Symposium: Miraflores at 100 – del pasado al futuro

Saturday, September 18 | 8:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.

One hundred years ago, Dr. Aureliano Urrutia, a prominent physician who came to San Antonio during the Mexican Revolution, began creating his garden, Miraflores, near the headwaters of the San Antonio River. Over the next several decades he fashioned a landscape of winding paths, fountains and pools, sculpture and plants. Today the gates are locked, and the land is fragile. Behind the wrought iron fence and gate of colorful ceramic tile murals, the remaining objects—tile benches in ruins, a full-size replica of the Winged Victory, a small cottage in disrepair, a bronze statue in a round pool, and curious faux bois sculptures—merely hint at Urrutia’s intentions. This symposium examines the complex history of Miraflores and its status in 21st-century San Antonio. Lectures on the garden’s historical, cultural, and archeological significance, its place in Urrutia family history, and its meanings in landscape architecture will be followed by a panel discussion that considers possible futures for the site.

Fee: $15 ($8 member); $5 student with ID

Register for September 18

Speakers

Anne Elise Urrutia, author of Miraflores: San Antonio’s Mexican Garden of Memory

John S. Troy, FASLA, John S. Troy, Landscape Architect

Jennifer Mathews, Ph.D., Professor of Anthropology, and Chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Trinity University

John Phillip Santos, University Distinguished Scholar in Mestizo Cultural Studies to the Honors College, University of Texas at San Antonio

Panelists

Lynn Bobbitt, Executive Director, Brackenridge Park Conservancy

Donna Guerra, Director of Archives, Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word; member, Westside Preservation Alliance.

Bill Pennell, Assistant Manager, Park Planning, Parks & Recreation Department, City of San Antonio

Moderator
Kathryn E. O’Rourke, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Art and Art History, Trinity University

Sponsored by the Department of Art and Art History, Trinity University and Trinity University Press.