Market Square

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Historic Market Square was given as a gift to the original settlers “for their use and entertainment” by the King of Spain in 1730. Throughout the early years the plaza was a lively hub of marketplaces, where vendors sold fresh produce, beef, venison, wild turkeys, honey and pecans. The market square moved in the 1890s from Main Plaza to its current location. This was to make room for the increase of new settlers. Immigrants from Asia, the Middle East and Europe came to San Antonio to incorporate their own flavor into the Mexican culture of the Market.

During the 1930s, San Antonio native Emma Tenayuca became a prominent civil rights activist. In 1938, the teenaged Tenayuca led thousands of pecan shellers on a march to protest proposed pay cuts. San Antonio served as the center of the U.S. pecan shelling industry, and typical salaries ranged 2-3 dollars per week. The strike was one of the first successful actions in the Mexican-American history that began to help move the US closer to equality.

Market Square hosts major Mexican American celebrations, including Cinco de Mayo and Mexican Independence Day. It also hosts multicultural festivals representing the great diversity of San Antonio.

On October 7th the iconic restaurant Mi Tierra turned 77. The Cortez family acquired this restaurant for only $150 dollars and it originally only held ten tables. Today this restaurant is open 24 hours/day. It seats 600 people and employs some 550 workers. Over the years has become a downtown Tex-Mex institution for locals and tourist. Its murals tell the Hispanic history of San Antonio and its mariachi bands play traditional Mexican music.