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San Antonio is in the midst of celebrating its biggest party of the year, Fiesta. However, Fiesta’s roots have a complicated history. The celebration has long been viewed as part of San Antonio’s culture; however, some experts believe that its beginnings are controversial and hold dark, racist roots.
Fiesta started in the late 1800s to celebrate Texas independence. It has since grown into an 11-day fundraising celebration with more than 100 nonprofit organizations.
Early celebrations mostly celebrated white elites who were paraded on floats with elaborate crowns and gowns while incorporating Mexican traditions and dress.
Fiesta’s centerpiece parade is the Battle of Flowers parade, which celebrates the victory at the Battle of San Jacinto.
Kristel Puente, who also goes by Puente Para La Gente, is a community historian in San Antonio.
“[T]he Battle of Flowers is celebrating the Battle of San Jacinto, which is the battle that won the settlers their nation of Texas,” she said. “So if you believe that the Battle of San Jacinto was really fought over slavery, then any endorsement of that is endorsing slavery.”
It’s complicated for Puente too, who has loved Fiesta for much of her life.
“So I personally have very fond memories since I was very little of going to Fiesta. So for me, it is complicated because now I know the history, and now I know the truth so I don't feel that I want to just wrap it up and throw it all away, but I do have to acknowledge that there's a complicated history to it, and it's things that we don't talk about, and it's things that organizations that support Fiesta don't want to talk about either.”
Puente also said that Fiesta and its traditions, like the elaborate beaded gowns of the Fiesta queens who represent the Order of the Alamo, harken back to Mexican imperialism.
“When you really start questioning all these things, it's complicated, but for the Order of the Alamo situation, that's the organization that's affiliated with the queens that we see on the floats with the very, very expensive dresses,” she said. “They're between $90,000 to $100,000 a dress. So you can say, 'okay, well, let's get rid of that, because that's super extravagant.' But there are a lot of our gente that are the seamstresses. That's part of their income for the years, making those detailed flowers and making those dresses. So there's no way to really get rid of something like that and not hurt our people.”
Artist Ali Friedrich, who moved to San Antonio years ago, also investigated the roots of Fiesta and also came to believe it was racist, so he created art to reflect that belief.
“My first impression was, there's a lot of, I guess, racism in this celebration, " he said. “So I made postcards. And because of the reaction, I ended up in 2015 creating some Fiesta medals.”
The military-style Fiesta medals are tradition in San Antonio. They were created to honor the “heroes of the Alamo.” It has now grown into a staple where many organizations in San Antonio create their own medals to sell during Fiesta.
Friedrich’s medal read “Fiesta is Racist.”
Friedrich admits he has never personally been conflicted about Fiesta, but he does hope for meaningful conversation to take place about it. “I personally think we can celebrate and have fun as a city and be honest about the history,” he said.
Friedrich said most people who celebrate Fiesta are caught up in its modern traditions and don’t know about its troublesome past.
“And I think it's just important just to be honest about the past,” he said. “Because if we're not honest about the past, then every year, someone new is going to discover it and get mad about it or want to talk about it. So the more that we talk about it, the more that people discuss different things that they have concerns about, the easier it is for all of us to move forward openly and honestly.”
Puente is the curator of a pop-up exhibit featuring art by Ari Friedrich on the theme “Fiesta is Racist.” It features the Fiesta medal he designed in 2015 and screen prints with the same phrase. Friedrich donated the original medal he designed to the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center, as well as the 2025 version. Friedrich also has interactive artwork where people can participate in their own battle of flowers against a wall that reads “Fiesta is Racist.”
“What we're doing is we're having people throw flowers at this image,” Friedrich explained. “It’s this idea about racism — we can throw flowers and not bullets. We can do our own battle of flowers against the injustices of the past or possibly even the present. And try to solve these issues with beauty and love rather than being mad and saying hateful things or trying to cancel anything. You have to throw the flowers hard enough to defeat racism. And when people do that … they turn around with such happiness on their face, it's almost like it provides people a sense of relief to be able to try and attack a difficult subject in a somewhat fun and beautiful way.”
Friedrich also created a survey for those who want to discuss their feelings about Fiesta.
The Fiesta is Racist exhibit runs through May 2 at San Antonio’s Blue Star Complex. It's also on display Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center. It runs through June 27.
In a statement responding to the critical characterization of Fiesta, Steve Rosenauer, executive director of the Fiesta Commission, said: "As societal norms have evolved over more than 130 years, so too, has Fiesta San Antonio. While Fiesta recognizes and celebrates its founding in 1891, the Commission’s focus, today, and in the future, also includes its commitment to a Party With A Purpose and a Fiesta for All. The Fiesta San Antonio Commission supports its diverse membership, welcomes the diverse cultures of San Antonio to participate in Fiesta and encourages all Fiesta guests and volunteers to share in those diverse experiences that truly define the purpose of the Fiesta."
Fiesta San Antonio wraps up on May 4.
