SAN ANTONIO – As Hispanic Heritage Month wraps up on Wednesday, Mamapeño, the official mascot of the Flying Chanclas de San Antonio, has become a favorite at the ballpark — especially among fans and local abuelitas or grandmothers.
Mamapeño debuted in 2018 as part of a Minor League Baseball initiative that gives teams identities rooted in local culture.
The initiative is called the Copa de la Diversion, which features several teams that embrace the culture and values that resonate most with the local U.S. Hispanic communities of Minor League Baseball teams.
Mamapeño was created to represent the matriarch of many San Antonio families, personifying discipline, respect and love for the city’s traditions, team officials said. She appears at Wolff Stadium during games when the Missions take the field as the Flying Chanclas.
“She is the matriarch of the Hispanic family,” Mickey Holt, assistant general manager for the San Antonio Missions, said. “Everybody’s like, ‘We’ve got to have an abuelita to be able to throw the chancla.’ Because that’s who could hit anybody wherever they’re at.”
Holt said Mamapeño has quickly become a fan favorite, adding personality and flair to the team’s alternate identity.
Mamapeño and KSAT’s RJ Marquez during the interview at Wolff Stadium. (KSAT)
Over the years, the mascot has developed different wardrobes including Fiesta dresses and crowns, adopted a chancla as a signature prop and even begun carrying an egg used in lighthearted “spiritual cleansings” for fans and families at the ballpark.
“She’s got some fashion in her. She’s done really well with that,” Holt said. “She’s added the chancla that she always has with us, and then she always has an egg that she’ll bring out and want to rub on people.”
The mascot has helped bridge generations of Missions and Flying Chanclas fans, Holt added, drawing younger fans to the game by making culture a visible and playful part of the ballpark experience.
“With our mix of people in San Antonio, it helps us bring this culture to them and bring these younger kids into seeing their culture as part of the game,” he said. Holt also joked about Mamapeño’s throwing range: she can sling the chancla from the side and reach about 20 to 30 feet.
“Mamapeño just helps us bring us even closer to the community, and we love every bit of it,” Holt said.
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