Friday, September 1, 2000

Mexico history expert plans speech here

For more information For information about the conference and cost, call 855-1183 or (361)256-3366.

At the heart of W. Michael Mathes' lifelong work is an unmistakable conviction: Know your past, know your future.
   For 27 years, Mathes taught Mexican history at the University of San Francisco. His interest in the subject was piqued when he was a child living in Baja California.
   "I lived two kilometers from the ruins of a Dominican mission built in 1775," said Mathes, now retired and living in Plainview. "You can imagine what that does to you as a kid."
   Mathes not only mined Baja California's rich history for answers to questions about his immediate surroundings, he also wrote numerous books based on his research. Along the way, he amassed a collection of 45,000 books about New Spain, including rare Mexican colonial imprints published prior to 1821.
   Today, Mathes is considered one of this country's foremost experts in flushing out the paper trails that yield valuable information about northern Mexico's and Texas' ancestral roots. Mathes will be a featured speaker Sept. 9 at "Embracing the New Millennium," the 21st annual Texas Conference on Hispanic Genealogy and History sponsored by Corpus Christi's Spanish American Genealogical Association. The conference will be held Sept. 7 through Sept. 10 at the Omni Bayfront Hotel.
   Teaching beginners
   Mathes' seminar is intended to demystify the research process that can discourage many would-be genealogists and history enthusiasts. Topics include: learning where in Mexico and Spain to find specific archives and how to access them; the importance of at-home research via indexes, published guide books and the Internet as a first step prior to sleuthing abroad; and avoiding the pitfalls of bureaucratic red tape. He'll also highlight lesser-known archives that contain data about New Spain's pioneering families.
   Although his primary interest was Baja California, Mathes' expertise on Mexican history enabled him to form close relationships with Mexican historians, archivists and library directors. Eventually, invitations by Mexican institutions to take on various microfilming projects followed that, in turn, has made him a valuable source for genealogists nationwide.
   Historian's awards
   In addition to being professor emeritus of the University of San Francisco, Mathes is director of the Mexican collection at San Francisco's Sutro Library, a major U.S. genealogical library.
   Because of his published works and his service in international relations and communications between Mexico and the United States, the Mexican government awarded Mathes the Aguila Azteca medal in 1985, the highest honor that government gives to non-natives. In 1995, Mathes donated his library of 45,000 titles to Mexico's El Colegio de Jalisco in Zapopan, Guadalajara, a collection of rare books estimated today at $12 million. Mathes is director of the colegio's library named in his honor - Biblioteca Mathes.