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HISTORY

So great was their desire for a new life, for themselves and their
loved ones, that they walked 1,000 miles to seize the better life. What
a lesson of love and dedication these colonists have shown us!
Over time, the Canarians would establish ranches where they
would raise crops and tend cattle. During the American Revolution,
the Canary Islanders took part in cattle drives, providing beef to
the colonists who were fighting for freedom from British rule. But
in the tumultuous times of the Texas Republic, many Canarians
would see their ranches taken from them. But even this heartbreak
was not enough to diminish their humanitarian spirit.
Their history and legacy cannot fit on a simple monument in
Main Plaza. It can begin to be told by the five bronze statues that
have been commissioned and will ultimately reside in front of the
Bexar County Courthouse.
Were it not for the passion for a better life that drove these “ear-
liest civilian colonists in San Antonio,” our beloved city would not
be what it is today. We owe it to our founders to have that same
passion to create an even better city over the next 300 years.

Dr. Alfonso Chiscano, a thoracic and cardiac surgeon, was born
in the Canary Islands. He is a co-chair of the San Antonio Tri-
centennial Commission.
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