Miraflores: San Antonio's Mexican Garden of Memory

Miraflores: San Antonio's Mexican Garden of Memory | Anne Elise Urrutia

I was very fortunate to attend the award luncheon for my good friend (& former paralegal) Elise Urrutia. She won an award from the San Antonio Conservation Society for writing one of the top ten books in the last three years about Texas history! That‘s such a big deal (But maybe not quite the caliber of the international award she also has won).

I got to meet her illustrator, whose drawings are so beautiful partly because she‘s also an architect

Butterfinger So awesome!!! 7d

TheSpineView Fabulous! 7d

MaGoose Wow! Way to go, Elise. Brava! 7d

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AmyG Oh Wow! 7d

AnnCrystal 👏🏼🥳 Congratulations to your friend, Elise Urrutia, that's wonderful 📚💝. 7d

Deblovestoread 🩷💚🩷 7d

Ruthiella How neat! 😃 7d

dabbe 🤩🤩🤩 6d

59 likes8 comments

Texreader

Miraflores: San Antonio's Mexican Garden of Memory | Anne Elise Urrutia

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Because he served briefly in Mexican President Diaz‘s administration, Dr Urrutia was exiled, choosing San Antonio as his home as the Mexican Revolution raged in his homeland. Dr Urrutia, 100% Aztec, a world-famous surgeon practiced here but his love for his homeland was immense. He bought property along the San Antonio River and created a garden completely in memory of Mexico and her history, with original statues & artwork honoring #Mexico. ⬇️

Librarybelle, BarbaraBB

Texreader This garden was an exquisite cultural phenomenon made famous by the events held there. But even though he required that it be maintained when he sold the property, that didn‘t happen. On extremely valuable land near downtown corporate owners added a parking lot, gazebo, and a kids swimming pool. Eventually historians put a stop to the immense damage done (many priceless statues just “disappeared”), but now the property just sits awaiting ⬇️ 2y

Texreader recovery. When I moved here 20+ years ago I‘d drive by (it‘s near my neighborhood) and wonder about this unkempt plot of land but dotted with statues. Dr Urrutia‘s great granddaughter recreated this garden in this amazing book. It brings you to tears to know the beauty it must have been and its unkempt state now. Hopefully the book will bring the attention it needs to bring it back—its value to the world immeasurable. #readingtheAmericas 2y

BarbaraBB Fab review. I hope there will be attention for the garden! 2y

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SamAnne Thank you for sharing this story and your posts the past few days. I clicked on the story about the waterways and gardens. What history. 2y

Hooked_on_books Sounds really interesting! 2y

Librarybelle Wonderful review! What a great connection you have to the author ❤️ 2y

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Texreader

Miraflores: San Antonio's Mexican Garden of Memory | Anne Elise Urrutia

How amazing is this? I finished the book tonight and find my name in the acknowledgments? 🎉🎊 I do love that my own paralegal wrote it and that it‘s a gorgeous book. She‘s a beautiful talented person and I hope she keeps writing and I‘ll continue to support the best I can. There‘s so much to say about this book and it‘s subject matter but I‘ll save that for my review. #readingtheAmericas #USA #Mexico

Librarybelle, BarbaraBB

rockpools That‘s fantastic! 2y

squirrelbrain How lovely! ❤️ 2y

Librarybelle That is fantastic! 2y

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Texreader

Miraflores: San Antonio's Mexican Garden of Memory | Anne Elise Urrutia

There‘s an excellent section in this book about the Mexican artists and writers who had a huge impact on Miraflores, Dr Urrutia‘s garden he created in honor of #Mexico, from which he was exiled during the Mexican Revolution. It exemplifies the extraordinary talent and intellectualism that was prominent in the Mexican diaspora. #readingtheAmericas @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB

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Texreader

Miraflores: San Antonio's Mexican Garden of Memory | Anne Elise Urrutia

Cuauhtémoc was the first statue made and placed in Miraflores honoring #Mexico and its (and Dr Urrutia‘s) Aztec roots. I bet it was a sight to behold in this beautiful garden. See previous post for the contemporary journalist‘s description of it. #readingtheAmericas @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB

Aimeesue Wow, powerful. I love this. 2y

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Texreader

Miraflores: San Antonio's Mexican Garden of Memory | Anne Elise Urrutia

Indigenous Dr Urrutia had the first statue placed in his San Antonio garden honoring his home country of #Mexico made of Cuauhtémoc, which is beautifully described here by a journalist in 1921. Photo of this gorgeous statue coming in next post. It‘s heartbreaking that this garden (not five miles from where I live) is in such disrepair. It makes me sick at heart to see what could have been had it been preserved.

#readingtheAmericas

Librarybelle, BarbaraBB

SamAnne Wow. Thanks for sharing this. 2y

azulaco And it‘s always been in disrepair, even when I was a kid in the 1970s. Such a shame. 2y

Texreader @azulaco I‘m hoping Elise‘s book, which is being well publicized across the city, is the spur needed to revitalize it. This book is so beautiful, allowing us to imagine what it must have been like. 2y

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Texreader

Miraflores: San Antonio's Mexican Garden of Memory | Anne Elise Urrutia

Dr. Aureliano Urrutia (an Aztec) tried to recreate the gardens of his hometown near Mexico City, Xochimilco, after he was exiled to San Antonio during the Mexican Revolution. So I had to look up the place he called the most beautiful place in the world, and looking at this photo he may be right.

Article here:

https://www.dailysabah.com/life/mexico-city-cleans-up-floating-gardens-dating-ba...

#Mexico #readingtheAmericas

Librarybelle, BarbaraBB

Catsandbooks So beautiful! 2y

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Texreader

Miraflores: San Antonio's Mexican Garden of Memory | Anne Elise Urrutia

Part 2 of #readingtheamericas

I have a lot to fill in in the latter part of the alphabet. @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB

Susanita If you haven‘t already read it this would work for Greenland

Smilla's Sense of Snow: A Novel

Librarybelle Love seeing your plan of attack for the challenge! 2y

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Texreader

Miraflores: San Antonio's Mexican Garden of Memory | Anne Elise Urrutia

This will be my first book of the year for #readingtheamericas and it will work for both #USA and #Mexico. It‘s written by my paralegal (you will see lots of my posts about her under the tagged book). If you are in San Antonio you can‘t miss it in any bookstore. It was front and center when I walked into Nowhere Bookshop today. @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB

Librarybelle Wonderful!! 2y

ElizaMarie I love San Antonio :) 2y

BarbaraBB Glad you‘re in again! 2y

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azulaco I have to read this. I grew up wondering what that wild area behind the SWBell building was (I am old), only recently learned about Miraflores. I wish my grandparents were still alive to ask them about it. 2y

azulaco Who do I see about joining #readingtheamericas2023? @BarbaraBB is that you? 2y

BarbaraBB Yes! @Librarybelle and I are hosting. You are very welcome to join us! Just read a book set in or written by an author from each country and tag us. We are in StoryGraph with a list of countries if you‘re there? There is also a GoogleDoc with all countries. I‘ll ask Jess to paste it here for you! @azulaco (edited) 2y

Librarybelle Thanks,@barbarabb ! @aculaco , here is the link for the Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1lOzXyEtuAMvSwWj-tzZDJx59JKCD_9uu/edit?us... . We hope you can join us! 2y

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Texreader

Miraflores: San Antonio's Mexican Garden of Memory | Anne Elise Urrutia

At Barnes and Noble today and there‘s my paralegal‘s book front and center (ok slightly to the left)! It‘s going to be my pick to read for #readingtheamericas2023

Librarybelle, BarbaraBB

Librarybelle Yay! 2y

Crazeedi So cool! 2y

Cinfhen Fantastic!!! 2y

BarbaraBB Very cool! 2y

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Texreader

Miraflores: San Antonio's Mexican Garden of Memory | Anne Elise Urrutia

My paralegal was just interviewed by our local pbs station about her book, tagged.

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Texreader

Miraflores: San Antonio's Mexican Garden of Memory | Anne Elise Urrutia

It was a beautiful reading from a beautiful book to a packed standing crowd. It‘s more than a story about an amazing garden of artwork but also a fascinating story about the Mexican intellectual diaspora in America as a result of the Mexican Revolution. Elise is the great-granddaughter of Dr Urrutia who was the mastermind of the garden. And she so happens to be my paralegal. I‘m so proud of her. The garden, now owned by the city, is in ⬇️

Texreader shambles. But you can still see remnants of statues and paths from a major road here in San Antonio, Hildebrand. It‘s right in the perfect family area of the city, a huge park and museums. I don‘t know why the city hasn‘t restored it! We drove by it on the way home and looked at it from a whole new perspective. It could be so amazing. 3y

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Texreader

Miraflores: San Antonio's Mexican Garden of Memory | Anne Elise Urrutia

Waiting for a reading and signing at the Twig in the Pearl.

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Texreader

Miraflores: San Antonio's Mexican Garden of Memory | Anne Elise Urrutia

Y‘all! My paralegal‘s book has finally come out!! Right now only the ebook is available The print version is coming out this summer. She‘s had some struggles with the worldwide supply chain issues so it‘s coming out a lot later than expected. I‘m so proud of her and cannot wait to read it.

More about Elise here: https://instagram.com/quintaurrutia?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

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