With His Pistol in His Hand

AmÉrico Paredes (1915–1999) was a professor at the University of Texas at Austin and founded the UT Center for Mexican American Studies.

To see why Gregorio became a folk hero, one only has to remember that in practice there was one law for Anglo-Texans, another for Texas Mexicans. The chase, capture, and imprisonment of Cortez are high drama.... This is an extraordinary book. (Tennessee Folklore Society Bulletin)

• Part One: Gregorio Cortez, the Legend and the Life Chapter I: The Country Nuevo SantanderThe Rio Grande peopleMier, the Alamo, and GoliadThe Texas RangersChapter II: The Legend How they sing El Corrido de Gregorio CortezHow Gregorio Cortez came to be in the county of El CarmenRomÁn's horse trade and what came of itHow Gregorio Cortez rode the little sorrel mare all of five hundred milesHow El Teco sold Gregorio Cortez for a morral full of silver dollarsHow Gregorio Cortez went to prison, but not for killing the sheriffsHow President Lincoln's daughter freed Gregorio Cortez, and how he was poisoned and diedChapter III: The Man A likable young manThe sheriff is interpreted to deathThe long walkThe Battle of BelmontThe long rideThe captureAftermathThe battle of the courts"Through thick and thin"The pardonThe last daysEpilogueChapter IV: The Hero's Progress Theme and variationsFact and fancyCortez as a folk heroPart Two: El Corrido de Gregorio Cortez, a Ballad of Border Conflict Chapter V: The Corrido on the Border Before the corridoThe corrido centuryThe earliest Border corridosBallads borrowed from Greater MexicoBorder outlaw corridosThe Borderer against the fuereÑoThe Border Mexican against the rinchesThe corrido of border conflict as a dominant formChapter VI: Variants of Gregorio CortezChapter VII: Gregorio Cortez, a Study The variantsNarrative styleChange and developmentVersification, rhythm, and structureThe use of the imperfect and of syllable-supplying devicesCorrido imagery in Gregorio CortezThe corrido languageConventions which the Border corrido has borrowed from Greater MexicoConventions which have been developed in El Corrido de Gregorio CortezChapter VIII: A Last WordBibliographyIndex