“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, GO TOGETHER.”

– African Proverb

Exhibit Panel Contents

1. Introduction
2. Exploration and Founding: Afro-Spanish Heritage

   • The earliest known traces of Black heritage in today’s Texas begins with Spanish explorations of the area. Black explorers, including Moroccan born Esteban de Dorantes ("Estevanico") were members of the 16th and 17th Spanish entradas (expeditions) into what would become Spanish Texas. The Presidio San Antonio de Béxar was established in 1718 by Martin Alarcón and 35 soldiers and their families, some who are identified as of mixed Afro-Spanish ancestry.

3. The Canary Islander Question, Expansion and Landownership

   • The arrival of 15 Canary Islander families, consisting of 56 individuals, in March 1731 increased the population by almost a quarter. The Canary Islands proximity to the African coast, and the existence of the Guanche indigenous people who have a confirmed North African genome and a language related to Berber language, indicate a possibility of African ancestry. Some of the earliest developments associated with Black heritage can be traced through the creation of congregations, the building of schools, and the establishment of businesses.

4. Citizenship, Labor and Education

   • Felipe Elua Chanog, one of San Antonio’s most notable free Black men, arrived in the city in 1807. After the Civil War, Nace “Naco” DuVal ran a barbershop business, was appointed as the first Black teacher at the Freedmen Bureau School, and in 1867 led local ministers in establishing the first Black Methodist church. The Santa Clara School was the second school created for Black students and was renamed the Cuney School after Norris Wright Cuney, a post Civil War African American leader who visited San Antonio.

5. West Side

   • In 1876 approximately 2,075 citizens were recorded as “African” out of a population of 17,214. By 1885, the city’s second ward, which included all that portion of the city west of the San Antonio River and North of Commerce Street was largely populated by Black citizens. Mary Ellen “Ella” Stevens Austin, founded the Ella Austin Orphans Home, dedicated to serving Black children. The first location for the orphanage was her home on the city’s West Side located at 614 North Pecos. Julia and J.D. Lowery were African American educators who lived with Julia’s family at 530 West Delgado on the city’s West Side before building their own home at 1023 Wyoming.

6. Home Ownership

   • Historic discriminatory financing practices gave African Americans limited access to new housing. While the national Fair Housing Act was passed in 1968, San Antonio’s progress towards non-discriminatory home purchase started in the early 1950s.