Denton.LULAC.Hispanic Community Organizes - - - - -
Denton's Diverse Hispanic
Heritage Started Here
ITTraqueros,or 5panish-speaking workers who helped lay the
railroad tracks that changed the city,were among Denton's first
Hispanic residents, here as early as 1880.
Later came Tejanos from South Texas, people whose families lived in
Texas for generations before independence. The late 1960s and 1970s ■'�"""'
saw an influx of new Dentonites predominantly from Muzquiz, a '
ranching and coal mining city in the Mexican province of Cuahuila.
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Muzquiz was officially designated a Friendship City to Denton in 2015.
The next wave of Hispanic Dentonites came from Central and South
America beginning in the 1980s,with many choosing to live in Hand-crafted saddle,a gift to Denton from the city of Muzquiz.
Southeast Denton.
As far as institutions,what began as a largely social organization in
1971—Las Familias Unidas,led by Popo Gonzalez—eventually became
the more advocacy-oriented Denton Chapter of LULAC(League of
United Latin American Citizens)ten years later. Its early focus was on ,...
representation in school hiring and naming of public amenities to
reflect the increasingly Hispanic population, leading to naming of the
nearby Tomas Rivera elementary school built in 1994.
Denton's Hispanic community also began to emerge into mainstream
political life in this period.The first Hispanic city council member,
Dr. Roland Vela- Muzquiz (a seventh generation descendant of one
of the founders of Muzuiz, Coahuila and the namesake of Vela Park),
served 1979-80.The first Hispanic school board member, Dr. Rudy
Rodriguez(co-namesake with his wife Rosemary of Rodriguez Middle
School) served 2008-14.
At this writing,the Hispanic population is estimated at roughly one
quarter of Denton,contributing to every aspect of the life of the city.
Clemente Ramirez,Denton Traquero
I TY
F
DENTON
3E3 3EL - -
�..' • Hispanic Community
P. Kilo
Organizes
n 1971,a small group led by a beloved and Chicano NIL
charismatic married couple,local hairstyling Celebration
entrepreneurs Popo and Lupe Gonzales,formed Las Set Saturday
Familias Unidas—Families United. It was primarily a
social group for Denton Hispanic families at first. But as e M
members shared their desires for greater representation
in Denton public life, in ten years it transformed into
the more advocacy-oriented Denton Chapter of Las Familias Unidas
LULAC(League of United Latin American Citizens).
LULAC's first areas of focus in Denton were on hiring
of Hispanic professionals in the schools and on naming
of public amenities to reflect the increasingly Hispanic
One tangible result of that effort was
population. ..�
the naming of the nearby Tomas Rivera elementary
school built in 1994. Dr.Roland Vela Dr.Rudy Rodriguez Dorothy Martinez
Denton's Hispanic community also began to emerge
into political life in this period.The first Hispanic city
council member, Dr. Roland Vela,a muzquizence and the
namesake of Vela Park,served 1979-80.The first Hispanic
school board member, Dr. Rudy Rodriguez,served 2008-14. t
He is co-namesake along with his wife Rosemary of
Rodriguez Middle School. Dorothy Martinez,the firstT 0 /�t
Hispanic female school board member,was elected in 1 ` Mi t,d,(17(�QI
2014 and served until 2020. 6
l�1Tn
Also, in 2014,ten muzquizence Dentonites under the • ��
leadership of Mayela Jimenez and Aida Urquidez formed
a group called Proyecto Diez(Project 10)to provide
aid and foster closer ties with their home city. Muzquiz
was officially designated a Friendship City to Denton
Proyecto Diez
in 2015.
CITY
or•
DENTON.