TEXAS TROPICAL TRAIL REGION HERITAGE TOURISM PROGRAM
April 17, 2012 – Partner Event and Business Meeting – Laredo, Texas
You are cordially invited to attend Number eighty (80) in a series of monthly Partner Events, including Tours and Educational Presentations, celebrating the heritage of South Texas. This informative gathering of the Texas Tropical Trail Region Heritage Tourism Program will be held in the Border Byway – Laredo, Webb County, Texas on Tuesday, April 17, 2012. Please let me know if you will be joining us for lunch.
Our visit to Laredo will allow us to explore San Agustin National Register Historic District near the Rio Grande River and the numerous museums and historical buildings in the area. We will begin our day at the Villa Antigua Border Heritage Museum, site of the 2008 Texas Tropical Trail Region Brochure Launch.
From there we’ll take a walking tour of the San Agustin Plaza area with visits to Casa Ortiz, Washington’s Birthday Celebration Museum, Republic of the Rio Grande Museum, San Agustin Plaza and San Agustin Cathedral.
At the Cathedral, we’ll board a trolley that will take us to the campus of Texas A&M International University where we’ll tour the Helen Richter Watson Art Gallery.
The trolley will take us back to San Agustin Plaza by way of San Bernardo Avenue, a shopping area known for Mexican imports.
Our final stop of the day will be the Zaragoza Room on the second floor of the Washington’s Birthday Celebration Museum. The building housing the museum is part of the La Posada Hotel, site of the very first Texas Tropical Trail Region meeting in 2005.
We will enjoy a complimentary lunch in the Zaragoza Room as well as our educational programs and business meeting.
Blasita Lopez, Director of the Laredo Convention & Visitors Bureau will be our first speaker, followed by Sandra Rocha-Taylor, Director of the Laredo Main Street Program and Margarita Araiza, Director of the Webb County Heritage Foundation.
Our final program will be presented by Cynthia Martin, Executive Director of the Texas Tropical Trail Region. Her program will be “The Who, What and Why of the Texas Tropical Trail Region”.
VILLA ANTIGUA BORDER HERITAGE MUSEUM
This restored two-story brick building, constructed in the early 20th century, was once home to two early Laredo merchant families. In 2002, the Webb County Heritage Foundation and the County of Webb acquired the home and undertook its historic rehabilitation. It now serves as the Villa Antigua Border Heritage Museum featuring exhibits showcasing the history and heritage of the border region.
CASA ORTIZ
With its beautiful gardens and amazing view of Mexico and the Rio Grande River, Casa Ortiz is a historical home that forms a key part of the San Agustin National Register Historic District of Laredo. Built by Jose Reyes Ortiz between 1829 and 1830, Casa Ortiz was designated a Recorded Texas Historical Landmark in 1964. It is considered one of the oldest continuously inhabited residences in Texas. At present, Casa Ortiz is managed by Texas A&M International University and used for hosting University events, seminars, tours and for educational purposes in collaboration with the Webb County Heritage Foundation.
WASHINGTON’S BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION MUSEUM
This museum features exhibits unique to Laredo’s grandest city-wide festival which takes place every year in February and includes displays of sparkling gowns, photos and other memorabilia telling the story of Laredo’s Washington’s Birthday Celebration which has been going on for more than 100 years.
REPUBLIC OF THE RIO GRANDE MUSEUM
Formerly the home of Don Bartolome Garcia, an early rancher and city leader, the structure was built in two stages with the three rear rooms thought to date to the 1830s. In 1840, it served as the capitol of the Republic of the Rio Grande, a northern Mexico separatist movement which seceded from Mexico because of opposition to centralist rule.
A president was elected, a cabinet appointed and a flag made. This gave Laredo its seventh flag, one more than the six which have flown over Texas. The structure was converted into a period house museum in 1955. The museum is operated by the Webb County Heritage Foundation.
SAN AGUSTIN PLAZA
The early town site of Laredo was laid out in the typical “Law of the Indies” style of all Spanish settlements which called for a main square used for public meetings and military exercises, bordered by government buildings, a church and the residences of prominent families.
Several stone houses built by leading ranching families of the mid-19th century still remain. Of the five existing plazas in Laredo today, only San Agustin Plaza still hosts annual church festivals as well as both Mexican and U.S. patriotic commemorations. It is the only 18th century plaza in South Texas.
SAN AGUSTIN CATHEDRAL
The present structure (the last of three) was completed in 1872 on the site of two previous churches. Construction of the present church began in 1824 but was interrupted due to political instability of Mexico at the time. It was finally finished in 1872. In 1905, a tornado struck the present church building damaging the bell tower as well as the façade.
During its reconstruction, ornamentation was added, and in 1922, the steeple was raised and modified to accommodate the installation of a Seth Thomas clock. It was first designated a pro-cathedral in 1892 for Bishop Pedro Verdaguer. In the year 2000, when the Diocese of Laredo was erected, San Agustin Church was again designated a cathedral for Bishop James Tamayo. It is believed to be the burial site of city founder Tomas Sanchez.
TEXAS A&M INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY
TAMIU is an international university, poised at the Gateway to Mexico and serving as the cultural and intellectual hub of a vibrant bilingual and bicultural community. A member of the Texas A&M University System, TAMIU provides nearly 7,000 students with a learning environment anchored by the highest quality programs built on a solid academic foundation in the arts and sciences.
To fulfill its mission, the University offers a range of baccalaureate and masters programs and the Doctor of Philosophy degree in International Business. Programs focus on developing undergraduate and graduate offerings with a progressive international agenda for global study and understanding of all disciplines.
HELEN RICHTER WATSON ART GALLERY
The gallery is a light-filled aerie that embraces the emphatic spectrum of her profound influence as both artist and teacher. The gallery replicates Watson’s welcoming Houston Street studio, which openly mixed works of art within her home setting to create a gathering space where an artist celebrated, lived and worked her art daily. In addition to the artist’s works, visitors will find an impressive array of works by artists who were Watson’s colleagues, friends or artists whose works she collected.
As a child, Helen Richter Watson (1926-2003) playfully harvested mud from the banks of the Rio Grande, footsteps from her home. The mud would be carefully molded into clay pots of transitory beauty, connecting Helen with her environment and forging a link that nurtured one of the nation’s most highly regarded ceramics artists and educators.
Our sponsors and hosts for this day will be the City of Laredo, Webb County Heritage Foundation, Laredo Main Street Program, Laredo Convention and Visitors Bureau and La Posada Hotel.
Texas Tropical Trail Region Heritage Tourism Program
The Texas Tropical Trail Region (TTTR) heritage tourism program is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation developed in conjunction with the Texas Historical Commission and organized in February 2005 with an eleven-member volunteer Board of Directors, a salaried Executive Director and over 700 partners in tourism throughout the 20 county South Texas area known as the Texas Tropical Trail Region. The first public “partner” meeting was held in March 2005 at the La Posada Hotel in Laredo, Texas.
This Region covers over 23,000 square miles and is home to over 1.7 million people. Four sub-regions or Byways (the Gulf Coast Byway, the Rio Grande Byway, the Wild Horse Desert Byway and the Brush Country Byway) are located within the Region.
Kingsville is the home of the Texas Tropical Trail Regional office located in the Kingsville Chamber of Commerce office building at 635 E. King Avenue, Suite 102.
It is the intent of the Texas Tropical Trail Region Board of Directors to showcase the heritage, natural beauty and diverse culture of South Texas for the benefit and enjoyment of Texans and travelers. To achieve this goal, the Board must first join hands with our tourism partners, community leaders, and state and local entities to identify, preserve and interpret our natural, historical and cultural resources.
These monthly meetings/educational presentations are the workshops to help make this goal a reality. These meetings are open to the public, and you are urged to encourage folks in your city and county to join us.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
9:00 – 9:30 am– Welcome & Refreshments – Villa Antigua Border Heritage Museum – 810 Zaragoza Street (parking available there and on other side of the museum)
9:30– 10:30 am – Walking Tour of San Agustin Plaza area including Villa Antigua Border Heritage Museum, Casa Ortiz, Washington’s Birthday Celebration Museum, Republic of the Rio Grande Museum, San Agustin Plaza and San Agustin Cathedral
10:30 am – Board trolley at San Agustin Cathedral for Texas A&M International University
11: 00 – 11:30 am– Tour Helen Richter Watson Art Gallery at TAMIU
11:30 am– Return to San Agustin Plaza by trolley by way of San Bernardo Street (shopping area known for Mexican imports)
12:30 pm – Lunch – Zaragoza Room – 2nd floor of Washington’s Birthday Celebration Museum
Complimentary Mexican Plate lunch provided to all including drink and dessert.
Introductions and Community Updates – 1:00 pm
1:15– 1:30 pm– Welcome and Presentation – Blasita Lopez, Director of the Laredo Convention & Visitors Bureau – Zaragoza Room
1:30 – 2:00 pm – Educational Program – Presentation of the Farmers’ Market and other downtown projects – Sandra Rocha-Taylor, Director of Laredo Main Street Program – Zaragoza Room
2:00 – 2:30 pm – Educational Program – Presentation on historic preservation projects in Laredo – Margarita Araiza, Director of Webb County Heritage Foundation – Zaragoza Room
2:30 – 2:45 pm – Educational Program –“The Who, What & Why of the Texas Tropical Trail Region” – Cynthia Martin – Executive Director of the Texas Tropical Trail Region – Zaragoza Room
2:45 – 3:45 pm–Business Meeting – Zaragoza Room (the public is welcome to attend)
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
An RSVP is necessary so that we can be adequately prepared with seating arrangements and lunch.
Please respond to Nancy Deviney at nancydeviney@yahoo.com as soon as possible but no later than Friday, April 13, 2012.
You are asked to dress accordingly for the walking tour, including comfortable footwear and sun shades.
Directions are available to Villa Antigua Border Heritage Museum.
We hope you will join us for this educational and informative day. No fees or membership are required.
Please feel free to share this invitation with your friends and colleagues but remind them that an RSVP is necessary.
Thank you.
Nancy Deviney
Chairman, Board of Directors, Texas Tropical Trail Region (www.texastropicaltrail.com) and (www.thetropicaltraveler.com)
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