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\u201cLa Veladora of Our Lady of Guadalupe\u201d is a towering three-dimensional mosaic tile mural that has adorned San Antonio\u2019s West Side for over 20 years.<\/p>\n
Greg Morago \/ Greg Morago<\/p>\n
San Antonio artist Jesse\u00a0Trevi\u00f1o works on \u201cLa Veladora\u201d in a West Side warehouse in 2003.\u00a0<\/p>\n
BOB OWEN\/SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS<\/p>\n
A cyclist stops to take a photo of \u201cLa\u00a0Veladora\u201d outside the\u00a0Guadalupe Theater in this undated staff file photo.<\/p>\n
Kin Man Hui \/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n
Benedict John Garza eats his lunch as he visits “La Veladora” in 2023. Those who live and work near the mural say it’s common for locals and residents to visit it, where they pray, reflect and take photos.<\/p>\n
Billy Calzada \/ Staff photographer<\/p>\n
Late artist Jesse Trevi\u00f1o, shown in his studio in 2017, said he created “La Veladora” to help draw visitors to his beloved West Side.<\/p>\n
Alma E. Hernandez \/ For the San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n
Artist Jesse Trevi\u00f1o\u2019s towering three-dimensional mosaic tile candle has adorned San Antonio\u2019s West Side for over 20 years.<\/p>\n
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Created as a traditional rendering of La\u00a0Virgen de Guadalupe, the 20-by-40-foot \u201cLa\u00a0Veladora of Our Lady of Guadalupe\u201d is one of the city\u2019s best-known pieces of public art.<\/p>\n
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Erected on the side of the historic Guadalupe Theater and facing the vibrant Guadalupe Street corridor, \u201cLa Veladora\u201d was intended to be a cultural representation of the predominantly Mexican American neighborhood surrounding it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you talk about culture, I think about the Virgen de Guadalupe,\u201d Trevi\u00f1o told the San Antonio Express-News on the eve of his work\u2019s highly anticipated 2003 unveiling.\u00a0\u201cI remember seeing my mom lighting up a candle, my friends lighting up a candle to the Virgen de Guadalupe.\u201d<\/p>\n
ALSO READ: Dolly Parton\u2019s impact in San Antonio went beyond music<\/a><\/p>\n Cristina Ball\u00ed, executive director of the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center<\/a>, which oversees the\u00a0Guadalupe Theater and has served as a steward of \u201cLa Veladora,\u201d regards the mosaic tile mural as one of the city\u2019s most recognizable landmarks.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cI like to say the ‘Veladora’ is the other major icon of San Antonio \u00a0\u2014 the other being the Alamo,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The iconic artwork, its years-long creation and its legacy as a West Side landmark are explored in this week\u2019s San Antonio Explained.<\/p>\n Its creation<\/p>\n Jesse Trevi\u00f1o, an internationally celebrated San Antonio-based artist<\/a> known for his\u00a0photorealist paintings and large-scale murals, worked on \u201cLa Veladora\u201d for two years.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Setting up shop inside a West Side warehouse, Trevi\u00f1o and his assistants assembled the mosaic tiles bit by bit \u201clike a jigsaw puzzle,\u201d as one newspaper article described it.<\/p>\n \u201cLa Veladora\u201d depicts the Virgen de Guadalupe with her hands in prayer and clothed in a blue robe sprinkled with stars on a three-dimensional mosaic tile candle formed by a half-cylinder affixed to the wall. The candle is flanked by an eagle holding a writhing snake in its beak on one side and a cactus studded with spines on the other.\u00a0<\/p>\n The word veladora means religious candle, and many Catholics light veladoras in prayer. According to Catholic belief, the Virgen de Guadalupe appeared to Juan Diego, an indigenous convert, in Mexico on Dec. 12, 1531. That date is celebrated as her feast day.<\/p>\n A native of Mexico who grew up on San Antonio\u2019s West Side, Trevi\u00f1o came up with the idea for \u201cLa Veladora\u201d after passing by the Guadalupe Theater and seeing the empty space outside it.\u00a0\u201cHow it was almost screaming out for something,\u201d Trevi\u00f1o said in February 2001, shortly after the Guadalupe announced plans for the project.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n ALSO READ: San Antonio Explained: How racing the Puffy Taco became a local tradition<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a need for some form of art that speaks out, that says something about the community,\u201d Trevi\u00f1o said at the time.\u00a0<\/p>\n Funds to help pay for the estimated $300,000 to create \u201cLa Veladora\u201d came from various means, including corporate donors and grants. To help spur donations, limited-edition prints of the mural signed by\u00a0Trevi\u00f1o were given to individuals who donated a minimum $1,000, newspaper archives show.<\/p>\n \u201cLa Veladora\u201d was unveiled\u00a0Dec. 12, 2003, in a celebration that included live performances of original music composed for the event.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Its meaning<\/p>\n Visitors to \u201cLa Veladora\u201d pray, reflect and capture special moments at the iconic artwork.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople have their daughter\u2019s quincea\u00f1era portraits taken there, couples take wedding photos in front of it, and people simply come because they want to be photographed with it,\u201d Ball\u00ed said.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also been a site for devotion, with visitors leaving photos, religious medals, candles and other offerings in prayer.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cI think that\u2019s part of what makes La Veladora so powerful. It is a work of public art, but it is also part of people\u2019s faith and traditions,\u201d Ball\u00ed said.<\/p>\n ALSO READ: How San Antonio arcades keep classic gaming culture alive<\/a><\/p>\n Its impact<\/p>\n While he was working on \u201cLa Veladora,\u201d Trevi\u00f1o said he believed the mural had the potential to draw people from all over the city to the West Side.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I see as happening here is that eventually people would cross the (Commerce Street) bridge from downtown to the West Side, which very few people actually do,\u201d he told the Express-News. \u201cThis would sort of tear down the wall, eliminate the bridge.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLa Veladora\u201d is among the most acclaimed works by Trevi\u00f1o, who died in 2023.\u00a0<\/p>\n READ MORE: Before the medals and merch, Jesse Trevi\u00f1o gave Fiesta its first iconic poster<\/a><\/p>\n