Alfredo E. Cárdenas is a journalist, writer, editor, publisher, and author.  He has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio and a Master of Arts in History from Texas State University.

In September 2024, the University of North Texas Press debuted Cárdenas's second book, Duval County Tejanos: An Epic Narrative of Liberty and Democracy. In 2015, Cárdenas penned Balo’s War: A Novel About the Plan of San Diego, which tells the story of the 1915 Tejano uprising in South Texas that changed the area's history. 

Cárdenas has written book reviews for the Southwestern Historical Quarterly, the Journal of South Texas, and Catholic Southwest, A Journal of History and Culture. He has also authored historical articles for the Journal of South Texas and The Handbook of Texas. He publishes a popular blog, Soy de Duval, dealing with the history of Duval County, Texas.