Notable Men and Women of Spanish Texas, and: Texas by Teran: The Diary Kept by General Manuel de Mier y Teran on his 1828 Inspection of Texas (review)

Notable Men and Women of Spanish Texas. By DONALD E. CHIPMAN and HARRIETT DENISE JOSEPH. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1999. Photographs. Illustrations. Maps. Notes. Bibliography. Index. xvi, 359 pp. Cloth, $40.00. Paper, $17.95.

Texas by Terán: The Diary Kept by General Manuel de Mier y Terán on His 1828 Inspection of Texas. Edited by JACK JACKSON. Translated by JOHN WHEAT. Botanical Notes by SCOOTER CHEATHAM and LYNN MARSHALL. The Jack and Doris Smothers Series in Texas History, Life and Culture, no. 2. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2000. Illustrations. Maps. Appendix. Notes. Bibliography. Index. x, 300 pp. Cloth, $40.00. Paper, $19.95.

These works continue the trend of excellent new scholarship on Spanish and Mexican Texas. The biographical sketches in Notable Men and Women span the entire panorama from earliest contacts to the wars for independence. The figures included were pathfinders, colonizers, administrators, soldiers, missionaries and entrepreneurs, or frequently they combined a variety of these roles. The broad chronological and subject scope of this work makes it nothing less than a retelling of the story of Spanish Texas, with emphasis on individual contributions. In all there are 15 relatively brief profiles averaging about 17 pages in length. The focus is clearly on Texas experiences, but enough is provided on family, educational, and professional background to bring each one to life.

Although the profiles by no means adopt a heroic motif, collectively they demonstrate a remarkable pattern of dedication, patriotism, courage, and tenacity. Thus, this book serves as a reminder of the bold character that carried the Spanish into a remote and challenging region. Examples of avarice are presented, but primarily these stories are of individuals with a strong sense of duty to God and country. At the same time, as the authors state, these people reflect the Spanish character of the era in which fatalism prevailed over introspection. "They seldom expressed doubts about their importance as individuals, and they did not often lose sleep over the propriety of their actions" (p. xii).

The final chapter describes the "rigors, responsibilities, and rights" (p. 250) of colonial women, primarily colonists and wives of presidial soldiers. Although incomplete because of the reliance on legal records rather than sources left directly by the subjects, this treatment helps to balance out what has generally been a study exclusively about men doing what men do. This work should prove to be especially interesting to professors looking for readable required texts.

If the book on Spanish Texas represents a fresh telling of a familiar story, Texas by Terán makes public an important source, one previously unpublished in either Spanish or English. The manuscripts of this diary—by the commander of a landmark 1828 Mexican boundary investigation—are in the renowned Beinecke Library at Yale University. It is brought forward here in a superb edition, replete with an array of accoutrements that should please the most fastidious scholars. The introduction explains clearly the nature of the manuscripts, the historiography associated with General Manuel de Mier y Terán, his personal and professional background, and suitable information on those who accompanied him on the expedition. The extensive explanatory notes fill 74 pages and make use of archival materials from several depositories in Austin, Mexico City, and other locations. The book contains three inserts of additional primary sources: letters from Terán, and parallel descriptions written by a contemporary American and a French visitor. The index appears to be virtually comprehensive.

This work will be of interest to scholars exploring topics beyond Mexican and Texas politics. The environmental descriptions are long and insightful because Terán and his companions had been selected based on their broad range of scientific expertise...