Introduction

In 1891, the festival was originally a simple one-day long parade with decorated carriages, and it was done to honor the soldiers that fought and died at the battle of the Alamo and San Jacinto (Fiesta San Antonio Commission, 2017). This changed however, in 1959 when the city also added in activities for local nonprofit organizations in order to help them raise funds for the coming year (Fiesta San Antonio Commission, 2017). Since then, the fiesta went from a simple parade in front of the Alamo to a city-wide festival in order to honor the heroes of the Alamo and raising funds for charities and nonprofit organizations in San Antonio.

The Fiesta San Antonio has evolved into a ten-day long festival that covers a large portion of the city. Some of the events include major, city-wide parades such as the Battle of Flower parade which is based on the original parade held back on 1891 when women decorated carriages with flowers and rode them in front of the Alamo (Fiesta San Antonio Commission, 2017). There are also events and contests held for traditional music and dance. For example, there is a square-dancing event that also teaches newcomers to square dance. This event has been going on since the 1950s (Fiesta San Antonio Commission, 2017).

The purpose of this unit is to create a better understanding of the history and origin behind the Fiesta San Antonio. Students will be able to understand how the festival has evolved over time with the culture of the city and Texas itself. The students will be given an opportunity to learn about all the events taking place in Fiesta San Antonio. With the knowledge that they gain about the events, they will create their own map or blueprint of the festival. They will have many discussions that will help them understand and discuss how the city of San Antonio was able to take a tragic battle and transform it into a celebration of the people that fought in it and made it a part of their own culture and traditions.