The Esperanza Peace & Justice Center is inviting people question Fiesta as they engage in the annual citywide celebration. Credit: Instagram / Esperanza Center

The Esperanza Peace & Justice Center is challenging the roots of the Fiesta tradition with a medal declaring, “Fiesta is Racist.”

The medal — which raises money for the nonprofit arts and social-justice organization — accompanies tandem art exhibits that highlight the same theme. Those shows kicked off last week with a panel discussion on the controversial history of San Antonio’s annual citywide party.

Esperanza is selling the medals for $20, or two for $30, and they’re available for purchase at the center, located at 922 San Pedro Ave.

The Battle of the Flowers parade was started in 1891 to honor the battles of the Alamo and San Jacinto, decisive moments in the Texas Revolution, in which Texian colonists rebelled against Mexican control. According to historical records, the uprising was prompted, in part, by the Mexican government’s abolition of slavery, which in turn prohibited Texas settlers from owning slaves.

“If you believe that the Texas Revolution was fought to keep slavery in Texas and what we’re celebrating is the Battle of San Jacinto, which won Texas its independence […] then any endorsement of or celebration of that is racist,” Dr. Puente Para La Gente, one of the artists behind the Esperanza medal and twin exhibitions, told the Current.

Further, even though San Antonio is 64.4% Latino, according the U.S. Census data, the ceremonial king of Fiesta — dubbed King Antonio — has historically been Anglo.

After decades of Anglo kings, the Mexican American community answered by crowning its own king starting in 1947, cheekily called El Rey Feo, or the Ugly King. The Texas Cavaliers charitable foundation, which crowns King Antonio, didn’t elect its first Latino King Antonio until 2016.

Dr. Puente Para La Gente also notes that Fiesta’s first king, crowned in 1896, wasn’t even called King Antonio. The ceremonial title at that time was King Cotton, referring to a Texas cash crop historically picked by enslaved people.

Dr. Puente Para La Gente joined forces on this project with Ali Friedrich, the artist behind a 2015 “Fiesta is Racist” medal, of which the current one is a reproduction.

One of the artists’ two exhibits — titled “Is Fiesta Racist?” — is on display at the Esperanza Peace & Justice Center until June 27. That show offers a deep dive into the controversial history of the annual festival. 

Dr. Puente Para La Gente and Friedrich are also staging a companion exhibit called “Fiesta Is Racist,” now on display at the Chingarté Gallery #106 Blue Star Arts Complex Annex, 1414 S. Alamo St. That show, on display until First Friday on May 2, is also selling screen prints and merchandise by Friedrich. The medals will also be available for sale at the May 2 closing reception.

Friedrich urges attendees of that exhibition to hurl flowers, much like participants in the original Battle of Flowers did, with the prompt, “I want you to throw the flowers so hard you defeat racism.”

The artists also invite the public to take a survey on whether Fiesta is racist at FiestaIsRacist.com.

Fiesta’s troublesome legacy is still apparent today, though many participants are unaware of the undertones, Dr. Puente Para La Gente said.

“You still kind of see that underlying prejudice at work,” the artist added, asserting that white supremacy can hide anywhere, including “something innocent and fun like a parade.”

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This article appears in Apr 16-29, 2025.

Stephanie Koithan is the Digital Content Editor of the San Antonio Current. In her role, she writes about politics, music, art, culture and food. Send her a tip at skoithan@sacurrent.com.