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 San Antonio, and in 1742, along with Toribio de Urrutia, he started a campaign against the Apache Indians.
1743 Ray Whitehouse
In 1743, a prominent Spanish priest living near present-day Mission Concepcion wrote a letter to the viceroy of New Spain. Father Benito Ferníçndez de Santa Ana wrote that his Apache informants had encountered a small group of Comanche Indians who were badly outnumbered but refused to surrender or retreat. The Apaches decided to kill all but one Comanche and sent him back as a warning to stay away from San Antonio. Led by the lone survivor, the Comanches returned to attack the village, successfully supplanting the Apaches as the most dominant tribe in the area.
1745 Joe Raymond Vega
1745 was the year that the historic Espada Acequia was completed, a canal system used to bring water from the San Antonio River to the Missions and irrigate crops. The construction and operation of the Acequias was supervised by the Franciscan Friars and labor was completed by native slaves and Spanish soldiers.
I wanted to create an interactive piece that reflects the trauma of genocide and forced labor. The audio samples I generated, as well as working in the key of D-flat Major, help the listener envision an eerie, foreboding environment. I was also inspired to include nostalgic Cicada songs, to give a glimpse of the outdoors in San Antonio in 1745, connecting Then to Now.
Lastly, for me, it is imperative that the viewer engage with my piece by directly communicating with the machines.
1746 Karen Mahaffy
.79 caliber hand-cast lead ball, 5.85 drams (160 grains) black gunpowder, hand-cut cotton shot patch, glass shell vial, custom brass bracket; archival inkjet prints: reproduction of letter dated March 11, 1746 by Manuel Ramírez de la Piszina, Bexar Archives, [identifier number: di_11170, di_11171], The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin; and translation; reclaimed longleaf pine.
½ arroba of gunpowder = 12.5 pounds
1 pound = 7000 grains = 256 drams
1 dram = 27 11/32