A "Texican," prior to 1836, was a person from Texas (then part of Mexico) of non-Mexican (i.e. non-Hispanic) ancestry,
usually someone who had been born in the United States (and usually a southerner) and had emigrated to Mexico's northernmost state.
A "Tejano" was, and is, a descendant of the original Spanish and Mexican families who settled the territory from about 1749 onward.
Both Texicans and Tejanos fought side by side in the Texas army that won independence from the dictatorship of Santa Anna.
In the context of the struggle for Texas independence, all were referred to as "Texicans."
Later, they were called "Texians" and finally, "Texans."
Ref: chris-horton blogspot, which is no longer active.
__________
Before 1836, as settlers moved into Texas, which was then owned by Mexico, the settlers were frequently called "Texicans",
as citizens of Mexico were called "Mexicans". They were called "Texians" and "Texans" as well. In 1836 they won their independence
from Mexico, and declared themselves a Republic. After this, they were called "Texans". They stayed a republic until 1845 when they
were admitted into the Union.
>Read more »
__________
Texians is a name for immigrants from the United States and countries other than Mexico who became residents in the Tejas and
Coahuila areas of Mexico, much of which later would be called Texas. Following a war for independence, several unofficial terms were
used in the 19th century to denote residents of Texas, including Texasian, Texican, and Texonian.
Read more »
__________
The word "Texian" was used throughout the period of the Texas Revolution and Texas Republic in place of the word "Texan." The following passage, taken from the November 7, 1835, edition of the Telegraph and Texas Register, investigates the matter:
"The proper name for the people of Texas seems to be a matter of doubt or contrariety: some calling them Texians, while others speak or write Texans, Texonians, Texasians, Texicans. We believe that, both by the Mexican and American residents of the country, the name commonly used is Texians . . . "[14]
The word gradually disappeared from popular use following statehood although it could still occasionally be found. Historians often use the term to describe early Texans. Top
Read more »
14 Quotation from the November 7, 1835, edition of the Telegraph and Texas Register, reprinted from the New Orleans' Bee.
__________
"You say toh-may-toe. I say toh-mah-toe..." I think a lot of this must stem from regional preferences. Another often used phrase is "Texican", an abomination of 20th century coinage. I'm not sure who came up with this corruption, but I wish people would stop using it. "Texian" refers to the Anglo settlers of Tejas y Coahuila and It's what they called themselves! This piece was originally in the New Orleans Bee then reprinted in TELEGRAPH AND TEXAS REGISTER on November 7, 1835:
"The proper name for the people of Texas seems to be a matter of doubt or contrariety: some calling the Texians, while others speak or write Texans, Texonians, Texasians, Texicans. We believe that, both by the Mexican and American residents of the country, the name commonly used is Texians; the Mexicans giving it the guttural sound of the Spanish language, as indicated sometimes by x and sometimes by j, Teghians. The sound is not used in the present mode of speaking the English language, although the Irish use it in the word lough, and the Scotch in loch, a lake. The nearest approximation is in such words as Christ. Texians is, therefore, the correct name of the people of Texas; and besides being short, it is perfectly analogous to the usual mode of forming the proper name of nations by the termination in n; as Greece, Grecian Persia, Persian. It may also be considered the euphonious abbreviation of Texasian. But Texonian and Texasite are absurd epithets."
Read more »
__________
The Lipan-Apache lived in the Hill Country of central Texas and often fought the early Anglo and Hispanic Texans but later became allies of the Texicans against the Comanche and other Apache tribes. Other Apache tribes, in particular the Mescalero Apache lived mainly in west Texas and parts of New Mexico and Arizona.
In 1830 relations between the Texicans and the Mexican government worsened when further emigration from the US was forbidden. In 1832 fighting broke out near Valasco when the Mexican commander attempted to block the movement of a cannon to Anahuac.
Several other skirmishes happened in the remainder of 1835 including the seizure of Goliad by Texican forces and ending in the siege of Bexar (San Antonio).
On April 21, 1836 the Texican army soundly defeated Santa Anna's forces at San Jacinto in a battle lasting less than twenty-minutes. In exchange for his freedom, Santa Anna gave up Texas forever.
Read more »
____________________
