Representing the four communities that established the original community, the Founders Monument is directly connected to the history of San Antonio, Texas. This history is inherently linked to the origins of the entire region in a way that the community of the present can interpret and interact with to cultivate connection across eras.
The First Official Civil Government in Texas
As detailed on a marker by the monument, fifty-six Canary Islanders arrived in the area that is now San Antonio in 1731. They had traveled across the land and sea for nearly a year, after being sent by the Spanish King to establish the first official civil government in the province of Texas. They were greeted by a Franciscan friar, soldiers from the Presidio of Bejar and Indigenous people of the region. Tribes included the Lipan Apaches, the Tonkawa, and the Comanches. The village they founded is now the city of San Antonio.
Located in front of the historic Bexar County Courthouse in the heart of San Antonio, the area is called Main Plaza but has historically been known as Plaza de las Islas Canarias. The five life-sized sculptures that represent American Indians, Franciscan friars, Presidio soldiers, and Canary Islanders allow audiences to experience and interact with each figure, providing them with a connection to this history that continues to evolve with the city and community around it.
The Legacy of the Four Founding Communities
In representing each of the four founding communities of San Antonio, the five figures of the Founders Monument provide audiences with a visceral sense of the past. This connection represents a legacy that is inexorably linked to the future of the community and region, highlighting what it can mean for history to truly come alive.
