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Ayala: In court, the city of San Antonio can at least attempt to be on the right side of history
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Vanessa Quezada kneels to pray and honor indigenous descendants buried at the Alamo as local Native Americans gather during their 25th Annual Sunrise Ceremony at the Alamo on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2019. Ramon Juan Vasquez, executive director of American Indians in Texas at the Spanish Colonial Missions, along with over 60 people who claim ancestry with the Native Indians who are buried on the grounds of the Alamo, formed a circle in front of the church to pray and honor their descendants. In the past, the group was allowed to have the service inside the chapel but were told days before the event that the service would not be permitted inside the Alamo. With a noticeable presence of Alamo security officers and chain blocking the walking to the front doors, the group formed a circle on Alamo Plaza to air their grievances and to remember their descendants. Vasquez and the group was joined by State Senator Jose Mendendez, State Rep. Leo Pacheco and Poet Laureate Carmen Tafolla who all expressed dismay that the indigenous group would not be allowed to pray and honor their loved ones inside the Alamo. Despite the prohibition, members of the Tap Pilam Coahuiltecan Nation and other indigenous people paid their respects on the ground by the front of the Alamo. A shell filled with sage slowly burned and filled the early morning sky with wafts of smoke - which traditionally serves to bless and purify - as the service ended just as the sun rose over the Alamo. (Kin Man Hui/San Antonio Express-News)Kin Man Hui, Staff / Staff photographer