context.

The first series, Promotional Materials and Ephemera, primarily contains materials from the first acquisition of the collection that was donated in 2013 by Andrés Tijerina. It largely contains materials created for the March 29, 2012 unveiling of the monument, such as promotional publications, invitations, media, and a commemorative bag. Also present in this series is the seal creator used to emboss certificates of authenticity for the limited edition Tejano Monument statuettes.

The second series, Records of President Cayetano Barrera, contains materials created or collected by Dr. Barrera during his tenure as the president from 2001 to 2013. Besides acting as President of Tejano Monument, Inc., Barrera was the chair of the organization's Statue Committee and served on the Budget Committee. Materials related to Barrera's involvement in the executive board and both committees are located in this series and include meeting minutes, documentation surrounding the choosing of the sculptor, the sculpting and bronzing processes, the designing of the plaques, copies of grant applications, and correspondence with donors. This series includes documents central to the corporation's founding, such as the articles of incorporation, corporate by-laws, the certificate of incorporation, and the assumed name certificate. Correspondence includes Dr. Barrera's communications with the State Preservation Board and League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) regarding the monument's location on the Capitol grounds, and copies of letters sent to state legislators. This series also includes copies of Barrera's speeches on the conceptualization and realization of the Tejano Monument.

The third series, Records of Secretary/Treasurer Richard Sanchez, contains documents created or collected by Sanchez in his capacity as the secretary and treasurer of Tejano Monument, Inc. Like the Records of President Cayetano Barrera, this series also contains documents central to the corporation's founding. Notably, this series includes extensive documentation of the financial activities of The Tejano Monument, Inc., such account statements, tax returns, and treasurer's reports. Also included in this series are corporate board meeting minutes and documentation generated during the selection of the sculptor.

The fourth series, Records of Vice President Andrés Tijerina, contains documents that were created or collected by Dr. Tijerina in his capacity as a vice president of Tejano Monument, Inc. Dr. Tijerina was also the chair of the Fund-Raising Committee, and the subseries Fundraising includes meeting minutes and correspondence related to the committee's fundraising activities. This series also encompasses newsletters and meeting minutes of the Tejano Genealogy Society of Austin and Sociedad Genealógica, two organizations with which Dr. Tijerina. The Tejano Genealogy Society of Austin participated in planning and hosting Tejano Monument fundraising and unveiling events.

The fifth series, Oversized Materials, contains posters, copies of Hinojosa's monument drawings, as well as a limited edition Tejano Monument statuette.

The sixth and final series, Additions to the Records of the Secretary/Treasurer Richard Sanchez, contains additional documents created or collected by Sanchez in his capacity as the secretary and treasurer of Tejano Monument, Inc.

Additions in Box 25-28 are unprocessed. A detailed description is not currently available but the material is available to researchers in the Benson Collection Rare Books and Manuscripts Reading Room.