Vivian "Viv" Zuniga
Photo Editor
City officials, community leaders, mission descendants and San Antonio residents gathered Feb. 7 to commemorate the grand opening of the San Antonio World Heritage Center, a facility dedicated to preserving and sharing the city’s cultural and historical legacy.
The ceremony featured remarks from Mayor Ron Nirenberg, District 3 Councilmember Phyllis Viagran, City Manager Erik Walsh, World Heritage Office Director Colleen Swain and Cynthia Teniente-Matson, former president of Texas A&M University-San Antonio.
The new center is in the Mission Reach near Mission San José.
Nirenberg marveled at the large turnout. More than 100 people attended the event.
“It goes to show you that in this big, beautiful metropolitan city that is one of the fastest growing in the country, that what is most important about our community is our culture, our heritage and our history,” Nirenberg said. “The World Heritage Center is a testament to the power of community engagement and collaboration.”
The center, which cost nearly $16 million to construct, is intended to serve as an educational resource for visitors and residents.
This exhibition showcases paintings by local artists that capture the region’s traditions and legacies. One of the highlights is a large-scale piece by Adriana Garcia, unveiled at the new center. The artwork, which adorns the veranda, features cultural motifs symbolizing the deep connection between the land, its people, and their shared heritage.
The facility will showcase the history of the five Spanish colonial missions in San Antonio Mission San Antonio de Valero (the Alamo), Mission San José, Mission Concepción, Mission San Juan and Mission Espada.
Exhibits will highlight the lives of the indigenous people who first inhabited the region, the Franciscan missionaries who established the missions and the broader cultural impact of San Antonio’s designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Father David Garcia led the invocation, calling for blessings upon the new center and recognizing the ground upon which it stands.
“Let’s just bow our heads in prayer for this wonderful, wonderful moment in which all of us ask God’s blessing upon this facility and all those many, many people that will come here to learn the story of our old Spanish missions here in San Antonio and the wider story of the human spirit, and what can happen when people set themselves to doing great things,” Garcia said.
Garcia also recognized the ancestors who inhabited and developed the land, such as indigenous people, Franciscans and Spanish colonizers.
Ramon Vasquez, executive director of American Indians in Texas at the Spanish Colonial Missions, gave a blessing for the center by singing “Welcome Song in the Pajalat language”.
For contexts, the Pajalat is the language most commonly spoken across Coahuiltecan tribes, specifically the Tap Pilam Coahuiltecan Nation.
Mission descendants were invited to stand and be recognized. Viagran acknowledged the contributions of the World Heritage management team and local organizations that played a role in bringing the project to fruition.
“This World Heritage Center is tomorrow,” Viagran said. “Someone’s word transformational, and it is going to be a testament to who we are and how we survive. I cannot wait for you all to tour inside the beautiful building. We are ensuring that the stories of our ancestors are told and remembered.”
Viagran lamented that other council members could not attend the opening of the historic facility.
”I invited all my council members, and the only one that showed up was Councilman Roger Garcia from District 4,” Viagran said.
Cynthia Teniente-Matson, former president of Texas A&M University-San Antonio, said she was delighted to be back home in San Antonio.
I’m happy to be here for this historic moment,” said Teniente-Matson, who now serves as president of San Jose State University in California. “I, too, am a product of the South Side.”
Teniente-Matson, who was president of the San Antonio Tricentennial Celebration Commission, added that she plans to return to South San Antonio one day, as it is her home.
She also emphasized that the World Heritage Center truly represents the interweaving of culture, referencing the World Heritage nomination, and serves as a daily reminder of San Antonio’s origins. She congratulated Garcia for her work on the piece for the World Heritage Center.
Following the speeches, attendees participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the official opening of the World Heritage Center. The event concluded with the ringing of the bells at Mission San José.
Guests were invited to tour the facility, which includes interactive exhibits, educational displays and artifacts that provide insight into the region’s history. Refreshments were served and attendees were encouraged to explore the space and engage with the exhibits.
“As the World Heritage Center opens its doors, it stands as a lasting testament to the resilience, history and shared heritage of the people of San Antonio one that will inspire generations to come,” Teniente-Matson said.
