Flyer for First Friday!

Joan Fabian's Art!! Nice!

First Friday! More than Art!

Where’s the place to be in San Antonio on a Friday evening? Well, if it’s the first Friday of the month, it’s Southtown! That’s right! It’s not the movies and it’s not the ball game! First Friday is home of the art scene in San Antonio. When I say “the art scene,” I mean THE art scene. First Friday is quite remarkable. If you’re not into art, trust me, you will be. Basically, First Friday is a collaboration of artists, galleries, and the San Antonio Community to provide art exhibitions, music, food, and a party.

Every first Friday of each month galleries exhibit artists in the Southtown of San Antonio. Southtown has most of the familiar galleries and vendors for First Friday. The Southtown area includes the famous King William neighborhood and the Blue Star Art Complex. Southtown is known for its historical houses, abandoned warehouses (converted for art space), and artist lofts. What has been called a hotbed of contemporary art, the Blue Star Art Complex is home to dozens of art exhibitions during First Friday. However, it’s more than the art that attracts the community; it’s the music, bars, and restaurants, too. The perfect place to start your First Friday experience is at the well known La Tuna Ice House and Grill. The La Tuna Grill is right at the railroad track on South Alamo just before the Blue Star Art Complex. It is the perfect place to start with a couple of rounds of drinks and some delicious food. First Friday expands over the South Alamo and South Flores intersection and the Durango and South Flores intersection. From there, the Blue Star is just across the tracks and the sightseeing begins. In an interview with much respected Fl!ght Gallery manager Justin Parr, he stated, “San Antonio is broken up into several different art communities and each gallery can have its own view point.” Enticing as he makes it sound, the only true way to appreciate the diversity is to experience the exhibitions along with the crowds. He also helped me on to learn about these galleries day to day routines in preparation for shows. In general, the galleries have a featured artist for a month or so or there are times when several artists share the whole gallery. In the Fl!ght gallery, what they call their “dry goods room” holds works by more than forty different artists! Thankfully, Mr. Parr was glad to state that San Antonio “has a healthy community of artists that support each other’s work.” Many galleries come together to display this vast art show. The Robert Hughes Gallery features over thirty artists from San Antonio, Houston, Lubbock, California, Arizona, Louisiana, Florida, Canada, Nigeria, and China. It was refreshing to see that this particular gallery was very diverse with many pieces from artists who live all over the world. Robert Hughes’ thoughts on First Friday were, “First Friday started as an art walk and has changed over the years. I’d like to see more art galleries and more artists that are not just from San Antonio but from other places. First Friday is an opportunity for people to come down and gain art exposure.” First Friday has changed. It was once a plain art walk and has now become several streets filled with all sorts of vendors and food booths. The houses in the King William district are not just galleries. There are dentist offices and law firms on the stretch. These businesses are closed during First Friday and clearly do not fit into the scheme of the artistic surroundings. One fact is certain, the gallery and community would like to see less of those businesses on South Flores Street and more of the art genre business.

One great point of First Friday is that many times it is the chance for an artist to come out of their shell and be known to the public. Ruth Marlisa Guajardo has been running El Sol Gallery for seven years now. She can say from firsthand experience, “I’ve seen a lot of artist grow because of First Friday; you could not get as much as exposure as you would with First Friday anywhere else in San Antonio.” This is exactly what the art community in San Antonio needs. First Friday is not the only day however, these galleries are open. Hopefully, First Friday is more of a stepping stone into what can grow to be a strong art district with plenty of support and recognition by San Antonio. Many of the gallery owners are the artist at the same time. Painting, drawing, photography, jewelry, and sculpture are just some of the ways the artist express themselves during the shows.

Bringing the crowds to First Friday, the Blue Star Brewery is known for its excellent beer. The brewery usually has a band on the deck during First Friday. Live music and art coincide together in this masterpiece of a gathering. Visitors stand and dance in front of the pub while art lovers travel the winding and narrow halls of the converted warehouse that is now the Blue Star. In the complex, artists are usually sitting in their exhibit room. A great advantage of this homely fair is to be able to see the genius behind the work. A most intriguing interview with a veteran visitor of First Friday, Benecia Flores, gave me an earful on how the average citizen experiences First Friday. Her experiences have been described as pleasant and intellectually satisfying. As many other citizens of San Antonio, she loves that the San Antonio community comes together for the purpose of art. That is a milestone in this fast pace life of technology with very little time to take a breath and look at the beauty or skill in the arts. When asked the mood of First Friday Ms. Flores shared, “It’s always a festive, happy mood when you go to First Friday. You go with people you love and you always enjoy it.” First Friday increases friendly and family bonding mixed with encouraging self expression and a general feeling of content. Visual stimulation is the key of course to the success of First Friday. With so many different types of interesting art and people, First Friday easily becomes number one to the art lover, music lover, and food lover. Not only is there art but well known restaurants. Rosario’s and La Focaccia Italian Grill are just two favorites to dine at before walking the streets. For the musician in you, almost every other gallery or vendor has some local band performing most of the night. It is the place for a well rounded individual; young or old, artist or not.

The first weekend of next month, make no plans to go to the lake; do not buy tickets to the ballet and the movie that just came out can wait. Instead, attend the ever growing First Friday of Southtown in San Antonio. Take your friends and bring your family because this is it. Dress up or dress down; stay for an hour or stay for five because this Friday will be yours to remember! Then you can say, “HeyI’ve been to First Friday.”

FIRST FRIDAY PICS!! CHECK OUT THE ART!

Blue Star Brewery!

¡Little Joe y La Familia!
The musical genre of Tejano is very important to anyone with a South Texas background. One major contributor to this music is the famous artist Little Joe y La Familia. Little did I know before this essay but Little Joe signed my father’s copy of one of his album’s “Para La Gente.” I need not tell my parents about my research essay on Little Joe. They told me about the well known artist and were obviously great fans. My parents were definitely impacted by Little Joe y La Familia. These are just two South Texans with first hand knowledge of Little Joe. With time and some research, I came to meet many elder Chicanos around my parent’s age who were affected by Little Joe’s music and loved it very much.
Little Joe was born Jose Maria DeLeon Hernandez in Temple, Texas in 1940. Amazingly, he was seventh out of thirteen children. He began playing music with his cousins in 1953. His first paid performance was at a high school dance in Cameron, Texas. There was nowhere to go but up from this point on. Chicanos in Texas at that time wanted a new sound to their Conjunto music. They wanted a sound that represents their biculturalism. Little Joe y La Familia was the answer to their prayers!
He started small, but after his little brother Jesse died in a car wreck in 1964, he vowed to go commercial. Little Joe relied on small independent labels at first then started two of his own labels. He started Buena Suerte for recordings in Spanish and Good Luck for recordings in English. Later he made a third label, Leona Records. During the 1970’s, Little Joe’s music changed. He became infatuated with “Latinismo,” and this was the official time he changed his band name and added the “y la familia.” It took awhile but in 1985, Little Joe signed on with the first major recording label, WEA International. After doing two albums with WEA, Little Joe switched to SONY International. Little Joe stayed there until 1993 and then launched his fifth label, Tejano Discos. This was of extreme importance in his musical career because the first release on this label, “Que Paso,” earned him his third Grammy nomination.
Little Joe y La Familia created one of the first sounds of a new bimusical style which synthesized ranchero and jaiton. He is Tejano royalty and everyone knows it. I listened to his “Para La Gente” album and actually recognized most of the songs. I have grown up listening to this legendary artist and have never known about his history. This has helped me to relate to the music more and realize just what contributions he gave to Tejano.

A Visit from Juan Tejada!
Juan Tejada visited our humanities class on Wednesday and I was just star struck! He works at Palo Alto College as an instructor for, get this, the only Conjunto organization at the community college level in San Antonio. He was hired at Palo Alto specifically to accomplish the task of building a well known organization that teaches about Conjunto music. His job has been keeping alive the respected ancestral music of Conjunto or Tejano. If you ask anyone at Palo Alto I think they would tell you he has been doing a terrific job!
Juan Tejada calls himself a Chicano. In his eyes, this label is exceedingly important because it defines who is his ethnically and culturally. Being Latin has many different names such as: Chicano, Mexican American, Hispanic, Latin, Mexican, or American. These are cultural identifiers and finding the right label for you is really important. Or at least Juan Tejada thinks so. He explained how some of the labels were extremely general and did not specify enough where the roots came from. Others just were not Mr. Tejada. He said that as a result from attending and graduating from University of Texas in Austin, he became a Chicano.
His education was very impressive. With a Bachelor in Chicano Studies and a Masters in similar Mexican histories, who can argue this man knows what he is talking about? When listening to his presentation the one feeling I received the most was passion. Passion was oozing out of his ears when he spoke Mexican and Texan history. It was really amazing.
When he finally got to the music part of the presentation he explained there are three major styles of border music: Corrido, Conjunto, and Orquesta Tejano or as some say, Tejano. He ended with outstanding performances of various styles and tunes. He played a special type of flute, a shell horn, a special drum, and of course, an accordion. Juan introduced us to an ancient style of music that the Aztecs would play. He sang a poem with the flute in three different languages! Before class ended, he finished with a variety of Conjunto/Tejano performances on his accordion. The only word I can think to say about this man, and I hardly think it will say enough, is WOW. I can honestly say I hope he can visit again.

Tejano is Where the Heart is!

Little Joe and Eva Ybarra are just some of the musicians that I grew up hearing when we would have family gatherings. Tejano or Conjunto music hits home with me. One of my favorite memories as a child was dancing with my father to tejano.

It is interesting to understand the roots of the music of my Hispanic heritage: Conjunto and tejano music. The history is widespread and mainly stems from various types of Mexican music. Conjunto music is a mixture of Mexico and Texas. It combines mainland Mexican music, country polka music from South Texas, and German and Czech grounded tunes.

Conjunto music is different from other music because it is mostly heard by Hispanics and people related to the Latin culture. Many other types of music such as country, rap, and pop are heard by a variety of listeners. Though Conjunto and Tejano music has a variety of listeners as well, it is mainly in the hearts of Mexicans and Hispanics in South Texas. Hispanics grew with this music and at the same time made this music grow. It started with using tunes from brass bands and with Latinos who had an idea of the type of music that would express the type of work they were doing and the life they were living.

Conjunto and the accordion have risen in status because the modern day Hispanic has more freedom and confidence in their culture. It is no longer taboo to speak Spanish or to be Hispanic in South Texas.

Some particular insights in the dvd that interested me most was the famous musicians Lydia Mendoza, Valerio Longoria, Isidro Lopez, and Tony D Ela Rosa. Lydia Mendoza was known and the “Queen of Tejano” and Longoria is an accordion legend! These Latinos are role models to every person of Hispanic or Mexican background.

SAMA Expose!

The first composition I will discuss is Admiration by William Bouguereau (1825-1905). It is oil on canvas and fairly large. It was done in 1897 and is a classic nineteenth century academic painting. The subject matter of the composition is five women, surrounding cupid in what looks like a meadow, or the beginning of a forest. It has trees, grass, a few concrete buildings and a blurred vision of what looks like carriage pulled by a horse. There is sunlight streaming down from the brush and trees. From left to right the viewer first sees the center focal point of cup encircled by five women in this small area of nature. In the far upper left corner of the composition, there are a couple of concrete structures and they look like coliseum buildings of an older time. In the background, the viewer sees green trees, bushes, grasses and some trees. As the eye moves right there is something bright in the forest and, looking closely, the viewer sees a blurry carriage with a horse. After looking at the entire composition, the eye moves back to the center focal point. This piece has a glow around all the forms. There is radial balance in this piece. The reason I picked this piece is because it gives me a sense of peace and tranquility. This piece really looked as if it was articulated and precise when being made. It is so detailed, but still glowing or blurry. The difference between seeing a piece in real life as oppose to on the Internet is vast. In person, you see the work’s textures and different views from a different standpoint.

The next piece I would like to discuss is The Fried Egg by Antonio Rodriguez Luna (1910-1985). It is also oil on canvas. It is a very dark composition that is framed with a golden line around the work. The subject matter is a black table, a flat iron skillet, an egg, a whole garlic clove, two garlic pieces and a wall in the background. From left to right the viewer sees a black table with one whole grayish white garlic clove. Next to the whole clove is the flat iron skillet. The skillet is circular, black, and has two handles. On the skillet is one sunny side up fried egg with a yellow yolk in the middle and white surrounding it, and two white garlic pieces. The egg is a little to the left and one of the garlic pieces is directly right of the egg and the other is a little lower to the right. In the background is a brownish gray wall and in the left corner looks to be a hallway. This piece is much smaller than the first and had less subject matter. In terms of style, I think this piece is a simple black and white painting. There are some other colors but there is definitely contrast. The texture is rough and it looks like the paint was applied thickly. The egg is sitting on the canvas. It gives me a comfortable sense because it reminds me of my culture. In the Hispanic culture there is definitely a connection with eggs. There is not a lot of subject matter in this piece but it is still an excellent piece. As I said before, if I would have just virtually seen this piece I could have never experienced the magnificent texture.

Fame in Floresville!

There is a house on the 7^th Street in Floresville that has a story beyond belief to a small quiet town. A couple of years back, several years actually, this particular house was involved in a theatrical production. It was a small film, but the whole town knows about this house because of that insignificant film and we, “Floresville natives,” are flattered. It gives us great pride to be chosen by any production company to have even the minutest scene in the place that most of us were born. However, the point is not how the town feels, but just how extraordinary this house is.

The house sits on a bed of thick green grass. It is right off the side of the road and a couple of blocks down from the courthouse. It stands three stories high but not as wide as you would imagine. It is an average house in that respect and does not take the space of six lots. Only one lot surrounded with tall trees on both sides. You could imagine a old plantation house in the middle of a neighborhood just without the size and strength. The color of the home is white or it should be white, but time as left dirt and damage to make the home appear less grand. No matter. The magnificent beauty still shines threw. The entrance of the house is a strong black door. A cement path leads from the road to the door and there is a front porch with a classic scene of a rocking chair and door mat that yells “Welcome!” to all who visit. It is an ancient house with a lovely yard and a lovely scene. It is a private home so the interior has not been publically displayed but there is no doubt of the attractive possibilities.

If you ever take a drive south of San Antonio, go thirty miles down Highway 181to Floresville. Drive down 7^th Street until the street intersects with F Street and the next corner is the home. It is a charming experience.

Progress to Regress!

Human life requires food, oxygen, and water. The San Antonio City Council seems to think these variables of life are never going to run out. The city seems to think that polluting the major source of drinking water and cutting down a majority of trees which in turn takes away our supply of oxygen is not only acceptable but not a big deal. The series “Losing Ground” by the San Antonio Express News was an informative article on how the aquifer and the environment are being treated in San Antonio.

The problem is the “vested rights” law; the law stops cities from imposing new restrictions on a real estate project once a developer files virtually any kind of plan for it. This usually means that any sketch of a plan a developer introduces to city hall can be exempted from San Antonio Water System rules and regulations. Not to mention several ordinances can be ignored as well. So, why ruin the city due to these laws? Political aspects between the developers and the city are more than responsible for these intolerable transgressions. Developers put up the argument that if the city does not progress it will regress. The city seems to get caught in between the loop holes of what is right for the city and what is right for the cities economy. It is all about the money developers promise to bring in and the time the city does not want to spend standing over the shoulder of the construction of “progress.” So, the city might as well exempt them from any mandatory care for the environment and then no ones to blame. Unfortunately, our aquifer is being damaged and overridden with pollutants that will contaminate and ultimately destroy.

Another huge issue in this subject is the lack of knowledge that is put out to the citizens of San Antonio. I for one am enormously grateful for this particular series in the S.A. Express News. It gives people or even classes a chance to learn something new and dreadfully disturbing about what is going on with our city. What is great about the articles is that they are not being vague about the details. Each article involves specific cases with both sides of the story: the city and the developer. For example, in 1995, the City Council unanimously approved an ordinance to control and “limit development over the aquifers recharge zone.” However, “Since then, four out of five requests for exemptions over the recharge zone have been granted, according to records at the San Antonio Water System.” That is a ridiculous ratio to have if SAWS is really trying to save our water. It’s hard to blame the developers only, when they could be controlled if our government was stronger.

So what is the problem? Still a question unanswered in my mind. There is just too much greed and corruption in our city. There has to be something fishy going on in City Hall if council members are still allowing the deliberate destruction of our natural resources. They are fully aware of the consequences but are not paying full attention to the reality of this situation. This article is telling us the future of San Antonio’s water supply and we all refuse to see it.

What’s going on right under your nose?!


Elizabeth Earnly from Trinity University is an AGUA Association representative. She graced our humanities class with her presence on Friday, October 27, 2007. She spoke about how our representatives in SAWS are letting developers build over the Edwards Aquifer and the recharge zone. This is an outrage because developing over these particular locations can lead to contamination of our drinking water. We has a community should be extremely more active in what is going on with our major source of fresh drinking water. We only have a certain amount of fresh water in our lands and to pollute it would be to pollute our bodies. Contamination would result in no water and therefore no human life. Cities would have to take costly action to provide clean drinking water for civilians. We as tax-payers would find a great bill in our finances. Water costs are going up as it is, but can anyone imagine how high it would be if the city had to filter and alter different sources of water? Elizabeth showed us what goes on during council meetings and how we can be involved. She introduced us to actual reviews of developments by the developer and SAWS. It was an interesting horror to finally be awakened to the ugliness of how our city deals with development over something so vital. How can we still be standing on the sidelines waiting to die of thirst or worse of water contamination? When will we all come together and put a stop to this outrageous notion that development is more important to our city then the health of its constituents?

The Drive Around My Hood

My neighborhood is called Towerlakes. It is located on CR 350 off of 181 and ends at Loop 1604. Basically, it is halfway between Floresville and San Antonio, Texas. I live fairly deep in the neighborhood in a white brick house with a brown roof. I have a “U” shaped driveway and stand on about three acres of land.
In my neighborhood, we do not really stop by each others houses and there are no neighborhood parties. We enjoy our privacy and we also enjoy a clean and safe neighborhood. Many of the neighbors I have go to the same church as my family and me. We have many nice families in our area that have grown with my family. There are not too many young children anymore because everyone has grown up and gone off to college. There are primarily working class citizens in my neighborhood and hardly any mobile homes. All the houses are custom built and each home has at least three acres.
For this assignment I took a walk through my neighborhood and visited with two neighbors. First I saw my Aunt Susie. She spoke of the early neighborhood and of a time when there was not many houses. It started with the first five lots which were the Wiatreks, Ramsenkis, Lyssy’s and the Flores’. She could not remember the fifth. A couple of years later, my aunt built on a lot here. She recalled of the land being so bare and open. Now, there are thirty-seven houses in my neighborhood. Even though it does not feel crowded to me, I am sure my aunt feels differently.
The second neighbor I spoke was a friend of my father’s. His name is William Lyssy but he preferred to be called Bill. He happened to remember moving in the neighborhood all those years ago and felt the same as my aunt about how the space has gradually been taken away by the development of more homes. The interesting story behind this home-owner was he was a Vietnam veteran. He had several stories to tell of his career in the military. However, he seemed to have difficultly recalling some of his life during that time. It was the most interesting thing to have met an actual veteran and right in my neighborhood.
The neighborhood has been around since about the mid 1980’s and from that time has made some excellent families. Not to mention, all the excellent memories. For example, every Halloween the whole neighborhood takes their children and grandchildren trick or treating on the back of pick-ups or on hay rides. It is a bright night in the neighborhood. A family down the street, the Bodifords, always has a haunted house. I remember when I was young enough to go trick or treating it was the scariest ordeal to go into their haunted house. Many memories such as this have been clearly embedded in I am sure not only my mind, but the rest of the neighborhood as well. So if you are ever in the neighborhood, please stop by!

“The Alamo”

After watching both films, The Alamo with John Wayne and The Alamo with Billy Bob Thorton, I came to the conclusion that the newer version of the Alamo was more historically accurate. Various examples from both films led to my ultimate confirmation that though directors can dramatize events, they do not always portray a truthful history.
In the John Wayne film, Davy Crockett and his men arrive to San Antonio and drink and dance at some cantina or bar. First of all, this episode of partying is not needed as historical information. Second of all, I am pretty sure Davy Crockett’s partying would not have been recorded in history. Also, Davy’s love plot with the Mexican woman was not part of valid history. No one knows if Davy Crockett had a woman friend in the Alamo. Juan Seguin was also wrongfully portrayed in the movie. Captain Seguin was light skin and had dark hair. He was a respected Spanish man of the time and in the movie, he looked like a Mexican civilian. The movie also represented him as an older man when in reality he would have only been in his early thirties. Jim Bowie was rendered as a drunk. Though he may have very well been drunk at the time of the Alamo, it is unlikely that it was how the movie displayed him. He was one of the prominent men of the Battle of the Alamo and formalities were definitely in order during the time period of 1836. All in all, the whole movie was obviously solely for entertainment purposes. It had too many fictional scenarios in the plot which made it hard to take the information in the film seriously. In general, it depicted the overall events of the Battle of the Alamo but had no real historical value in its details. However, some strong points in this film were the catchy script and humorous characters.
The newer version of the movie based on the Battle of the Alamo was made in reflection of a Mexican’s diary at the battle. In my opinion, the newer film with Billy Bob Thorton was much more believable and historically accurate. The picture went into more detail in the personal lives of the prominent men such as William Travis, Davy Crockett, and Jim Bowie. It also showed a clearer visual of Santa Anna and what he might have been like during the battle. In contrast to the John Wayne version, Davy Crockett and his men were not expecting to fight in a battle. They were surprised to have to make a vital decision of whether to fight and die or not. The story line seemed more believable of what would have happened in that time period. Davy Crockett was portrayed as a legend but not in a drastic dramatic way. There was also an accurate portrayal of Juan Seguin. He was about the age he would have been in the newer film. There were a lot less fictional scenarios and more believable detail in this version as well.
In both films, the time span was similar. However, in the newer version, Sam Houston and his camp were shown. The newer film extended to the Battle of San Jacinto and the aftermath which was very educating. In closing, the Alamo is a symbol of heroes and strength no matter what the numbers are. I recommend both films to be viewed and taken into consideration in the historical value of the context.

The Alamo. DVD. Dir. John Wayne. MGM Home Entertainment, 1960, 162 min.

The Alamo. DVD. Dir. John Lee Hancock. Touchstone Home Entertainment, 2004, 137 min.

Remember the Alamo!

The Alamo is quite a sight to see. My exploration of the battle grounds was very interesting and educating. The exhibits were well preserved and the historical information was accurate. However, the question lingers, were the brave warriors of the Alamo each portrayed equally without bias? The answer lies in the halls of the long barrack and in the exhibits in the shrine.
In the Anglo perspective of the Alamo, I saw many artifacts. For example, the first place I visited was the sales museum and saw a collection of Bowie knives. Many men fought in the Alamo that was of Anglo heritage. In the Shrine, there was a new open exhibit in the rooms that displayed William Travis’ rifle. These are just two of the astounding heroes that sacrificed their lives in the Battle of the Alamo.
In the Mexican perspective there was also physical history displayed. In the long barracks, a Mexican uniform was exhibited next to a Texan uniform. This showed the difference of color and style worn by the men who participated in the battle.
In the Tejanos perspective there was some presentations about couriers like Juan Seguin, but overall very little exhibitions.
The presentation of history in the Alamo is bias. There are more exhibits focusing on the Anglo settlers than that of the Tejanos or Mexican point of view. The Alamo is portrayed as a war between all Mexicans and all Anglos. It is viewed as all the “bad” Mexicans were attacking the heroic Anglo settlers. What is not clearly presented is the help of the Tejanos and Mexicans to the Texan cause of liberation. Many Hispanics helped in the battle and surrounding events. Also, Mexico is often overlooked as a horrible country in this frame of history but no one takes the time to understand that the Mexicans were completely justified in the actions they took towards the rebellious Texans. Santa Anna was a cruel leader and did go about things the wrong way; however, one way or another Mexicans needed to protect their territory. The Alamo is an excellent place to see history, but I believe some needed respect to other heroes is definitely in order!

In 1745 a crucial part of the San Antonio Mission’s history was built and introduced to the Indigenous people and sacred land of Texas. The Spanish brought many different and new technologies with them to Texas. Many of which included the irrigation systems or as the Spanish would say, las acequias. The job of the irrigation ditches was to bring water from the creek or river to the Mission’s grounds or gardens. In order to redirect the steady flow of water to the various needs of the Mission, the Espada Dam was constructed.
As I walked the path that trailed the flow of water, I remembered who had made this incredible arrangement. I thought of who had walked these trails day after day to support life in an interlocking organization developed by the Spanish and Native Americans. As I strolled near the stream, history and nature combined into the most serene place a person could encounter. The weather was sunny but beneath the shade of the small long-limbed trees was a cool breeze and the walk could not have been more enjoyable. In the days of the missions, I imagined at the time of my stroll women and men alike would be bathing or swimming in the river to escape the sting of the sun. And in those days, that was the point of building so close to a river, to have access to bathe, swim, or even power a mill for the agriculture. I felt the presence, for I was alone, of our ancestors with me as I made my way to the dam. When I arrived to see the magnificence of the rushing water, a breeze suddenly hit me as if to wrap around my whole body and surround my soul with the spirits of those who had died trying to live. Never have I ever felt so at one with my heritage. The scene was interesting because the stones look so prehistoric but still do the job they were assigned so long ago. I sat as close as I could get to the actual dam in the green but dry grass meditating and relaxing to the sounds of birds and bugs. There is much brush in the area that has overgrown some of the historical stones. It would be hard to explain how this physical history can overwhelm a person in an extremely positive manner, but it does nothing but that.
The impact of the dam on the missions was astounding. Not only did it provide water, but it channeled water to the different places of work such as the crop fields. A better way to think of how the dam and irrigation systems impacted the missions is to ask the question of what would it have been like to not have las acequias and the dam at the missions? No irrigation system would have meant bringing pale by pale of spilling water to each area of need every single day for several hours. Not to mention they would have had to have an immense amount of stable water pales. A bigger problem would have been keeping the crops well nourished with water. Could anyone imagine those giant fields of harvest at least 500 feet away from the river being watered pale by pale? The work at the missions was already grueling labor for the Spanish but especially the Indigenous people who were just about forced to be there anyways. The dam and irrigation was no water hose or sprinkler system but indeed assisted the civilians of the missions a great deal considering the alternative.
In conclusion, I believe in history and in anything that can educate people of different cultures to realize how we all come together one way or another. These missions are of great importance to the past, present, and future generations. The dam of Mission Espada for instance is powerful and beautiful to witness. It holds the key to some of the success in the missions. Today we see stones overgrown with brush, but those stones have significance that exceeds splendor.

Mission Espada was one of the oldest missions in Texas. It was established around 1731 and had been operational until about the 1900’s. There is much culture and history in this mission. As I walked on the choppy stone paths linked with clay that is decades old, I saw what the Indigenous people of south Texas had built. The Spanish came to this world that we now know as Texas in times that are ancient to our ears.
The missions were built to convert the Indians to Christianity and also help establish the Spanish in what is now America. In those times, the Indians were rallied together like livestock on the open prairie to come and serve Spain by building and keeping these old missions. Back then, however, they were not old but brand-new in this country. Most Indians had never even seen this type of architecture let alone be forced to leave their previous culture and adopt a new foreign way of life.
However, this intrusion upon the Natives proved to be something extremely positive. With the Spanish came technology and the mixing of customs.
Located near the banks of the San Antonio River, the mission used acequias to irrigate the land and growing crops. This technology paved the way for agricultural advancement. Many different trades were assigned to the workers of the mission such as blacksmith, stonemason, carpenter, etc. The missions were diverse and made with the blood and sweat of our ancestors. A visit in the walls of this hallowed ground is to feel the spirit of nature itself. The church was an exceptional place. Even the holy water was still using the same draining system as if the mission’s people had not even left, but remained sitting in the wooden pews, waiting for mass at dawn before a long day of never ending labor. If they only knew that their work would remain as precious history protected in the heart of a true San Antonian.