Critics: Texas Revolution drama only rises to errors
History’s ‘Texas Rising’ accused of demonizing Latinos, native people.
The historical drama “Texas Rising” has drawn the ire of a group of historians and intellectuals, who will hold a forum Saturday at the Mexican-American Cultural Center to discuss what they say are inaccuracies and stereotypes in the series.
The History channel’s 10-hour series tells the story of how Texas broke away from Mexican rule and became an
independent republic before joining the United States in 1845. But the show has been bashed by reviewers and activists who say it tells a biased and at times inaccurate version of historic events in which those fighting for Texas are the heroes and everyone else is a villain.
Dan Arellano, the historian who organized the panel, said the series is dismissive of Mexico’s situation: Although it was under the repressive rule of Antonio López de Santa Anna at the time of the events, it nonetheless was a sovereign government battling to protect its territory in Texas.
“For a person that’s not from here, they could be watching the History channel, thinking, ‘This is the History channel; it’s got to be true,’” Arellano said. “It makes an entire group of people look like the bad guys.”
In a response to these criticisms, History calls the program a “dramatic interpretation of Texas’ fight for independence” — which is pointed out in the disclaimer that appears before each episode — and offers an “authentic, fair-minded, 21st-century perspective on the Texas Revolution that still inspires passion.”
“Nearly two centuries later there is still serious disagreement and debate over the events depicted in the show,” History said in a written statement. “As historical fiction, it is designed to ignite interest, to inspire people to learn more about the past, to entertain, and to encourage them to form their own opinions about these events.”
History also aired a one-hour documentary called “Texas Revolution” before the airing of “Texas Rising” and directed its social media followers to a website where they could find more historical context for the events in the show.
Arellano said he finds the series offensive, adding that it demonizes Mexicans, Tejanos and Native Americans.
He said it continues a tradition of commercial films that dismiss the point of view of people of color and reinforce a narrative of American exceptionalism, which undermines the more complex truth of those events.
“What we’ve seen with commercial films and filmmaking is they tend to take folklore and, by including it in film, give it credibility,” said Jim Estrada, a marketing specialist who focuses on Latino audiences and will be on the panel.
“It’s those preconceived notions and lack of information that we have to address if we’re going to be successful in challenging those inaccurate explanations and renditions of our history.”
Arellano said the panel discussion, which will start at 1 p.m., will go be- yond “Texas Rising” and take on the portrayal of people of color in other films, such as the number of movies made about the Battle of the Alamo.
Estrada, who has trained corporate executives about appealing to Latino audiences for 25 years, said that the History series was a missed opportunity but that it can still serve as a launching pad for future conversations.
“We understand that the film is done,” Estrada said. “We can’t refill the milk that’s been spilled. What we can do, however, is begin an educational process that provides truthful and accurate information as opposed to folklore.”