A mural on San Antonio’s West Side fills Esmeralda Alday with pride. It’s called the “8 stages in the life of a Chicana.”
“She’s looking in the mirror and and she’s seeing herself and she’s seeing her ancestors,” Alday said of the mural. “It’s like falling in love with yourself and falling in love with your cultura and where you come from.”
She’s from this barrio, which is known to be historically poor, but rich with culture. It’s a culture she says was stripped away from her growing up in San Antonio ISD.