Navarro, José Antonio (1795-1871), was an important Tejano << tay HAH noh >> leader in the Texas revolution. Tejanos are Texans of Mexican descent. In the Texas revolution, Texas fought for freedom from Mexico . Navarro is known for signing the 1836 Texas Declaration of Independence. He also fought for the rights of Tejanos in the Republic of Texas and the United States.
Navarro was born on Feb. 27, 1795, in San Antonio , Texas. He was born into a prominent family. His mother, born María Josefa Ruiz y Peña, was of noble Spanish blood. His Corsican-born father, Ángel, was a merchant and alcalde (mayor) of San Antonio. José Navarro became a lawyer. He married Margarita de la Garza in 1825. They had seven children.
In 1813, Navarro joined the Gutiérrez-Magee expedition. The expedition, a group of Tejano and American adventurers, sought to seize Texas from Spanish rule. The attempt failed. Fearing capture and execution, Navarro fled to the United States. He returned to Texas in 1816.
In 1821, Mexico gained its independence from Spain . Texas became part of Mexico. That same year, an American named Moses Austin gained permission from Spanish officials in Mexico to start a colony of United States citizens in Texas. His son, Stephen F. Austin , organized the colony. Navarro became friends with Austin and entered politics. He was elected to the state legislature in the Mexican states of Coahuila and Texas. He was later elected to the national Congress in Mexico City . In 1835, Navarro openly supported the U.S. colonization and statehood of Texas. In 1836, he became one of two native Tejanos to sign the Texas Declaration of Independence from Mexico.
Navarro fought for Tejano rights while serving as a representative in the Texas Congress. In 1841, he joined the Santa Fe expedition, in which a group of armed Texans attempted to seize part of New Mexico , then a part of Mexico. Mexican troops defeated the expedition and held the Texans captive. Navarro spent 14 months imprisoned in Veracruz , Mexico, before escaping and returning to Texas. In 1845, Navarro was the only Hispanic member of the convention for Texas independence. There, he helped write the state’s first constitution, including protections for Tejano citizenship and voting rights. Navarro was elected to two terms in the state Senate. He died on Jan. 13, 1871.
