Illustrated by Jay Burdine

“San Antonio is Underrated” Color version

Growing up in Kyle, a suburb to the south of Austin, I was literally in the Heart of Texas. A short 30-minute drive could land (not including traffic) my family and me in downtown Austin to walk around the capitol. But while Austin was fun, when we had out-of-towners visiting we would instead take them further away to vibrant San Antonio. Walking along the River Walk, there is always music playing, people laughing and lights shining. It is an experience in itself that makes me understand why we didn’t take our family to Austin — it’s hard to find the family-friendly fun that San Antonio offers. This city, while being wholeheartedly underrecognized, has everything to show for our state.

When you talk to non-Texans about Texas, they’ll normally bring up Dallas, Houston or Austin. They’ve probably had a layover in Dallas or Houston and think about the music scene in Austin, but rarely have they been to or thought about San Antonio. To me, it’s hilarious because this giant city is far more Texan than its competitors. Every other city is interesting, but San Antonio is the best because it is a deeply historical city that stays true to its roots.

First of all, we are the oldest municipality in Texas. San Antonio has a uniquely Texan background of being home to the Payaya native people and the subsequent Spanish-settled missions. We are also a part of the Mexican Republic, the Republic of Texas and the United States. San Antonio was a stop on the trail of outposts leading people westward. It’s really amazing to take a hike at the mission trails and feel like you are walking in the Wild West (something normally saved for movies). It has a rich, blended history that is not found elsewhere.

The city of San Antonio has kept its historic roots alive in the community. The effort to celebrate the Latinx and Spanish-speaking people of San Antonio with Hispanic Heritage Month and other cultural events throughout the year speaks to a historically multicultural community still seen today. Bilingual communication flourishes around the city, from simple things like a Women’s History Month sign at the Pearl reading “Strong Mujer” to kids’ dual-language education in elementary schools. Texas has both an English and Spanish language heritage — I might point out that Spanish was definitely in Texas before English — and San Antonio keeps that alive as best it can.

There is so much dark history behind forcing only English in schools in Texas, and I am proud that our city is making an effort for kids to have a positive environment to speak and learn in their native languages at school. As a Spanish speaker, it is so inviting to be able to speak and hear Spanish in almost every place I go in San Antonio. Even at events that one would stereotypically reserve for anglo English speakers like the San Antonio Rodeo, you can still get the best Mexican and Tex-Mex food, see the Mexican flag being waved proudly and hear the beautiful language of Spanish floating on the wind.

Of course, I can’t talk about Texas and being Texan without talking about the Alamo — we’re supposed to remember it after all. While there are some difficult histories surrounding it that we must grapple with, the pinnacle of Texas history, or at least how we learned it in school, stands with the Alamo. Much like the other aspects of quintessential Texan-ness, San Antonio surrounds the Alamo with the building standing proud at its center.

Finally, San Antonio hosts a true community, and as someone living in San Antonio, it is a palpable feeling, even in one of the largest cities in the country. One of the things that will stick with me forever is going to Spurs games in San Antonio as a lifelong Spurs fan and seeing the huge camaraderie as a “Spurs Familia.” The San Antonio community connectedness is evident in the Spurs’ branding use of family or familia. Although the once very successful team has seen a decline in their performance in the past five or so years, we still broke the NBA’s record for most fan attendance in the Alamodome last year. The fans were roaring, I lost my voice and the silver and black was everywhere. It was a regular season game and we lost by a lot — which never feels good — but we still showed up for our San Antonio players, and that’s what being Texan is all about.

Clearly, San Antonio is the best at showcasing how good Texas can be. Telling non-Texans about my roots is not the easiest thing to do. People can get judgy pretty easily because they only know the Texas that is shown in the news. They ask me about my guns, which I don’t own, my love for Trump, whom I certainly do not love, and my prejudices for people of color, which I don’t carry. If people could travel to San Antonio or even hear about it, they would realize that people like me who don’t fit the Texan stereotype are everywhere. We come from multicultural places, speak multiple languages, have different ideas about the world and, most importantly, we all represent the real Texas.