August 6, 2023. Dr. Aureliano Urrutia often took on surgeries that no other doctor would attempt. He considered this operation in 1917 to be his most challenging and his most inspired. It was an early success in several fields of surgery and solidified his reputation as a great surgeon; continuing a legacy begun in Mexico as that country’s top physician, and bringing pride to San Antonio as a budding medical city…. Read more >>>
June 11, 2023. On the occasion of Dr. Aureliano Urrutia’s birthday this month, here is a tribute given on the occassion of his 48th birthday, in 1920, by the esteemed writer Nemesio García Naranjo, an attorney, writer, and friend of Urrutia’s both in México and in exile here in San Antonio. Feliz cumpleaños y descanse en paz… Read more >>>
All in Mexico
June 11, 2023. On the occasion of Dr. Aureliano Urrutia’s birthday this month, here is a tribute given on the occassion of his 48th birthday, in 1920, by the esteemed writer Nemesio García Naranjo, an attorney, writer, and friend of Urrutia’s both in México and in exile here in San Antonio. Feliz cumpleaños y descanse en paz… Read more >>>
October 28, 2022. In 1920s San Antonio, only one person loved colorful Mexican tile as much as Urrutia…He would have noticed Urrutia’s collection of Talavera in the garden, near the entrance to the house. Read more>>>
October 21, 2022. Luis Sanchez Lopez arrived in San Antonio around 1920. He began working in sculpture in his hometown of Monterrey, Mexico, moved to San Antonio, and caught the eye of Dr. Aureliano Urrutia. He went on to create some remarkable works in concrete, at Miraflores and elsewhere. Read more >>>
August 14, 2021. What do these objects from Dr. Urrutia’s garden of Miraflores have in common? A large wrought iron gate with two sentry towers displaying murals of blossoming flowers, a giant bench cloaked in a over 700 tiles, and a statue of an indigenous man shaking his fist toward the heavens. Read more >>>
April 17, 2021. A look into the life of my great-grandmother, Luz Fernández—what we know about her, and how her path intertwined with her husband, Dr. Aureliano Urrutia. Read more>>>
January 3, 2021. Dr. Aureliano Urrutia began creating his San Antonio garden, Miraflores, 100 years ago this year. In celebration of its centennial, here’s a video presentation about the garden….Read more>>>
July 11, 2020. Several months ago, I met with a group of UTSA students to explore any historical connection between Miraflores, the land which once was Dr. Aureliano Urrutia’s historic San Antonio garden, and the Camino Real. The 1716 Stone is one of the more mysterious objects in the garden… Read more>>>
June 28, 2020. In order to reconstruct Dr. Aureliano Urrutia’s garden of Miraflores in book form, I had to understand more about what he knew of his own cultural heritage, and what lay beneath his thinking, like old ruins beneath churches. I had to leave 21st century San Antonio, and travel back to late 19th/early 20th century Mexico City. Read more>>>
November 23, 2018. A first poem in Spanish, reflecting upon an experience in Xochimilco. Read more >>>
October 20, 2018. Last year, on Día de los Muertos, I ventured over to San Fernando Cemetery to place the beautiful traditional Mexican marigolds, cempasuchitl, at the graves of three Urrutia generations. This year, the spirit of Día de los Muertos visited me a bit earlier, initiated by a trip to Xochimilco, Mexico in early October to meet friends face to face for the first time. Recovering memories of Dr. Aureliano Urrutia in Xochimilco and San Antonio…Read more>>>
December 18, 2016. Carlos Mérida's 1967 mural gets a new life outdoors in downtown San Antonio.
November 2, 2024. From San Antonio, Texas to North Adams, Massachusetts, Día de los Muertos brings a remembrance of my father, Dr. Aureliano Adolfo Urrutia, and reminds me that Latinx culture lives… Read more »»