Texas to recognize Tejano history with Capitol monument

AUSTIN, Texas — The memorials around the Texas Capitol grounds have long honored heroes and moments of Texas' storied past, from the Alamo to the Confederacy to fallen soldiers in foreign wars.

Joining them this month is a tribute to Texas' earliest pioneers, Tejano settlers who trail-blazed what would become the Lone Star State. On March 29, a massive granite and bronze memorial to those early Spanish and Mexican explorers, settlers and their descendants will be formally dedicated on the South lawn of the state Capitol, the culmination of a decade-long effort to honor their history.

"We've been here for 500 years. For 500 years, we've ignored that chapter of Texas history," said Renato Ramirez, CEO of International Bank of Commerce in the border city of Zapata and one of the leaders of the nearly $2 million project. Ramirez' family gave $125,000 to the effort....