Photo: Torch of Friendship ( with Tower of the Americas ) Photograph by the Author
It was on June 27th, 2002, that “La Antorcha de la Armistad” ( The Torch of Friendship ) was dedicated and unveiled in downtown San Antonio.
The sculpture, made up of two non-parallel columns reaching to the sky, and connected by a twisting “bridge” between the columns, represents the friendship between Mexico, the United States and Canada, according to the artist Sebastian who was born Enrique Carbajal Gonzalez in Camargo, Mexico in 1947.
Photo: Sebastian….Wikipedia
Across the road from the sculpture, above the Riverwalk on Losoya Steet, set into the sidewalk, is a commemorative plaque which reads in part :
“Symbol that stands for the unity and friendship that exists between Mexico, the United States and Canada. When designing the sculpture, I thought of creating a symbol of light, and I came up with the idea of a torch that stands tall to evoke friendship and unity. I envisioned two tall columns rising and joining at the top in a playful dance to form the torch. From all angles, it reflect the different facets of the relationship between our countries: sometimes festive, at times complex, at times very strong, but at the end, integrated and harmonious”
Sebastian — Sculptor
Photo: Author
The sculpture was a gift to San Antonio from the Asociacin de Empresarios Mexicanos, a local group of Mexican business professionals, on behalf of the Mexican Government.
Photo: San Antonio Express News
An an unveiling ceremony attended by Sebastian, Mayor Ed Garza and the then Secretary of Foreign Affairs for Mexico, Jorge Castaneda Gutman, the red-orange sculpture became a part of the city landscape.
Standing 65’ tall, and weighing 45 tons, the sculpture is now a landmark of San Antonio at the intersection of Alamo, Losoya, and Commerce Streets, a block from the Alamo, and beside the Riverwalk.
Photo: Author
The towering sculpture is not without its controversies. There are those who object to the abstract design, those that opposed public funding, and there is the opposition of the sculpture being erected on a site where many believe that the bodies of the defenders of the Alamo were burned following the battle of 1836.
However, there are many who love the structure and the sentiments that it represents
Photo: Sebastian at the 2002 unveiling….San Antonio Express News
Today we remember it’s unveiling in San Antonio 20 years ago.
Photo: Author
Additional stories:
- Apart from Mexico, Sebastian’s monumental sculptures can be found in cities around the globe in cities like Denver, Vancouver, Montevideo, Osaka, Buenos Aires, New York, Rio de Janeiro, Albuquerque, Montreal, Kingston, Dallas, Bern, Nagoya…and of course, San Antonio.
- Besides the Torch of Friendship, Sebastian has a number of other art pieces around San Antonio, including La Estrella de Texas (“Star of Texas”), outside the San Antonio Airport, Puerta de Igualdad ( “Door of Equality”) at the San Pedro roundabout near the Central Library downtown, also at North West Vista College, outside the Spanish Governor’s Palace, the McNay Museum, and three sculptures which are part of the Riverwalk Public Art Garden on E. Market Street.
- Although he primarily lives in Mexico City, Sebastian also keeps a home here in San Antonio. “Since my adolescence, I’ve always loved San Antonio, and it plays an extremely important role in the historical and economical relationships between the United States and Mexico” he told the Express-News.
- From a certain vantage point, art lovers can see both the “Torch of Friendship” by Sebastian, and “The First Inhabitant” sculpture on the Commerce Street Bridge, by Waldine Tauch, installed 88 years apart. (See an earlier posting on “Memories of San Antonio” about this sculpture, and Waldine Tauch’s other work around the city and throughout Texas )
Sources:
Macarena Hernandez, Hector Saldana, Tom Bower, Dan Goddard….. San Antonio Express – News
Brownsville Herald
Smithsonian Magazine
mysanantonio.com
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