Cassiano Homes Mural Restoration Preserves Westside History
A longstanding mural at Cassiano Homes on San Antonio’s Westside is being restored through a collaborative effort involving the original artists, students from Our Lady of the Lake University and the Segundo de Febrero Committee.
The mural, Treaty of Guadalupe–Hidalgo, Feb. 2, 1848, depicts a significant moment in Mexican American history and has remained a visible part of the community for decades. Created by artists Juan Hernandez and Anastacio “Tache” Torres, it is part of a broader body of work that helped transform public spaces across Opportunity Home San Antonio communities into places of reflection and storytelling.
The restoration brings Hernandez and Torres back to Cassiano Homes to work alongside students and faculty from OLLU’s Visual and New Media Arts program, who are leading the effort with support from the university’s Center for Service Learning and Volunteerism. The project connects classroom learning with hands-on experience in a community setting.
For students, the work offers practical experience in mural restoration. For Cassiano Homes, it helps preserve a meaningful part of the site’s history.
“There are stories inside this community, and others reflected on its walls,” said Michael Reyes, president and CEO of Opportunity Home San Antonio. “Restoring this mural means more than preserving paint on a wall. It means making sure a piece of this community’s history is still here to be seen, recognized and carried forward.”
“It’s an honor to have our OLLU Visual Arts students working to restore this mural that connects so deeply to the historic Chicano art and culture of the Westside,” said Professor Suzy Gonzalez, director of OLLU’s Visual and New Media Arts program.
The project reflects OLLU’s service-learning model, which connects students with community-based work that carries lasting cultural and public value. Restoration work is underway and will culminate in a mural unveiling and blessing on Saturday, March 28, at the Cassiano Homes mural site, 67 S. Hamilton Ave.