Book Lover's Reading Group

Our January meeting will be on the 12th at 6:30 pm and our book is Federico Villalba's Texas, A Mexican Pioneer's Life in the Big Bend by Juan Manuel. If you have traveled to the Big Bend area, you will find this book fascinating, with the details of early life in a hard frontier. This is the story of Federico Villalba who, as a young man, moved with his family from Chihuahua in the 1880s to begin ranching near Lajitas, Texas. He prospered and eventually crossed over the Rio Grande to settle and ranch. There, Villalba married, built his herd of cattle and angora goats, discovered cinnebar and opened a store at Cerro Villalba and a leather goods store. Federico Villalba's life was filled with excitement, challenge, and victory; nevertheless, tragedy also played a hand. The Big Bend country was a dangerous place in those days, especially for those of Mexican descent. Men carried guns and were not reluctant to use them. In a lively and engaging style, Juan Manuel Casas gives us this narrative history of his great-grandfather, Federico Villalba and his family. This is a significant contribution to the literature of the Big Bend and the first to represent the Mexican point of view in its early settlement.