CatchLight — Robert Pluma

Hidden Histories About Contact

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My grandfather, Victor Vallejo Guerrero (81 at the time), demonstrating how he would climb to the tops of the walls at Mission San José as a child. He had a sister who died young and was buried along the walls. Many mission descendants are fighting

Hortencia Hernandez Guerrero (my grandmother) stands near the window of the San Antonio restaurant Schilo's, the only way they would allow her to purchase her food as a child. At the time, there was a sign on the door which read, "NO DOGS, NO MEXICA

Dancers manifesting the story of soldaderas — women soldiers of the Mexican Revolution — in San Antonio, Texas. Some soldaderas rose to the level of commanders, while others played a supporting role. They were a mix of volunteers and those forced i

A parade in Harlandale County, San Antonio, Texas, honoring descendants of the "Mission Indians". "Indian" remains a common term in the region to refer to the indigenous people of North America.

My grandfather Victor Vallejo Guerrero (right) with his brother Raul ("Roy") Guerrero at one of the acequias (aqueducts) built hundreds of years ago to water the missions of San Antonio. Victor and Roy would lift the gates along some of the smaller

Coahuiltecans preparing for an overnight ceremony on the grounds of Mission San Juan Capistrano, San Antonio, Texas. The proceedings of the ceremony are secret and sacred, though I can share that songs and rituals were performed around a fire until

Members of the Tap Pilam Coahuiltecan Nation disassembling a tipi after an all-night ceremony on the grounds of Mission San Juan. The tipi is not typically used by my people, though in this instance proved to be an acceptable representative tempora

Returning the earth to where it was dug out for a fire circle, used during the overnight ceremony. The bell tower of Mission San Juan can be seen in the background. This mission was one of five my people were ultimately forced to build and reside i

An open acequia gate on a farm adjacent to one of San Antonio’s missions. The water is irrigated from the San Antonio River, called Yanaguana, the up-flowing waters of the spirit, by the Payaya / Coahuitecans. Our histories describe the headwaters o

Linda Graf-Wilcox, a mission descendant and knowledge keeper who lived on mission land before our ancestral home was taken from us. Linda shared stories of her time growing up here at Mission San Juan Capistrano, one of five missions established by

Epifanio Hernandez, a leader and knowledge keeper for a band of Coahuiltecans, at a smudging ceremony at the Indigenous Peoples Festival in San Antonio, Texas.

Pecan shells found along the acequias of the San Antonio River. Pecans have been a critical food source for the Indigenous people of the region for thousands of years.

Ancestors from my grandmother's family posing for a formal portrait.

Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller conducts mass to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the founding of Mission San José, the mission which sits on the land taken from my ancestors, who built the missions and lived on this land since time immemorial.

Mary Ann Garcia shares images from her youth in the Catholic school on mission grounds. Like others, she shared stories of the violence inflicted on students who spoke Spanish, around 200 years after Spanish colonists would likely have been doing th

A commemoration for Blas Maria Herrera, often described as the “Paul Revere” of the Texas Revolution, with costumed re-enactors and cannon fire.

A document from the archive of the National Park Service stating, in part: “An unimpeded view of the ritual from all points in the church ws desired; among Indians, the clergy wished to maintain the congretation under surveillance.“

Susan Snow, Lead National Park Service Archaeologist for the San Antonio Missions, showing small fragments of bones and other components of pottery which demonstrate that the historical population of the San Antonio Missions was not an homogenous on

My grandfather, Victor Vallejo, was among the last generation to live on Mission San José land before it was fully taken from us. He did not know until this moment that a smaller building on mission grounds still housed examples of the tiles he woul

My great great grandfather's personal journal, where he shares his story of migration from Mexico to San Antonio.

A young girl moving through the church at Mission San Jose following mass. The church building was reclaimed by the Catholic Church and remains an active parish.

The Mexico / United States border in El Paso, Texas. A playground is nearby along the highway on the U.S. side.

A design mockup for an augmented reality application which will guide users around Mission San José as they explore the grounds in search of interactive stories. An off-site mode will be an option for those who are not able to visit the missions, wi

A design mockup for an augmented reality application which will guide users around Mission San José as they explore the grounds in search of interactive stories. Visitors to the San Antonio Missions will be able to explore hidden, non-linear stories

A design mockup for an augmented reality application which will guide users around Mission San José as they explore the grounds in search of interactive stories, oral histories, and historical fragments. Users will be able to gather a personal archi

Hidden Histories of San Antonio - Slow-Motion Video Portraits

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