Briscoe's biggest exhibit yet tells Tejano history
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A Spanish viceroy saddle from around 1750 featured in the exhibit. Photo: Courtesy of the Briscoe Western Art Museum
The Briscoe Western Art Museum is preparing to unveil the largest exhibition in its 13-year history.
Why it matters: "Tejano Legacy: Another American Origin Story" explores nearly 400 years of Tejano history and culture, tracing how those traditions — from ranching and horsemanship to language, music and food — helped shape Texas.
Zoom in: Opening Friday and running through Jan. 18, the exhibition was developed with scholars, collectors and lending institutions across the U.S. and Mexico.
- Visitors will see more than 100 paintings, sculptures, saddles, maps, weapons and historical artifacts.
- Highlights include an 18th-century Spanish colonial viceroy saddle whose design influenced generations of vaqueros — and eventually the American cowboy.
- The exhibition also features an original documentary by National Geographic filmmaker Jeremy Zipple and a bilingual exhibition catalog.
The companion exhibition, "Selena Forever / Siempre Selena," is open through Jan. 4 and features the largest presentation ever assembled of San Antonio photographer John Dyer's portraits of Selena.
Between the lines: The exhibition received a $511,355 federal Museums for America grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, one of the largest such awards given to a U.S. museum in 2025.
- The project also received support from multiple foundations, public agencies and private donors.
What they did: Guest curator Gabriela Gámez spent years working with museums across Mexico to negotiate loans that brought several works to the U.S. for the first time, Jason Kirkland, director of curatorial affairs, collections and exhibitions, tells Axios.
What they're saying: Briscoe president and CEO Liz Jackson said in a statement that the Tejano exhibition aims to shine a light on stories that have long been overlooked.
- "For generations, the contributions of Tejanos have been woven into the fabric of Texas and our nation, yet many of those stories are not widely known," she said.
What's next: The museum's annual National Day of the Cowboy free celebration returns Saturday, 10am–4pm. This year's event celebrates the legacy of the vaquero with charro demonstrations, folklórico performances, chuck wagon cooking and family-friendly activities.
Zoom out: After its San Antonio run, "Tejano Legacy" will travel to Scottsdale's Museum of the West in Arizona before concluding at the Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin.
If you go: The Briscoe is open Thursday 10am–8pm and Friday through Monday 10am–5pm. General admission is $16 for adults; free for kids 12 and under.
- Bexar County residents get free admission on the first Sunday of every month.