Zorro’s Shadow
How a Mexican Legend Became America’s First Superhero
Open the bookHistorian. Author. Curious human.The past is
The past is
full of surprises.
A cartoon mouse. A masked hero. A mysterious woman. Follow the stories that connect our past to our present.
Find your next story
History.
With a
plot twist.
With a
plot twist.
“There is nothing new in the world except the history you do not know.”
Coming January 21, 2027A small mouse.
A small mouse.
A much bigger story.
A cartoon mouse opens a door into the history of race, animation, and cultural belonging. Archives and interviews reveal the artists and audiences who made Speedy both a contested stereotype and an enduring Latine icon.
Meet Chasing Speedy Gonzales
On the desk / Work taking shapeThey fought over there
They fought over there
for rights at home.
Meet the Mexican American soldiers who entered the trenches of World War I, then came home to challenge segregation and redefine who counted as an American.
Discover Citizens by BloodOn the bookshelf
All books ↗Follow your curiosity.
The Mysterious Sofía
One Woman’s Mission to Save Catholicism in Twentieth-Century Mexico
Open the book
Jade, Daughter of the Wasteland
A novel
Open the bookA life in stories
The full timeline ↗From the desk & beyond.
- Books / Forthcoming↗
Chasing Speedy Gonzales
A cartoon mouse opens a door into the history of race, animation, and cultural belonging. Archives and interviews reveal the artists and audiences who made Speedy both a contested stereotype and an enduring Latine icon.
- Teaching↗
Hearing True Stories: A Bushnell University Listening Lab
Students transformed podcasts-in-progress about Bushnell University into an interactive listening lab pairing audio storytelling with archival evidence and captioned visuals.
- Teaching↗
Called to Serve: A History of Missions at Bushnell University
A student-curated public history exhibit traces Bushnell University’s global mission legacy while inviting reflection on faith, colonialism, and cross-cultural service.
- Teaching↗
Inside the history classroom
A Bushnell University Faculty Features interview with Stephen Andes about teaching history, following curiosity, and connecting students with the past.
- Teaching↗
October 15, 1895: A Special Day in Bushnell’s History
Stephen Andes’s first curated pop-up museum invited students to turn Bushnell University’s archives into an interactive public history experience.
In the classroom. Out in the world.Good history starts
Good history starts
with a good question.
Stephen is a professor at Bushnell University, a writer, and a guide to the surprising connections between our past and present.
Meet Stephen ↗