Program

Legends & Lore®

Subject

Folklore, Legend

Location

507 W Hackberry, Melvin, TX 76858, USA

Lat/Long

31.19741, -99.58468

Grant Recipient

Junta Patriótica

The colonia Jiménez was a group in Melvin, Texas, which descended from early settlers hailing from Villa de Jiménez, Coahuila, Mexico. A junta patriótica, a patriotic board, was organized in 1914 to organize the observation of patriotic celebrations. In the late 1920s, brothers Juan and Anastacio Pérez designed the construction of a building at 507 W. Hackberry to serve as a dance hall and meeting center for the colonia. The original structure burned down, and the building that stands today was erected in the late 1930s. During patriotic celebrations, a queen and attendants were selected to begin festivities with a march to a traditional song, usually “La Marcha de Zacatecas” or “Las Coronelas.” Families sold tamales and drinks from booths set up outside. These festivals brought people from McCulloch and surrounding counties together in a full display of cultural tradition and life that boldly proclaimed a successful Mexican implantation and community resilience in McCulloch County.

In 2024, the Patriotic Board began restoring the structure into a museum that will celebrate the Mexican community cultural, social, and political presence in Melvin from the 1930s to the 1970s.

The folkloric element of this application is not the existence of the building and its activities – that is a historical fact. It is the folklife aspect that the community retained in its connection to Villa de Jimenez in Mexico and how it continued to support the activities that it had pursued in Mexico.  It is an interesting look at the transplantation of a community, the strong connection with local traditions including celebrations and foodways, and recognizes a community anchor.