Fiesta: Why Some San Antonians Are Conflicted About Citywide Celebration

Those who object say Fiesta celebrates “white supremacy” by commemorating battles in which Mexican troops were defeated.

By Jack MorganApril 30, 2018 2:24 pm, , , , ,

From Texas Public Radio:

San Antonio’s largest citywide celebration, Fiesta, has come and gone. However, there’s one more Fiesta story to tell – and it’s one you don’t hear that often: Quite a few San Antonians don’t actually like Fiesta, or at very least, they’re conflicted about it.

“You can’t talk about Fiesta without talking about race,” says Lilliana Saldaña, who grew up on the city’s south side and is an associate professor of bicultural-bilingual studies at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

“Fiesta is the commemoration of Anglo victory at the Battle of San Jacinto. It commemorates the ‘fallen heroes’ at the Alamo and San Jacinto. So in a way, it does celebrate white supremacy,” she says.

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