re hunters and gatherers, the Spanish settlers, the Canary Island recruits, who were farmers, and the Lipan Apache Indians. I chose to focus on the women of that time by depicting one that represents them all: a compilation of their varied cultures. However disparate their mores, they each struggled to overcome challenges in an attempt to survive amidst a harsh climate, food shortages, and violence. This piece is an attempt to capture the essence of their courage and ascension beyond boundaries.
1733 Kathrine Maple
July 23rd, 1733 Captain General Jose de Urrutia from Spain was appointed as Captain of San Antonio de Bexar Presidio (known today as the Spanish Governor’s Palace). His appointment was due to being the best informed of all Spaniards on Indian affairs in Texas. The Presidio furnished escorts for officials and supply trains as well as protection for the priests at the five nearby missions and families who came to settle in San Antonio. The keystone above the front entrance is marked with the coat-of-arms of Spanish King Ferdinand VI.
1735 Joseph Erik Montano
The Last of the Famous International Faithboys is an interactive assembled media piece that examines the historical paradox between the resettlement of the Spanish presidios in the 1730s to San Antonio and the quick decline of the missions due to raids and the dying influence of Spain on the region. Viewers are invited to maneuver the mirror to reflect different colors and watch the words of the poem become masked. The piece is accompanied by a musical composition that utilizes phasing to reflect the historical contrast, where the selected tones of the composition, along with the lines of the poem, match the assigned year.
1736 Arturo Infante Almeida
In the early eighteenth century, exploration and settlement along the banks of the river and around recently built missions, expressed the continuing clash of two worlds. Today, the impact of that history continues to resonate in the customs, traditions and cultures of San Antonio.
1737 Jennifer Datchuk
Historical texts places Juan Banul, a Belgium Texan, as the only blacksmith living and working at the Presidio de San Antonio in 1737. Blacksmiths at this time were responsible for making items to run a household like cooking utensils, fire tongs, cauldrons, and candle holders. They use fire, tools, and hammering to turn iron into functional objects. The “1737 Collection” is inspired by forged objects through a contemporary design and craft sense. My objects are created with an iron rich clay and hand pinched to reveal the mark of the hand and the repetitive process.
1738 Andrew Leo Stansbury
Translation of proceedings relative to the petition from residents of San Fernando to Orobio y Bazterra for aid: “[…] because of the uncommon plague of locusts with which we are beset at present in consequence of our sins and, which are continuously ruining the crops that have. been planted, we have come to the conclusion that unless God in His divine mercy takes pity on us, we shall be in danger of starving, since we do not have any more seed to plant during the cold season when the locusts die.”
1739 Carrie Edelmann Avery
This piece is a reflection upon the emotions felt by native people occupying land in the San Antonio area in 1739. Torn by a desire to honor their traditional way of living and the instinct to survive, many turned to the developing missions in desperation. With disease brought by incoming settlers running rampant, populations of the nomadic people dwindled. Many people of the land left everything they knew behind for hope of the future.
1740 Clay McClure
Struggling with European diseases and a decimated population, some indigenous people found refuge in the missions in exchange for assimilation. Their skeletal remains are a silent reminder of sacrifice and this chair is in response to those souls.
1741 Gissette Padilla
1742 Jeremiah Teutsch
A portrait of Padre Benito Ferníçndez de Santa Ana, based on a description from the clairvoyant Gharith Pendragon. Padre Benito Ferníçndez de Santa Ana was a priest in