Separated at birth

Townes Van Zant and John Davila look like twins. I have thought so since I saw the “Pancho and Lefty” video, where the late songwriter makes a cameo appearance as a young federale

The Gutierrez side of John’s family have been running around in this country since at LEAST 1692, when “we came up the River with Vargas and took the place BACK.” After the Pueblo revolt, of course. This is always said without a hint of irony, and if there is any arrogance it is buried too deep to show on the surface.

(It transcends all modern politics, too. I have a friend in town, a scholar whose politics lean decidedly Left, even Marxist. When I told her about John’s story she said that her people were riding right beside John’s. She was dead serious. Sure is funny having a military aristocracy living among you in this century.

Anyway, they’ve been here long enough to have some tracks in the Texas hill country. John says that Davilas were no’count Mexicans who married up into the Gutierrezes in the 1600s. Pretty long time…

Update: Tom McIntyre suggests we add Sam Waterston…

For most people he’s best known as McCoy, but for some of us he will always be “Cecil Coulson, American Indian.”