A View of the Brackenridge Park Cultural Landscape Report

Recently, the Brackenridge Park Conservancy published a voluminous Brackenridge Park Cultural Landscape Report on its website.

According to Charles Birnbaum, CEO of The Cultural Landscape Foundation, “as a municipal park, Brackenridge Park is unequaled in its layers of history. It is one of the most culturally significant public parks in the United States.” The analysis, a 662 page report (scroll down to the very bottom of the linked page to get to the actual report), which is conducted by outside consultants, and commissioned by the conservancy, the City of San Antonio, and the San Antonio River Authority, divides the park into fifteen sectors and gathers information from prehistoric times to present, including aspects of archaeological, ecological and cultural significance. It then provides conclusions about the feasibility of communicating the significances to the public and preserving each sector.

Miraflores, the historic family garden of Dr. Aureliano Urrutia, now a part of Brackenridge Park, is sector ‘A’ in the report. The garden is recognized for its “imprints of Mexican heritage,” and for having contained a portion of Urrutia’s collection of art by Mexican artists and artisans. The report also correctly acknowledges Dr. Urrutia’s important role in the medical tradition of San Antonio.

Some of the report’s statements about Miraflores are inaccurate, mostly repeating common misunderstandings of the garden promulgated in the media, especially in the decades following Urrutia’s death in 1975 as deterioration of the landscape markedly increased.

In actuality, Miraflores has never been well understood by the surrounding community.

But despite such obstacles, the best part of the report is that the authors conclude that the garden is highly significant and can be restored to an intact, functional state where it can be visible and understood. The report ultimately recommends that the garden be rehabilitated and preserved to celebrate Dr. Urrutia’s vision.

During the past several years, as I have studied Miraflores to understand its significance during Dr. Urrutia’s time, I have sometimes been skeptical about whether the city will restore the garden. The stops and starts of discussions, the lack of consistent funding, piecemeal restoration, and absence of unified voices advocating for the project all have contributed to my frustration. At the same time, my research into the history and message of my great grandfather’s garden indicates that Miraflores is a unique place of Mexican culture and history that deserves restoration. The Cultural Landscape Report’s recognition of Miraflores is a step in the right direction.

Anne Elise Urrutia’s book, Miraflores: San Antonio’s Mexican Garden of Memory, is forthcoming from Trinity University Press in Fall 2021.

Photograph ©2017 Anne Elise Urrutia. All Rights Reserved.

Posted on February 6, 2021. Updated July 2021.