Client: City of San Antonio, Department of Arts & Culture

Overview

Stories of Market Square’s rich history and vibrant future cover selected columns in The Pass, a new urban park adjacent to San Antonio’s Historic Market Square. This mural series, “Echoes of Market Square”, was created by San Antonio artists Eva Marengo Sanchez and Mike “Comp” Arguello. Each artist was responsible for creating murals on 4 of the 8 total columns in the mural series, which includes 31 unique compositions on 32 sides of the selected columns. The series showcases how food has always been at the heart of Market Square. It highlights the history of the space’s vendors and the vibrant performances that take place there. The murals cover approximately 2,800 sq feet total. They were painted directly onto the concrete columns, with Marengo Sanchez utilizing acrylic paints and Arguello working with spray paint. The artists went through extensive community engagement, including a series of meetings with the tenants of Market Square, to ensure the mural designs are historically accurate.

Goals

This project was done in collaboration with partner departments who managed the creation of the new urban park, The Pass. The urban park includes a half basketball court, planters, built in seating, and tables for games. The Pass was designed to turn a dark underpass into a lively and active community space for nearby residents, workers, and students from the University of Texas at San Antonio. The mural series frames this activation and adds vibrancy to the large space. It invites visitors from any direction by framing the underpass. Four columns are located directly behind the half basketball court along Dolorosa Street, and four are located along Commerce Street. During the many festivals and events which happen here year round, the murals showcase the treasures of Market Square and of San Antonio. The City of San Antonio worked collaboratively to leverage funds and resources to enliven an underpass and bring the community together.

Process

The City of San Antonio’s Public Art Division contracted with two artists, Eva Marengo Sanchez and Mike “Comp” Arguello to complete this project. The Public Art team collaborated closely with our partners, including City Center Development & Operations team who manages Market Square. Public Art also worked closely with the tenants of Market Square and other area stakeholders to ensure designs were historically accurate, appropriate for the space, and inviting for visitors. The tenants shared personal stories of their childhood spent at the family's stall and historic photographs of the Farmer's Market when carts and trucks still passed through the building. The toys featured in the murals represent both historic and most popular sold at Market Square. And many of the scenes and people are based on historic photographs.

Additional Information

Historic Market Square thrives today on a plaza that was gifted by the King of Spain in 1730. Throughout the early years, the plazas of San Antonio were lively marketplaces, where vendors sold fresh produce and meats. At nightfall, the famous “Chili Queens” took over from the vendors, selling steaming bowlfuls of the spicy beef stew. The market moved to its current location in the 1890s to make room for an influx of new settlers. A wave of immigrants from Europe, the Middle East and Asia lent their own unique flavor to the Mexican character of the market. The produce wholesalers left the area in the 1900s and the energetic street life died out. But some of the merchants stayed, determined not to give up on the place. The first market committee in the 1960s spurred the revitalization of the area. By 1976, Historic Market Square had regained its color and vibrancy. Three city blocks were turned into pedestrian malls, with fountains, ornamental streetlights, trees and benches. Today it bustles with activities celebrating Cinco de Mayo and Día de los Muertos, among other festivities. Working artists offer their handiworks, and local retailers sell quality Mexican artifacts, clothing and art.