Juan Tejeda is a musician, writer, ex-jefe danzante Mexica-Azteca, arts administrator, educator, activist, editor and publisher. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Chicano Studies from the University of Texas at Austin and his Master of Arts degree in Bicultural Studies from the University of Texas at San Antonio.

For eighteen years (1980-1998), he was the Xicano Music Program Director for the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center where, among his many duties, he created the internationally renowned Tejano Conjunto Festival en San Antonio and directed it during its first seventeen years; created and edited the GCAC Newsletter and Tonantzin magazine; directed the Performing Arts Series; produced the opera Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe which was composed by Dr. Edward C. Garza; created and implemented music classes for the community (including classes in the button accordion, bajo sexto, voice, violin, guitar, Latin percussion, mariachi group, and others); and produced various live audio/video productions including The Best of the Tejano Conjunto Festival CD’s (1989, 1997, 2008-2015, a DVD/CD set in 2022), and The Best of the 11^th Annual Tejano Conjunto Festival, 1992 (video). He still works as a consultant for the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center and the Tejano Conjunto Festival.

Mr. Tejeda has written and lectured extensively on the history and socio-cultural significance and importance of Tejano and Conjunto music and is the co-editor of the acclaimed book Puro Conjunto: An Album in Words and Pictures/Writings, Posters, and Photographs from the Tejano Conjunto Festival en San Antonio, 1982-1998 (2001), published by the Center for Mexican American Studies/University of Texas at Austin and the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center and distributed by the University of Texas Press. He also wrote the Preface and captions for John Dyer’s historic book of photographs, Conjunto (2005/University of Texas Press); and is the author of a book of poems, short stories and songs entitled Enamorado, en la guerra, y reconociendo la tierra, Aztlan ’76-’78 (1980/M&A Editions, San Antonio, Texas). He has authored articles on Conjunto Music in various magazines and books.

Tejeda has taught Mexican American Studies at the University of Texas at San Antonio (2000-2002), and recently (December, 2016), after 15 years, he retired as a tenured full-time faculty member from Palo Alto College in San Antonio, Texas, where he established, and was the Lead Faculty for, the Center for Mexican American Studies, was a professor of Mexican-American Studies and Music, and where, since 2002, he created and directed the first Conjunto Music Program at the college/university level in the nation.

For the last nine years he has been very active with SomosMAS/Mexican American Studies San Antonio, Tejas and the National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies Tejas Foco in implementing MAS courses from Pre-K-12^th grade in Texas schools. And from 2014-2018, he was part of a statewide coalition that fought for a MAS course for high school students before the Texas State Board of Education that culminated with its historic approval in September, 2018. This is the first time in U.S. history that a state board of education approves a MAS course, and the first time in Texas history that an Ethnic Studies course of any kind is approved. This decision by the state board also created a pathway for the implementation of other courses in American Indian/Native Studies, African American Studies (approved in 2020), Latino Studies and Asian/Pacific Islander Studies.

Juan Tejeda and his wife, Anisa Onofre, are the owners and Co-Publishers of Aztlan Libre Press, an independent publishing house based out of Yanawana/San Antonio, Texas, that is dedicated to the publication, promotion, and free expression of Indigenous/Xicanx literature and art. Aztlan Libre Press was established in 2010 and they have published fifteen books, among them the following award-winning publications: A Crown for Gumecindo (2015) by former San Antonio and Texas Poet Laureate Laurie Ann Guerrero (winner of the 2016 Helen C. Smith Memorial Award for Best Book of Poetry from the Texas Institute of Letters); The Canción Cannibal Cabaret & Other Songs by Amalia Ortiz (winner of the 2020 American Book Award in Oral Literature from the Before Columbus Foundation); and Writing 50 Years más o menos Amongst the Gringos by Dr. Cintli (winner of the 2022 International Latino Book Awards Gold Medal in the Raul Yzaguirre Best Political/Current Affairs Book. Their latest publication is La Quinta Soledad/A Novel by Silviana Wood.

Tejeda is the button accordionist and vocalist for the Conjunto Aztlan. They have released two CD’s: their debut, self-titled, Conjunto Aztlan (1998), that is all music and poetry from the Chicano Movement; and From Aztlan With Love  c/s  a/f (2005), which includes 13 original love songs (7 of which were written by Tejeda). He recently finished his third CD, and first produced with his primo hermano, Armando Tejeda, titled Raíz XicanX. It was released on November 17, 2018 at the Guadalupe Theater in San Antonio.

Tejeda was inducted into the Tejano Roots Hall of Fame in Alice, Texas, in 2016, and the Texas Conjunto Hall of Fame in San Benito, Texas in 2017. He is married to Anisa Onofre, the proud father of three children: Zitlalli Aztlan Libre, Juan Francisco Tonatiuh and Maya Quetzalli, and an abuelo to Ella and Ava.

Juan Tejeda is available for musical presentations as a duet with Juan & Armando Tejeda, and with his full band, Conjunto Aztlan; as well as consulting work and lectures, workshops and presentations, with or without music (drum, flute, button accordion, songs), on such subjects dealing with Mexican American/Chicanx History, Music and Culture, Tejano/Conjunto Music History, the Tejano Corrido Tradition, Xicanx Literature & Independent Publishing, and other topics.

Contact:

juantejeda@sbcglobal.net

210.710.8537