Latinos on the Forty Acres

The Latino community has played an enormous role in shaping The University of Texas at Austin. With that in mind, the Center for Mexican American Studies has been working to memorialize those efforts in the form of two book projects.

A Selected History of Latinos at UT will feature research from scholars who are contributing chapters about key moments in the history of Latinos on campus. The book will explore a range of topics, from Civil Rights icons like George I. Sanchez to the UT mariachi program to the beginnings of the Department of Mexican American and Latina/o Studies. Many chapters include oral history interviews that help to fill in the gaps where archival research is lacking. Estimated publication of this project is Fall 2026. 

The second book, Latinos on the 40 Acres, will focus on individual and group interviews with more than 180 staff, faculty, students, and alumni that CMAS staff and affiliates have conducted. CMAS has interviewed people throughout the country, and even internationally, in person and over teleconference. Some interviews have brought together groups of old friends from 1970s Chicano activism, while others have spanned generations in fields like journalism, law, and engineering. Many have provided beautiful photos of their UT experience, a selection of which will also be included. This book is expected to be published by Fall 2027.

CMAS plans to share and celebrate the Latinos on the Forty Acres project widely with our community and friends. The interviews will be preserved and made publicly available as part of the CMAS archives at the Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection. The interview collection will be a treasure trove of rich, personal stories that help to paint a more complete picture of the Longhorn Latino experience. And it is a resource that will help tell that story for generations to come.

If you have any questions about either of these projects please email your inquiry to: cmasresearcher1@utexas.edu.