Screening of The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez

Afterparty event for the Archival Showing at Benson Latin American Collection!

The man. The legend. The 1982 Chicano cinema classic starring Edward James Olmos.

This Hispanic Heritage Month join us for a special 40th anniversary screening of The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez, presented in partnership with our friends at the Benson Latin American Collection and LAVA Los Angeles, and thanks to special consideration of Moctesuma Esparza.

The story of Gregorio Cortez, who became a folk hero in the early 1900s for evading a manhunt at the hands of the Texas Rangers, returns to historic East Austin, where local Mexican American families welcomed him as a hero following his official pardon in 1913. A public archival showing of the Americo Paredes Papers will be presented by the University of Texas’s Benson Latin American Collection, home of Paredes’ original manuscript of With His Pistol In His Hand and his research on the origins of Texas-Mexican heroic corridos (ballads) written about the life and legend of Gregorio Cortez.

This outdoor screening is free and open to the public but expected to reach capacity. RSVP here.

Gates open at 6:30 PM. Screening begins at 7:30 PM. 

See more about this event and the viewing of special materials related to this movie at The University of Texas's Benson Latin American Collection. The Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection is one of the world's premier collections of Latin American, Caribbean, and U.S. Latina/o/x materials. In addition to supporting the research of students and faculty at The University of Texas at Austin, the Benson hosts visiting researchers from around the world. 

Join us on Friday, October 6, for a special showing of archival materials from the Américo Paredes Papers. A renowned writer and folklorist, Paredes was the author of With His Pistol in His Hand, the novel that inspired the film The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez. 

These materials will be on view from 1:00 to 3:00 PM in the 2nd floor conference room at the Benson Latin American Collection, 2300 Red River Street. Public parking is available along Red River and Dean Keaton. This event is free and open to the community.