¡Adelante! San Antonio International Airport
This series of digital murals was created in collaboration with Michael Menchaca under our collective name, Dos Mestizx. Commissioned by The City of San Antonio for the San Antonio International Airport Consolidated Rental Car Facility (CONRAC), iAdelante! is a culmination of imagery based on the history of the city of San Antonio. It chronicles the past 300+ years, highlighting the progression of aviation, immigration, architecture, music, and more. The left panel reads “Bienvenidos a San Antonio!” or “Welcome to San Antonio!,” and the right panel reads “Adelante San Antonio!,” or “Let’s Go San Antonio!” We welcome tourists to learn about our city’s history and for those returning home to brush up on important moments in San Antonio’s past and present. From the early Yanaguana inhabitants of San Antonio to our present day aircraft, the city has seen many transformations, diversity of cultures, and advances in technology.
For the exterior façade of the San Antonio International Airport’s CONRAC facility, we created a large-scale mural on either side. The left panel (top image) combines the body of a Golden Eagle with the wings of a Boeing 737. This hybrid creature brings together ideas of nature and culture as we recognize the advances in aviation technology. The Golden Eagle is indigenous to the region and the Boeing 737 is a commonly used contemporary passenger plane. The greens and blues are representative of morning and day flights. The eagle’s expression holds the excitement of adventure that comes with the ability of flight. The sunburst behind the Eagle is emblematic of this moment, and this panel embodies the moment of departure. The right panel (bottom image) combines the wings of the Golden Eagle with the Boeing 737. This image represents traveling by night, migration, and arriving home. The blues and purples are representative of moon-lit night flights. The flock returns home and speaks of the beauty of migration. Soaring above the earth, the eagles fly among the stars. The right panel embodies the moment of arrival.