David Blancas, a visual artist who grew up on on the Southside of San Antonio, dives into the area’s spiritual history with “Yanaguana Mythos,” a mural he painted — and hopes to revamp — near the Business Library Hall of Texas A&M University-San Antonio.
The mural was done in 2023, after Corrin Le Vasseur, executive director of operations, asked Blancas to paint the side of the mechanical yard building at Lot 4A.
A project for Contemporary Art Month, it is Blancas’ take on the Yanaguana, meaning “Spirit Waters,” which was the homeland to the indigenous Payaya people. They were a part of the many Coahuilitecan-speaking tribes that encompassed the area that is now present-day San Antonio.
These spirit waters refer to the Blue Hole, which is also known as the San Antonio Spring. The headwaters of the San Antonio River, it is located on the campus of the University of the Incarnate Word.
“Right now it’s on private property…,” Blancas said. “But at one time it was open to everything. Anybody could see it… at one time it was a beautiful blueish-green water that rushed out.”
Blancas explained the story of the Coahuilitecan people’s connection to the spring. He says the Payaya believed a mythical blue jaguar lived in the spring and mistook the rushing of the water to be growls.
Alongside the jaguar many more animals would come to drink from the spring, including the anhinga bird. The mural features the San Antonio River and spring with other native plants and animals surrounding them.
The silhouettes of the Spanish missions and buffalo can be seen in the background, touching on the subject of Spanish influence. A portrait of an indigenous person represents the many tribes that occupied the land.
Blancas says the Payaya people had a spiritual interpretation of the gushing spring to be the jaguar and anhinga bird fighting. When the anhinga bird would come up from the water and fly away, the water flying off its wings would nourish the land.
With his natural interest in history and culture, and his childhood connection to the Southside, Blancas wanted to create something to inform people of the rich history of the area.
The A&M-San Antonio campus sits in the center of the Southside where the origin of San Antonio is rooted, Blancas said. He said he believes students, as well as others, should know the history of their home.
“…it’s the most important thing I think in terms of a theme as an artist,” Blancas said. “To represent the past, the current and what could be the future based on the lessons of those things that came before and what you’re currently experiencing now.”
The artist used the polytab method to create the 10-by-60-foot mural. He divided the span of the dimensions into quarters and worked on them in his art studio over two months. When completed, the mural was installed over a weekend in its current location.
The university paid Blancas $30,000 for the artwork, said Ernest Haffner, the university’s director of Facilities and Construction.
A&M-San Antonio commissioned the artist for another mural, “Reaching for the Stars”, in Armstrong Elementary as a part of the CULTIVAR (Communities Uplifting Learners Through Imagination and Vibrant Artistic Reflections) education grant. CULTIVAR’s goal is to help provide opportunities for the community to express themselves through art and the mural is meant to help “inspire these kids,” Blancas said.
Blancas also says he wants to revisit the “Yanaguana Mythos” and do some revamping since he finished it when the Business Library Hall was still under construction.
He’s considering paint touchups, adding lights, and something to give more context to the mural because he is concerned that people don’t truly get the meaning behind the “Yanaguana Mythos.” Blancas says he would even consider working with the history program to educate students.
“I kept it pretty simple… but I wanted to tell a much more comprehensive story. This is a stripped down version of it. Just one indigenous person, a few of the animals and just a little bit of the mythology. I wanted to extend it further.”
