The Mexican Village

The Mexican Village. . , In 1920 City Parks Commissioner Ray Lambert approved the building of The Mexican Village where the Aguilar, Rangel and Poio families lived in the 20th century. The stone buildings with thatched roofs were constructed near the base of the Alamo Cement Company stone kiln and east of the Japanese tea garden according to Aguilar family oral history, Lambert published an advertisement looking for artisans to occupy the village and produce handcrafted goods. , Anita (1897-1959) and Bacilio (1889-1962) Aguilar and their children emigrated from Monterrey Nuevo León, Mexico, in 1919 the Aguilars were the first to move into the village in 1920. While there, the family interacted frequently with Kimi Eizo (1881-1938) and Miyoshi Jingu (1893-1969), Japanese immigrants who lived at the tea garden until 1942. The families who resided in the village produced a variety of different crafts inspired by their Mexican heritage including plaster and clay items, cane work and crocheted clothing. In addition, the families served Mexican food to visitors in a straw-roofed pavilion. Bacilio Aguilar played an important role in Mexican American art in San Antonio. Influenced by Dionicio Rodriguez (1891-1955), a prominent Mexican sculptor, Bacilio Aguilar created many pieces of art in the style known as Trabajo Rustico (rustic work). The technique uses shaped rebar forms, hardware cloth and concrete to create sculptures with natural textures of wood and rocks. The Mexican Village highlights the incredible influence of Mexican culture on San Antonio’s history and art, as well as upon the connections between Mexican, Japanese, and American cultures in the early 20th Century in Texas.