MEXICAN HERITAGE EXPLORED, 1/17/95 DEMONSTRATED IN "CIRCUIT RIDERS" TOUR

KINGSVILLE -- Beginning on Saturday, Jan. 27, and running through Saturday, March 2, residents of five South Texas cities will have a rare opportunity to gain a deeper knowledge of the rich Mexican heritage that shaped their communities.
The Circuit Riders program, created by Texas A&M University-Kingsville lecturer Dr. Evelyn Jenson and funded in part by the Texas Committee for the Humanities and the Trull Foundation, features six experts on Mexican and South Texas culture making presentations to residents of Kingsville, Raymondville, Rio Grande City, San Diego and Zapata.

"The Circuit Riders take their audiences to Mexico by means of five separate programs presented by [A&M-Kingsville] faculty members," Jenson said. The subjects are Cormac McCarthy's novel All the Pretty Horses, about a Texas rancher lured by his dreams into dangerous situations in Mexico; Daniel Cantu's Pepe Rios, the story of a young man's search for peace during the Mexican Revolution of 1910; and Rosario Castellano's The Nine Guardians, told from the perspective of a seven- year-old girl who witnesses the chaotic push for Indian rights and education in the Mexico of the 1930s. The Circuit Riders also will present Mexican and border corridos (songs) and a primer on fiesta celebrations in Mexico.

"The purpose is to bring audiences back to the area's Hispanic roots," Jenson said. "It should not be overlooked that the authentic cultural heritage of the Mexican- American is seated in Mexico itself."

In addition to Jenson the presenters, all from A&M-Kingsville, will be psychology and sociology Professor Dr. Stanley Bittinger, bilingual education expert Alberto Barrera, anthropology Professor Dr. Joe Graham, Spanish literature Professor Dr. Guadalupe Thompson, and journalism Associate Professor Dr. John Jenson.

Book discussions will be presented in a lecture format, while Graham and Barrera will actually sing the corridos, and Bittinger will include color slides he has taken at a variety of important celebrations in Mexico through the years.

"The Circuit Riders is a combination of the early `Chautaqua' movement to bring culture to the countryside," Evelyn Jenson said, "and of Circuit Rider ministers -- three or four would go to an area and ride a circuit. The concept goes back to the 19th century"

Most of the presentations will be made in public libraries. Each library has been provided with copies of the books which the Circuit Riders will discuss. The presentation schedules are as follows:

KINGSVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY -- All presentations at 1 P.M.
220 N. 4th St.
Saturday, Feb. 3 Fiesta Celebrations in Mexico Dr. Stanley Bittinger
Saturday, Feb. 10 Daniel Cano's Pepe Rios Dr. Evelyn Jenson
Saturday, Feb. 17 The Mexican and Border Corridos Dr. Joe Graham/Alberto Barrera
Saturday, Feb. 24 Indians of the Chiapas* Dr. Guadalupe Thompson
Saturday, March 2 Cormac McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses Dr. John Jenson

RAYMONDVILLE -- REBER MEMORIAL LIBRARY -- All presentations at 7 p.m.
190 N. 4th St.
Tuesday, Jan. 30 The Mexican and Border Corridos Dr. Joe Graham/Alberto Barrera
Tuesday, Feb. 6 Daniel Cano's Pepe Rios Dr. Evelyn Jenson
Tuesday, Feb. 13 Cormac McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses Dr. John Jenson
Tuesday, Feb. 20 Fiesta Celebrations in Mexico Dr. Stanley Bittinger
Tuesday, Feb. 27 Indians of the Chiapas* Dr. Guadalupe Thompson

RIO GRANDE CITY -- All presentations at 3 p.m.
El Patio del Rio Restaurant, 402 E. Main St.
Sunday, Jan. 28 Cormac McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses Dr. John Jenson
Sunday, Feb. 11 Indians of the Chiapas* Dr. Guadalupe Thompson
Sunday, Feb. 25 Fiesta Celebrations in Mexico Dr. Stanley Bittinger
La Borde House, 601 E. Main St.
Sunday, Feb. 4 The Mexican and Border Corridos Dr. Joe Graham/Alberto Barrera
Sunday, Feb. 18 Daniel Cano's Pepe Rios Dr. Evelyn Jenson

SAN DIEGO PUBLIC LIBRARY -- All presentations at 7 p.m.
404 S. Mier St.
Wednesday, Jan. 31 Cormac McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses Dr. John Jenson
Wednesday, Feb. 7 Fiesta Celebrations in Mexico Dr. Stanley Bittinger
Wednesday, Feb. 14 The Mexican and Border Corridos Dr. Joe Graham/Alberto Barrera
Wednesday, Feb. 21 Indians of the Chiapas* Dr. Guadalupe Thompson
Wednesday, Feb. 28 Daniel Cano's Pepe Rios Dr. Evelyn Jenson

ZAPATA PUBLIC LIBRARY -- All presentations at 1 p.m.
901 Kennedy St.
Saturday, Jan. 27 Indians of the Chiapas* Dr. Guadalupe Thompson
Saturday, Feb. 3 The Mexican and Border Corridos Dr. Joe Graham/Alberto Barrera
Saturday, Feb. 10 Cormac McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses Dr. John Jenson
Saturday, Feb. 17 Fiesta Celebrations in Mexico Dr. Stanley Bittinger
Saturday, Feb. 24 Daniel Cano's Pepe Rios Dr. Evelyn Jenson

* Includes discussion of Rosario Castellano's The Nine Guardians.

--John R. Kent Return to 1996 Archives
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