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Texas Matters: Cattle Drives; 1718 Art; & Tequila

Wikimedia Commons | http://bit.ly/2pzT2Vp
On this episode of "Texas Matters" we look at the economy of cattle drives.

On this episode of Texas Matters, we look at:

  • The economy of Texas cattle drives. 
  • As San Antonio celebrates its tricentennial, we at two stories, beginning with a look at the art of 1718 (10:00).
  • Then, as the Alamo City celebrates its 300th birthday, there will more than a little tequila used in the celebration. Here's the story behind that smooth and firey inebriant and its tie to San Antonio (19:45).

The Economic of Texas Cattle Drives  

Classic westerns and TV shows like "Rawhide" made the Texas cattle drive seem so easy. Cowboys rounded up the "little doggies," and pointed them north. But there was more at work than taking cows on a long walk. There were market forces and a demand for beef.  

Bruce Shackelford, the Witte Museum's curator of South Texas heritage, joins us to discuss a presentation at a recent conference on cattle drives and the international economy of beef.

San Antonio Art 1718

Man doesn’t live by beef – or bread alone. There is also the need for art. And San Antonio’s origin is based in art, when the villita was founded on the farthest reaches of western civilization.

As part of the San Antonio's tricentennial, the San Antonio Museum of Art is featuring an exhibition “San Antonio 1718: Art from Mexico.” We are joined by it's curator Marion Oettinger, who is a cultural anthropologist and art historian who specializes in Latin American art and culture.

Tequila Time

As San Antonio celebrates 300 years, there will more than a little tequila poured. But what is the story behind that smooth and firey inebriant? It’s one of the most labor intensive products you find in the bar, and the world’s demand for it continues to grow. Photographer Joel Salcido followed the harvesting and production of the blue agave in his book “The Spirit of Tequila.”

David Martin Davies can be reached at dmdavies@tpr.org or on Twitter @DavidMartinDavi

 

TPR's Tricentennial project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.

 

David Martin Davies can be reached at dmdavies@tpr.org and on Twitter at @DavidMartinDavi