(WACO, Texas) — The Waco Hispanic Museum is celebrating 10 years of history, and one of its original board members is reflecting on the journey that brought it to life.
Louis Garcia was part of the group that first conceived the museum as an idea in 2012. By 2016, its doors were open. The mission, Garcia said, was straightforward: tell the stories of people who made an impact on the Hispanic community.
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"We all have a story, and we all have a story to tell, okay, of some sort, somehow or another. And so that's what needs to be told. And basically that's where the museum comes from, just people's stories, just who they were, what they did," Garcia said.
The museum walks visitors through the history of the Hispanic population in Waco using photos and artifacts. Garcia said that history stretches back more than a century.
"But the Hispanics have always been here. There was a bunch that came in, they migrated into pick cotton, especially in the early 1900s. This was a cotton capital of the world, almost. And so they migrated in to do that," Garcia said.
Those migrants settled in Calle Dos, the original Hispanic neighborhood in Waco. Garcia said the community was torn down by urbanization in the 1960s.
"Yeah, that was the meeting place, the original place that helped so many Mexicans with schools and the law, housing, jobs. And so that was the mainstay. That's what kept everybody together. They would have big fiestas. And especially, like, on the Deiciseis Sept. 16th. It would go for a week, and they would not have dance and everybody just, I mean, that was a place to go. That was a gathering place of Waco," Garcia said.
Now, the museum is looking to grow its collection and is actively seeking photos, news clippings, and stories from the community.
"We're hoping not to go anywhere. And the only way we can continue to tell the story is by your contributions, by you coming and talking to us, being involved, being a member, a board member, anything, to keep it going. And that's what I would like to see doing," Garcia said.
Garcia encourages community members to visit the museum and learn more about Waco's Hispanic heritage.
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