Say Hello, San Antonio!

I arrived in San Antonio, just about lunch time.

Is there a better time than that?  The Riverwalk was not too far away – and there was Tex Mex on my mind, San Antonio style!

San Antonio is a great town for walking ----and there is interesting art to be found as well as great architecture in the buildings around the down town area.

Isn't this intriguing? It’s called the Torch of Friendship.  A gift to San Antonio by Mexican leaders to represent both friendship and roots many share in Texas and Mexico.  It's made of 50 tons of red steel, stands 65 ft tall and was shipped here in six pieces. 

We passed it on the way to the Riverwalk, making a beeline for our restaurant as tummies were rumbling.

Casa Rio!

From what I understand about Casa Rio ((It’s amazing what you can learn by reading the back side of a menu!)) they have been in business, serving fabulous food to the locals and visitors since 1946!  It’s been continually run by family members since that time, and is a destination not to be missed.

Not only for the great food they serve, but for fun things you will find on the walls of the establishment ---These vintage ponchos really caught my eye and I had to ask our server about them.

This one hung directly over our table.

I asked our server if the blouses were hand embroidered or if she knew anything about them.  She called them Ponchos –and didn’t know their origin, only that they were indeed old, and hand crafted in Mexico.

**Update**  This message just in from a reader, Josie:

Dear Bonnie,

The "ponchos" you refer to in your post are Huipils or Huipiles. They are found mostly in in the southern parts of Mexico. Each village had their own designs. I remember traveling through Oaxaxa and watching women do the weaving on backstrap looms.

My favorites are the ones with embroidery. If you visit Guatamala you will see many variations of the huipil. They are worn mostly by women but men also used to wear them.
Sadly, everyone dresses in western clothing now and the huipils only come out and are worn on some special occasions. The weaving and embroidery are a dying art.

I'm sure Google or Wikipedia might have more information.Thank you for your wonderful blog.

Enjoy your stay in San Antonio.

Josie CarraherAustin, Texas

Thank you for enlightening us, Josie!

Close up of colorful yarn stitching!

Isn’t this beautiful?

Check out the gorgeous embroidery along the neck line!

There were all different patterns and necklines, and most of these seemed to be made from squares or rectangles of fabric and worn loosely.

Loved this one!  You’ve got to see the close up!

The hand embroidered birds and flora where fantastic!

Who made these decorative articles of clothing?  What were they worn for?  Can you imagine someone stitching these by hand? They look machine embroidered, don’t they?  But they aren’t!

Beautiful colors, and look at that detail!

Hand stitched flowers, so real looking!

This one looks like window curtains! LOL!

Close up of the colors and the weave ---ART!

And yes, by this time I am sure I was annoying every one who was quietly sitting there trying to enjoy their lunches as I interrupted them, asking if they minded if I took photos of the ponchos on the wall – but if you don’t ask…you miss out!

I'm happy to find needlework wherever I can find it.

Lunch was followed by a nice walk in the gorgeous afternoon along the river.

There are more photos to come.  Stay tuned!

It’s a beautiful weekend to be in the San Antonio area.  Today I’m headed up to New Braunfels to meet with the New Braunfels Area Quilters –there is a Star Struck workshop waiting to happen!

Have a great Saturday, Everyone!

Click Here to like our Quiltville Friends Page on Facebook for more fun! You do not need a Facebook account to read the Facebook posts - They are viewable to all! Feel free to read & quilt along with us!