The Texas Restaurant Association (TRA) announced the nominees for its coveted Texas Restaurant Awards, highlighting some of the state’s most exciting leaders in hospitality. Winners were revealed during the 2022 Texas Restaurant Awards ceremony, last Sunday, July 10, 2022. Courtesy Image for illustration purposes
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The Texas Restaurant Association (TRA) announced the nominees for its coveted Texas Restaurant Awards, highlighting some of the state’s most exciting leaders in hospitality. Winners were revealed during the 2022 Texas Restaurant Awards ceremony, last Sunday, July 10, 2022.
The celebration kicked off the Texas Restaurant Foundation’s annual Lone Star Bash during the Texas Restaurant Show (formerly TRA Marketplace), which took place July 9-11, 2022, at Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, in Dallas, Texas.
Courtesy Image
Restaurateur of the Year Winners demonstrate leadership at both the local and state level of the Texas Restaurant Association; they are involved in their local community; personify the values of fair and equal treatment of their employees and are highly regarded by their industry peers.
Sony Rego has shown to be an exceptional leader in our community. Congratulations on a well-deserved honor!
Make plans to attend MXLAN, starts July 27-31. Have fun!
Rio Grande Valley Sector (RGV) Border Patrol agents assist an unconscious migrant stuck in a drainpipe and disrupted three human smuggling events. USCBP Image for illustration purposes
Texas Border Business
EDINBURG, Texas – Rio Grande Valley Sector (RGV) Border Patrol agents assist an unconscious migrant stuck in a drainpipe and disrupted three human smuggling events.
McAllen Border Patrol Station agents encountered seven non-citizens near McAllen on July 14. One of the migrants was found wedged in a drainage cement pipe. Texas Military Department soldiers were able to dislodge the unconscious subject and render aid. An Emergency Medical Technician agent evaluated the Honduran migrant, and he was transported to the hospital for further medical evaluation and treatment.
On July 14, RGV agents working in coordination with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents and Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) deputies received information of a suspected stash house in Pharr. RGV agents and local law enforcement convened at the residence and discovered 23 migrants who were unlawfully present in the U.S. No caretaker was identified. Simultaneously, in Rio Grande City, RGV agents, HSI, and Starr County Sheriff’s Office deputies disrupted a stash house and apprehended 18 migrants from Mexico and Central America, one of which was a 16-year-old unaccompanied child, unlawfully present in the U.S. No caretaker was identified.
The same day, RGV agents working with HCSO, and Mercedes Police Department (MPD) encountered another two migrants unlawfully present in the U.S. at a migrant stash house in Mercedes. Information was provided by a concerned citizen regarding the residence possible being used to harbor migrants. Two U.S. citizen principals were also found along with a small amount of marijuana and a Dodge Charger. MPD took custody of the principals, marijuana, and vehicle.
Rio Grande Valley Sector (RGV) Border Patrol agents arrested nine Mara-Salvatrucha (MS-13) and two 18th Street gang members from El Salvador, and a Mexican national Paisas gang member since Wednesday. USCBP Image for illustration purposes
Texas Border Business
EDINBURG, Texas – Rio Grande Valley Sector (RGV) Border Patrol agents arrested nine Mara-Salvatrucha (MS-13) and two 18th Street gang members from El Salvador, and a Mexican national Paisas gang member since Wednesday.
On July 13, McAllen Border Patrol Station (MCS) agents apprehended five MS-13 and a Paisa gang member. The Paisa has been sentenced to more than five years incarceration for criminal charges ranging from larceny to fighting to avoid prosecution and includes being present in the U.S. after deportation. His criminal history in the U.S. dates back to 2004.
On July 14, Rio Grande City Border Patrol Station (RGC) agents arrested a male and female near Roma. Record checks revealed the two migrants are MS-13 gang members. RGC agents arrested two MS-13, and an 18th Steet in two separate groups the same day.
Early this morning, MCS agents apprehended a group of seven migrants near Granjeno. One of the Salvadoran migrants stated he is an 18th Street gang member.
Governor Greg Abbott, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), and the Texas National Guard are continuing to work together to secure the border, stop the smuggling of drugs, weapons, and people into Texas, and prevent, detect, and interdict transnational criminal behavior between ports of entry. PHOTO: Texas Military Department
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AUSTIN, Texas – Governor Greg Abbott, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), and the Texas National Guard are continuing to work together to secure the border, stop the smuggling of drugs, weapons, and people into Texas, and prevent, detect, and interdict transnational criminal behavior between ports of entry.
Since the launch of Operation Lone Star, the multi-agency effort has led to more than 279,100 migrant apprehensions and more than 17,100 criminal arrests, with more than 14,400 felony charges reported. More than 5,800 weapons and more than $43.5 million in currency have been seized.
Operation Lone Star continues to fill the dangerous gaps left by the Biden Administration’s refusal to secure the border. Every individual who is apprehended or arrested and every ounce of drugs seized would have otherwise made their way into communities across Texas and the nation due to President Biden’s open border policies.
On Thursday, Governor Abbott visited the DPS Region II Headquarters in Houston, where he toured the drug warehouse and crime lab and received a briefing from law enforcement officials on the fentanyl crisis and its devastating impacts on Texas communities. The Governor then provided an update during a press conference on DPS’ efforts to keep the deadly drug out of Texas communities.
“Mexican drug cartels are smuggling fentanyl into our country any way they can. It is laced into every other street drug available, as well as being disguised as legal prescriptions, as this lab has discovered,” said Governor Abbott. “Because of the folks at this lab, who handle potentially lethal drugs every day, we are saving the lives of thousands of Texans from the deadly scourge of fentanyl.”
Governor Abbott discussed his latest executive order that authorizes and empowers the Texas National Guard and DPS to apprehend illegal immigrants who cross the border between ports of entry and return them to the border.
“Texas is using every strategy and tool we can to help these local counties that are being overrun with illegal immigrants,” Governor Abbott said.
In partnership with Governor Abbott and the Texas National Guard, DPS is working to prevent, detect, and interdict transnational criminal activity between ports of entry and ensure the safety and security of communities across Texas.
Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin covered about 75 illegal immigrants being loaded onto buses to be returned to the port of entry in Eagle Pass. The group of single adults and families had illegally crossed the Texas-Mexico border just moments before and were detained by DPS.
Previously, when DPS encountered illegal immigrants, U.S. Border Patrol would take custody, but Governor Abbott’s executive order allows Texas to respond directly to the massive influx of illegal immigrants.
DPS Lt. Chris Olivarez described to Fox News how Governor Abbott has had to take unprecedented action through his latest executive order, which authorizes DPS and the Texas National Guard to return illegal immigrants to ports of entry at the border, because the federal government has failed to act on border security.
Additionally, Lt. Olivarez said Border Patrol agents who were falsely accused of wrongdoing by the Biden Administration deserve respect and an apology from the federal government.
As part of Operation Lone Star, the Texas National Guard works alongside DPS and other law enforcement partners to provide crucial manpower, capabilities, and equipment in high-traffic areas of illegal activity in the Texas-Mexico border region.
A DPS trooper conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle in Del Rio and encountered multiple illegal immigrants bailing out of the truck and running into the brush. A total of seven illegal immigrants were apprehended and referred to U.S. Border Patrol, and the driver was charged with the smuggling of persons. The truck was linked to Turo, a company that allows private owners to rent out their vehicles.
Texas National Guard Airmen Employ Advanced Technology To Detect Illegal Border Crossings
Texas National Guard airmen conducted surveillance activities near the Brownsville area of operations utilizing Humvee-mounted Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station (CROWS). Using thermal imagining, CROWS allows for the detection of individuals at night, and during the day CROWS allows for magnification of distant terrain to determine the precise location and number of illegal immigrants crossing the border.
Airmen also conducted foot patrols around their vehicle to search for illegal immigrants who may be hiding in the brush to avoid detection.
Newsmax border correspondent Jaeson Jones detailed the human toll of smuggling taking place along the Texas-Mexico border. In one recent incident, 11 illegal immigrants were apprehended by law enforcement, but officials had to use a helicopter to rescue an individual more than 8 miles away who had been abandoned by the smuggler accompanying the group because the sole of his shoe had given out.
Texas National Guard Witnesses Increasing Groups Of Illegal Immigrants In Areas Of Operation
The Texas National Guard is seeing an uptick in apprehensions of illegal immigrants as part of the Operation Lone Star mission to stop criminal activity and illegal immigrants trying to cross the Texas-Mexico border. The number of large groups of illegal immigrants have increased by the hundreds over the past two months
“We are averaging close to 60 apprehensions per day in our area near Hidalgo westward,” said Staff Sgt. Cruz Perez. “There are sensors, cameras, and towers with cameras. Every time the sensors actuate, we ask for coordinates and go straight to them.”
As Texans enjoy summer activities outdoors, TxDOT’s Be Safe. Drive Smart. campaign urges drivers and pedestrians to watch out for each other as pedestrian deaths continue to rise. Image for illustration purposes. Logo courtesy of TxDOT
Texas Border Business
PHARR – As Texans enjoy summer activities outdoors, TxDOT’s Be Safe. Drive Smart. campaign urges drivers and pedestrians to watch out for each other as pedestrian deaths continue to rise.
In 2021, 5,366 traffic crashes involving pedestrians occurred in Texas, and as a result 841 people were killed, a 15% increase in pedestrian fatalities over the previous year. Another 1,470 people were seriously injured.
“Only 1% of traffic crashes in Texas involve pedestrians, yet pedestrians account for 19% of all roadway deaths,” said TxDOT Executive Director Marc Williams. “That’s because pedestrians lack the protective equipment—airbags, seat belts and bumpers—common to vehicles. To keep our most vulnerable road users safe, we urge motorists to always be on the lookout for people walking. Pedestrians alsohave the responsibility to be aware of their surroundings and follow the rules of the road.”
Crash reports from law enforcement indicate the leading factors of pedestrian-related traffic crashes include the following:
pedestrians failing to yield the right of way to vehicles,
driver inattention,
motorists failing to yield the right of way to pedestrians,
failure to control speed, and 5) drivers and/or pedestrians being under the influence of alcohol.
The campaign includes TV, radio, billboards and digital advertising. In addition, “walking billboards” will deliver safety messages in thestate’s major metro areas with a high volume of pedestrian traffic where it’s easy for drivers and people on foot to see them.
TxDOT offers these safety reminders to prevent a deadly encounter:
For drivers:
Stop for pedestrians in crosswalks.
When turning, yield the right of way to pedestrians.
Be cautious when passing stopped buses or other vehicles.
Pay attention and put your phone away, so you’re always prepared if pedestrians enter your path.
Follow the posted speed limit and drive to conditions.
For people walking:
Cross the street only at intersections and crosswalks. Look left, right, then left again before crossing.
Make eye contact with drivers before crossing. Don’t assume drivers see you.
Follow all traffic and crosswalk signals.
Use the sidewalk. If there isn’t one, walk on the left side of the road, facing oncoming traffic.
When walking, put away electronic devices that take your eyes and ears off the road.
Wear reflective materials or use a flashlight at night.
TxDOT’s pedestrian safety campaign is a key component of #EndTheStreakTX, a broader social media and word-of-mouth effort that encourages drivers to make safer choices while behind the wheel to help end the streak of daily deaths. Nov. 7, 2000, was the lastdeathless day on Texas roadways. For media inquiries, contact TxDOT PIO Ray Pedraza at Raymond.pedraza@txdot.gov or (956) 279-5486.
The information contained in this report represents reportable data collected from the Texas Peace Officer’s Crash Report (CR-3). This information was received and processed by the department as of May 4, 2022. To view additional traffic safety data, visit TxDOT’s TrafficSafety Data Portal online.
Do not miss MXLAN, the Big Celebration featuring the Creator in Motion & la Comunidad will bring an important art component to MXLAN 2022 through the participation of internationally renowned muralists Irving Cano and Paola Delfin, who each of them will be creating their own 20’x20’ murals during MXLAN 2022.
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Do not miss MXLAN, the Big Celebration featuring the Creator in Motion & la Comunidad will bring an important art component to MXLAN 2022 through the participation of internationally renowned muralists Irving Cano and Paola Delfin, who each of them will be creating their own 20’x20’ murals during MXLAN 2022.
MXLAN 2022 is McAllen’s 5-Day Interactive Arts and Culture Festival that will celebrate Mexico and Latin America’s heritage and its influence on the LatinX community in our country.
MXLAN is presented by the McAllen Chamber of Commerce in partnership with City of McAllen, and will take place at the McAllen Convention Center grounds from July 27 to July 31, 2022.
MXLAN 2022 will also host La Comunidad, an initiative to invite local and regional artists from McAllen and South Texas to participate by joining Irving Cano and Paola Delfin to create their own art pieces at the festival.
“Art is a key component of MXLAN 2022, and being able to bring talented artists through the Creator in Motion project to paint their creations at MXLAN is an experience we want our community of all ages to experience,” said Luis Eduardo Cantu, VP of McAllen Chamber of Commerce and MXLAN Festival Director, when we add La Comunidad, with talented local artists such as Her.mosa Collective and many others, we provide a space for art lovers, students and creators to collaborate and network, that is an environment we are happy for our younger generations of Latinos to experience.” Cantu concluded.
MXLAN Creator and Motion and La Comunidad are sponsored by Ruby Red.
MXLAN 2022 has an expected attendance of 125,000 and will host a series of exhibits, musical performances, food festivals, conferences, parades and more.
MXLAN 2022 is sponsored by City of McAllen, Tecate Alta, Boggus Ford, Reliant Energy, McAllen International Airport, HEB, South Texas Health Systems, South Texas College, Ruby Red, McAllen ISD & IBC
For information about MXLAN Sponsorship Opportunities and exhibit space availability, please contact Luis at the McAllen Chamber at (956) 682-2871.
The Governor was joined by DPS Director Steve McCraw, Texas Public Safety Commission Chairman Steven Mach, Senator Joan Huffman, Senator Paul Bettencourt, Montgomery County Sheriff Rand Henderson, Houston Police Department Narcotics Commander Bryan Bennett, and DPS Crime Laboratory Chief Brady Mills and Seized Drug System Trainer Jennifer Hatch. PHOTO: Office Of The Governor
Texas Border Business
AUSTIN, Texas – Governor Greg Abbott today highlighted the efforts of Texas law enforcement to stop the growing fentanyl crisis ravaging Texas and the nation as a result of President Biden’s reckless open border policies at a press conference at the Department of Public Safety (DPS) Region II Headquarters in Houston. During his visit to the headquarters, the Governor toured the DPS drug warehouse and crime lab and received a briefing from law enforcement officials on the fentanyl crisis and its devastating impacts on Texas communities.
PHOTO: Office Of The Governor
The Governor was joined by DPS Director Steve McCraw, Texas Public Safety Commission Chairman Steven Mach, Senator Joan Huffman, Senator Paul Bettencourt, Montgomery County Sheriff Rand Henderson, Houston Police Department Narcotics Commander Bryan Bennett, and DPS Crime Laboratory Chief Brady Mills and Seized Drug System Trainer Jennifer Hatch.
“Because of President Biden’s open border policies, deadly fentanyl is flooding America, with enough seized lethal doses to kill almost every man, woman, and child in the nation,” said Governor Abbott. “Mexican drug cartels are smuggling fentanyl into our country any way they can. It is laced into every other street drug available, as well as being disguised as legal prescriptions, as this lab has discovered. Because of the folks at this lab, who handle potentially lethal drugs every day, we are saving the lives of thousands of Texans from the deadly scourge of fentanyl.”
PHOTO: Office Of The Governor
“Fentanyl deaths affect Texans across all demographics,” said Senator Huffman. “Parents should be aware of fentanyl and educate their children about the deadliness of this drug. The legislature increased penalties against fentanyl manufacturing and distribution last session, but we will look to increase penalties even further this upcoming legislative session as a result of this growing crisis.”
“Cartels along the border are exploiting the federal government’s open border policies to make money selling deadly fentanyl through counterfeit pills in the United States,” said Director McCraw. “Parents and grandparents should talk to their children about the risks of counterfeit pills.”
State and law enforcement officials also reminded Texans that they can play a significant role in stopping the spread of fentanyl and fentanyl-related deaths by educating their children about the deadliness of the drug and how it can be disguised in counterfeit prescription drugs.
DPS’ Houston crime lab has tested almost 13,700 lbs. of counterfeit drugs in the past 12 months and inventoried more than 85,000 seized drugs, including more than 9,700 deadly opioids like fentanyl. In Texas, almost 1,700 fentanyl-related deaths were reported in 2021 alone.
PHOTO: Office Of The Governor
DPS crime laboratories provide expert forensic laboratory services, such as scientific analysis of seized street drugs, and are strategically located around the state for optimal access and support to the criminal justice community.
Governor Abbott has taken significant action to secure the border in the wake of the federal government’s inaction. Those actions include:
Securing $4 billion in funding for Texas’ border security efforts
Launching Operation Lone Star and deploying thousands of National Guard soldiers and Texas Department of Public Safety troopers
Arresting and jailing criminals trespassing or committing other state crimes along the southern border
Allocating resources that include acquiring 1,700 unused steel panels to build the border wall in Texas
Signing a law to make it easier to prosecute smugglers bringing people into Texas
Signing 15 laws cracking down on human trafficking in Texas
Signing a law enhancing penalties for the manufacturing and distribution of fentanyl
Issuing a disaster declaration for the border crisis
Issuing an executive order preventing non-governmental entities from transporting illegal immigrants
Taking aggressive action to secure the border as President Biden ends Title 42 expulsions, including busing thousands of migrants to Washington, D.C.
Signing memoranda of understanding between the State of Texas and the States of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas to enhance border security measures that will prevent illegal immigration from Mexico to Texas
Activating the Joint Border Security Operations Center (JBSOC) and directing the Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Military Department, and Texas Division of Emergency Management to coordinate Texas’ response to secure the border
Issuing an executive order authorizing the Texas National Guard and Texas Department of Public Safety to return illegal immigrants to the border at ports of entry
Creating DPS strike teams and establishing new vehicle inspection checkpoints targeting semi-trucks and other commercial motor vehicles
Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol (RGV) agents and local law enforcement partners disrupted four human smuggling events. USCBP Image for illustration purposes
EDINBURG, Texas – Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol (RGV) agents and local law enforcement partners disrupted four human smuggling events.
Early this morning, June 14, Rio Grande City Border Patrol Station agents encountered a large group of 288 non-citizens near La Grulla. The group consisted of 113 single adults, 109 unaccompanied children, and 66 family unit members. The migrants are from Cuba, South and Central America.
Also, this morning, RGV agents attempted to initiate an immigration inspection on the occupants of a GMC Yukon near La Gloria. The vehicle failed to yield and led agents on a vehicle pursuit that ended when the vehicle struck a utility pole. Agents apprehended seven migrants from the vehicle. All migrants were evaluated and treated by local EMTs, for minor injuries. The driver was not located.
Yesterday afternoon, South Padre Island Police Department (SPIPD) requested assistance from Fort Brown Border Patrol Station agents with suspected migrants encountered after a vehicle pursuit at the north end of Hwy 100 on South Padre Island. Responding agents determined the three migrants were unlawfully present in the U.S. A female was transported to a local hospital for evaluation and treatment for heat exhaustion and dehydration symptoms. SPIPD took custody of the driver to pursue state charges.
Last night, the driver of a Chevrolet Blazer was referred to the secondary inspection area at the Falfurrias Border Patrol Checkpoint for further inspection. The vehicle fled the checkpoint and led agents and Texas Department of Public Safety troopers on a short vehicle pursuit. The driver and occupants were placed under arrest without incident. Brooks County Sheriff’s Office will be pursuing state migrant smuggling charges on the United States citizen driver. The smuggled migrant mother from Honduras and her newborn child will be processed accordingly.
Constance Cortez, professor of Chicana/o Art History and Post Contact Art of Mexico in the UTRGV School of Art, and Karen Mary Davalos, professor of Chicano and Latin Studies within the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. created the “Mexican American Art Since 1848.” (Courtesy Photo)
Texas Border Business
By Amanda A. Taylor-Uchoa
RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – If you were to search for “piñatas” within some of the largest museum search engines, such as The Getty Museum, you’d be lucky to find a handful of images. In fact, the piñata is categorized simply as a vessel, found right alongside Greek vases, and not as a form of Mexican American art.
Constance Cortez, professor of Chicana/o Art History and Post Contact Art of Mexico in the UTRGV School of Art, said this lack of information happens because most major museum search engine software strictly uses an English lexicon in its searches.
“Mexican American Art Since 1848” is a digital portal that progressively aggregates Mexican American art and related documentation from dozens of digital collections in libraries, archives and museums throughout the United States. (Courtesy Photo)
“It’s a huge, huge problem,” Cortez said. “This happens with a number of things that are generated with Mexican American arts – they don’t fit within this Eurocentric lexicon that museums use. Unless you know that about that particular software system all these museums use, you’re not going to find anything on particular pieces of Mexican American art.”
To help remedy this disparity, a special project entitled “Mexican American Art Since 1848” was created by co-founders Cortez and Karen Mary Davalos, professor of Chicano and Latin Studies within the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.
“Mexican American Art Since 1848” is a digital portal that progressively aggregates Mexican American art and related documentation from dozens of digital collections in libraries, archives and museums throughout the United States.
It is a multi-component system that will help resolve the misunderstandings and invisibility of visual arts by Mexican American artists, often considered a “dispossessed community.”
“Mexican American Art Since 1848” will enable users to search through collections of Mexican American art housed at partner institutions, making it easier for users to search through digitized collections of art that remain hard to find.
The goal for Cortez and Davalos is that the portal will encourage more research and teaching on the breadth and scope of artistic work by generations of Mexican heritage artists, and that those interactions will benefit partner institutions with attention, acclaim and funding opportunities.
“It works like a post custodial database,” Davalos said. “That means the user gets sent back to the original location of this item that we’re sharing. And that’s intentional, because we’re trying to challenge these colonial legacies of stockpiling and extraction by saying that I own this stuff, when it’s not really owned by anybody except the artist.”
ACCESSSING THE ECOSYSTEM
The portal compiles digital information from libraries, archive and museums, housed through the UMN website. You can search through the portal as you would a regular search engine, but the database is designed to virtually unite the seeker with digital files of Mexican American art from libraries, archives and museums.
It is open to all students, scholars, educators and the public, free of charge. The portal links collections and makes harvested information searchable from a specific location, so the time it would take to search for a piece of Mexican American art is far less than using a larger museum database.
“The first phase of the project was to incorporate all of these set archives,” Cortez said. “We have incorporated, so far, 20,000 digital records. And we’re talking about paintings, prints, murals, textiles, lowrider cards, cars – art which wouldn’t necessarily be shown by museums.”
The “Mexican American Art since 1848” portal is only one component of a larger initiative: “Rhizomes: Mexican American Art Since 1848,” which includes the portal itself, a book series, K-16 curriculum, and an institutional map to visualize and help identify relevant collections across the nation.
Book Series – Adjacent Imaginaries: Mexican American Art Since 1848 is in the works. This will be a multi-volume, full-color digital edition and physical text. Nationally, historically and aesthetically comprehensive in its analysis, the book series will examine artists’ lives and works, artist collectives, exhibitions, trends in art criticism, private and public collections, and contributions of arts organizations, diversifying American art history, and other fields.
Curriculum and Community Engagement – “Rhizomes”supports crowd-sourced knowledge mobilization and production, such as user-created virtual exhibitions, timelines, and K-16 curricula and lesson plans. By displaying user content, “Rhizomes”supports perspectives outside of higher education, including those of bilingual students and teachers, Chicana/o/x artists, and Mexican-heritage communities.
Institutional Map – With support from the Henry Luce Foundation, Rhizomes Initiative collaborated with RomoGIS Enterprises to develop the Rhizomes Institutional Map, which uses ArcGIS to allow users to see nodes of engagement with institutions where Mexican American art is housed: libraries, archives, museums and other collections.
FUNDING AND FUTURE COLLABORATIONS
Between Davalos and Cortez, multiple grants have been awarded for the project, including grants from Humanities Without Walls, American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), the Henry Luce Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).
Davalos and Cortez see the project as sustainable for years to come with the help of partnering museums and future community collaborations.
“When we launched the portal, we were very excited,” Davalos said. “Now, we’re in the middle of this project that basically has no end, so it’s very exciting and it’s frightening at the same time because it’s not the kind of thing that most academics do.”
While both Davalos and Cortez are educators, in addition to co-directing the project, they believe their commitment to the database and Rhizomes initiatives will help rediscover Mexican American art that otherwise would be lost.
“It’s a long-time commitment, but we feel that it is important and it’s about time,” Cortez said. “If we can help people to understand the Mexican American presence a little bit more in the United States, then that’s good.”
Luis Eduardo Cantu has his hands full as he is preparing for the upcoming MXLAN event July 27-31 at the McAllen Convention Center complex including the Convention Center, Oval Park, and the McAllen Performing Arts Center. Courtesy Images
Texas Border Business
By Roberto Hugo Gonzalez
Luis Eduardo Cantu has his hands full as he is preparing for the upcoming MXLAN event July 27-31 at the McAllen Convention Center complex including the Convention Center, Oval Park, and the McAllen Performing Arts Center. He is the Vice President for International Business and Community Development for the McAllen Chamber of Commerce.
Luis told Texas Border Business that the entire McAllen Chamber team is committed to the event.
He also recognized the valuable collaboration and support of the City of McAllen, which makes MXLAN possible.
“We are also very thankful for the support of our *Glyph sponsors: City of McAllen, McAllen International Airport, Reliant Energy, Boggus Ford, South Texas Health Systems, South Texas College, H-E-B, Tecate, Alta & Ruby Red Hospitality (Creator in Motion – Sponsor).
According to Luis, MXLAN was created from the need to attract tourists during the summer season, which traditionally has been the slow time of the year for McAllen hotels, restaurants, and retail businesses.
“Due to the need, the McAllen Chamber of Commerce board of directors established a new summer destination festival.” He continued, “Based on the success that events like Vibrant Heritage Artisan Expo and Taste McAllen had in the previous year, and a successful performance by La Guelaguetza dancers in 2017, it was decided on a festival that combined those events as the MXLAN.”
It is important to note that in 2019, MXLAN attracted 81,000 visitors. This year, it is expected that there will be approximately 125,000 attendees.
Blanca Cardenas, interim President of the McAllen Chamber of Commerce, had this to say, “It’s a great family event that celebrates our Latin culture.”
The preparation and harmonization of MXLAN is a monumental task. The Chamber of Commerce and the City of McAllen perform an extraordinary job, which involves the delicate synchronization of multiple entities and hundreds of people working to entertain residents of the area.
Luis pointed out the external collaboration that helps bring these key events to the festival. Those involved are Tiger’s Blood which oversees hiring the talent for the MXLAN Breakthrough Stage, Marcos Silva, who is the curator for South Texas Ideas Festival@ MXLAN, and Chef Larry Delgado who curates Sabor a Mexico & Mezcal, Tequila & Catrinas, to name a few.
The participation of Mexico is essential. He said that MXLAN 2022 would have Mexico’s multiple flavors, “from business owners attending the Mexican Investors conference at MXLAN or featured renown muralists like Irving Cano and Paola Delfin painting 20’x20′ murals at MXLAN.” He added, “There will be Folkloric dancers, artisan exhibitors, and tourism promotion booths by Mexican destinations such as Puerto Vallarta, the State of Nuevo Leon, and more.”
For those as curious as me, MXLAN’s name is the mix of two words, Mexico and Aztlan, which is the ancestral home of the Aztecs; it is very appropriate for the celebration.
The next question, how much are the tickets? “Admission to the event is free on Wednesday, July 27, all day and from July 28 – 31, admission is free from 10 AM to 5 PM and $5 after 5 PM per person.
