SAN ANTONIO — Conjunto and mariachi music echoed through the Rinconcito de Esperanza Saturday. The aguas frescas kept people hydrated under the strong heat, but despite it all, it was worth it to be back after two years.
The Esperanza Peace and Justice Center, along with the Westside Preservation Alliance, and Historic Westside Residents' Association held their annual Paseo Por El Westside event.
The celebration offered residents and visitors an opportunity to learn and reflect back on the history of the neighborhood through speakers, activities, and tours, while also celebrating it's present day contributions to San Antonio culture.
For Daniel Gonzales, preserving the community's history is personal. The home he and his four brothers were born and raised in sits at the Rinconcito de Esperanza as a historical landmark.
"It's about embracing your cultural heritage," he said. "and (passing) it on to your children and have them pass it on to their children, it has to be preserved."
Among one of the activities was the Mapping Memorias Project where people can pin point different tienditas, ice houses, or family homes that are no longer in the neighborhood.
"This gives people an opportunity to preserve some of that history," said Cristal Mendez, who was working the event Saturday. They plan to collect those stories in hopes of putting them on display once the Museo del Westside is open.
Director of the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center, Graciela Sanchez, told KENS5 earlier this week the event started in 2010 as a way to tell people about the history, culture, and traditions of the community.
"We saw and continue to see a loss of buildings being demolished, this neighborhood has the highest number of demolitions," she said.
The west side is in a constant battle with gentrification and the displacement of mostly Latino families, but events like this keep those memories and traditions alive.
