Join us for the 3rd Annual Pop Up Museum "Vaquero: Genesis of the Texas Cowboy" featuring traveling exhibits from Humanities Texas and projects by students in Mr. Vera’s National History Day class at Levelland Middle School.

“El Vaquero: An Early Texas Influencer”

What is an influencer? The term refers to someone who influences others. Today, a person may be described as an online social media influencer. So, what does this have to do with Texas history and specifically with ethnic Mexican cowboys, also known as vaqueros. In a broad sense, either intentionally but often unintentionally, vaqueros and later Texas cowboys were influencers. Professor Rios will examine how the image of vaqueros became a fixture of Texas, especially how they came to embody independence, individualism, and self-reliance.

Dinner will include:

Brisket

Grilled Chicken

Sausage Links

Dinner tickets are $15

*The dinner event will be hosted at Studebaker Events, 520 Ave. H due to ongoing renovations inside the Wallace Theater Auditorium.

About our Speaker:

Abel Rios teaches history at South Plains College and is working on his Ph.D. at Texas Tech University. He has contributed numerous articles and presentations on history related to American religion, ethnic Mexicans, war and peace, and Texas. Additionally, he is a member of the Texas Historical Association and graduated as part of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society.

The exhibit will be on display at the Brasch-Mitchell building 513 Ave G, Monday - Friday May 16th through 26th from 11am-2pm or by appointment call 806-523-8773. The exhibits will the be available for public viewing the evening of May 23rd at Studebaker events for a dinner will be served at 6:15pm. The presentation will being at 6:45pm and will conclude with a Q&A. Attendees will have the opportunity to view exhibits before and after the meal.

Left to right: Back row: Allegra Gavina, Ryleigh Wristen, Eli Luna, Christopher Prieto, Luke Martin, Breanna Garza, Railey Pence.

Left to right: Front row: Jassiah Lucio, Kaylee Gray, Martha Neiderhauser, Cooper Wiley, Jacky Catt, Jaden Huff, Cerys Lewis.

The students have chosen the following topics to research and present: 

The History of Barbed Wire and Its Impact on the Open Range

Kings Ranch

The History of Cattle Brands 

The Lives of Modern Vaqueros 

Cattle Trails in Texas 

The History of Rodeos

This event is made possible in part by Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.