!["With His Pistol in His Hand": A Border Ballad and Its Hero by Americo Paredes](https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-zkx5lhzlf8/images/stencil/1500x1500/products/814962/814673/9780292701281__44115.1687667373.jpg?c=1?imbypass=on ""With His Pistol in His Hand": A Border Ballad and Its Hero by Americo Paredes")
!["With His Pistol in His Hand": A Border Ballad and Its Hero by Americo Paredes](https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-zkx5lhzlf8/images/stencil/608x608/products/814962/814673/9780292701281__44115.1687667373.jpg?c=1 ""With His Pistol in His Hand": A Border Ballad and Its Hero by Americo Paredes")
Description
Gregorio Cortez Lira, a ranchhand of Mexican parentage, was virtually unknown until one summer day in 1901 when he and a Texas sheriff, pistols in hand, blazed away at each other after a misunderstanding. The sheriff was killed and Gregorio fled immediately, realizing that in practice there was one law for Anglo-Texans, another for Texas-Mexicans. The chase, capture, and imprisonment of Cortez are high drama that cannot easily be forgotten. Even today, in the cantinas along both sides of the Rio Grande, Mexicans sing the praises of the great "sheriff-killer" in the ballad which they call "El Corrido de Gregorio Cortez."
Americo Paredes tells the story of Cortez, the man and the legend, in vivid, fascinating detail in "With His Pistol in His Hand," which also presents a unique study of a ballad in the making. Deftly woven into the story are interpretations of the Border country, its history, its people, and their folkways.
About the Author
Americo Paredes (1915-1999) was a professor at the University of Texas at Austin and founded the UT Center for Mexican American Studies.
Reviews
To see why Gregorio became a folk hero, one only has to remember that in practice there was one law for Anglo-Texans, another for Texas Mexicans. The chase, capture, and imprisonment of Cortez are high drama.... This is an extraordinary book. * Tennessee Folklore Society Bulletin *
Book Information
ISBN 9780292701281
Author Americo Paredes
Format Paperback
Page Count 276
Imprint University of Texas Press
Publisher University of Texas Press
Weight(grams) 426g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 23mm
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