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Places (POIs) visited during this tour

Place #1
Distance: 0.58mi
Map Pin
S. Frio & Guadalupe, San Antonio, TX 78207, USA
POI 1 Tour Image
Welcome to the West Side
Welcome to the Westside of San Antonio!
San Antonio sees over 30 million visitors annually yet only a small fraction of them come to the Westside to see the murals. There is not a lot of publicity about them, yet this neighborhood or barrio has the largest concentration in our city. This area is rich in culture and tradition, yet it is filled with poverty. In 2020, The San Antonio Express News stated that the median annual income for a family of four here is $21,600. Residents of the federal housing projects live on less than half that.
As you cross over the bridge you see a sign that reads Bienvenidos al Westside. This is actually the first two of a series of five murals, completed in 2014, that not only welcomes you to the westside, but depicts life here as well. This and most of the murals we will see today were created under the guidance of San Anto Cultural Arts, a community program established in the 1990s by three men in their early 20s with a goal of bringing this shattered neighborhood together through art. Partnering with the San Antonio Housing Authority, kids from several of the federal housing projects worked closely with San Anto artists in the design and painting on this massive project
Just beyond the mural, you will see the fence lined with photographs, a project sponsored by Esperanza Peace and Justice Center. Residents meet periodically to share stories and old photos of the westside. These photos, digitally scanned, are used to create these ever-changing photohistoria banners to keep alive the spirit and history of this barrio.
You will pull over to the right just ahead.


Lead Artist: Kaylee Diaz
2014

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Place #2
Distance: 0.11mi
Map Pin
1301 Guadalupe St, San Antonio, TX 78207, USA
POI 2 Tour Image
La Veladora de la Virgin De Guadalupe
Pull over to your right up ahead and I want to show you one of my very favorite mosaic murals. It’s called La Veladora, which is the kind of decorated votive candles that you see in many Catholic churches. It is done in honor of the Virgin of Guadalupe, one of the most important figures in Catholicism in this area. We will talk more about her later.
The artist, Jessie Trevino, grew up in this barrio. Recognized as a prodigy in his youth, his career path was altered forever with the explosion of a booby-trap in Viet-Nam that mutilated his painting arm. After a lengthy rehabilitation period and with sheer determination, he taught himself to paint with his other hand. Eventually, two of his paintings would find a permanent home in the Smithsonian Art Collection.
The idea for this mural came after the 911 attacks when he felt the nation could use some comfort and he chose to start right here. This location, which he described as the Grand Central Station of the West Side when he was a kid, had become a dark and deserted testament to the violence that had swallowed up his barrio. This was his attempt to give new light and comfort to the people who live here


Artist Jesse Trevino's gift to his barrio
2003
Tour itinerary stops | Additional places you'll see on this self-guided tour

Map Pin Place 1 Welcome to the West Side
Map Pin Place 2 La Veladora de la Virgin De Guadalupe
Map Pin Place 3 Comprando y Prestando
Map Pin Place 4 Avance Contributions
Map Pin Place 5 8 Stages in the Life of a Chicana
Map Pin Place 6 Trinity Street
Map Pin Place 7 Cultura y Revolucion, Peace and Rememberance
Map Pin Place 8 Virgin of Guadalupe
Map Pin Place 9 Educacion, Tradicion y Cultura
Map Pin Place 10 Salvacion
Map Pin Place 11 Father Carmelo Tranchese
Map Pin Place 12 Dualidad
Map Pin Place 13 Familia y Cultura es Vida
Map Pin Place 14 Poder de Muralismo: Cuentros San Arte



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