SAN ANTONIO – Eclipses aren’t necessarily rare. They occur somewhere on Earth every six months. But, having the paths of two solar eclipses, one annular, one total, cross right over one spot in less than a year’s span -- now, that’s something huge. With that in mind, its fair to ask the question: has San Antonio been in the path of an eclipse before?
Eclipse frequency over a certain location is complicated and erratic due to all the factors involved. We do know, based on documentation and math, that San Antonio was in the path of an annular eclipse in 1673, 1683, 1737, 1831, 1919, and 1940. Total solar eclipses that passed over San Antonio are far more rare, last occurring in 1395 and 1397! Advancements in science allow us to know they are coming, but imagine living in the 1700s. At that point and time, San Antonio was just a fledgling community comprised of Indigenous people and Spanish missionaries. The annular eclipse in 1737 must have been a sight to behold (keeping in mind they likely learned quickly not to look directly at the eclipse.)
”They of course would have been overjoyed, overwhelmed to be standing in [the sun’s] shadow,” said Gary Perez, who represents and studies the Indigenous cultures of South Texas and northern Mexico.
Perez said his ancestors would often look to the skies.
”Always looking up. Always looking up,” Perez said. “We don’t do that anymore, and we should be.”
What the Indigenous people of the area saw, they documented, without telescopes and computers. They developed a deep understanding of their world.
”The stars in the skies and the planets reinforce our beliefs about who we are and what we’re here to do on earth,” Perez explained.
In fact, Perez believed they were so advanced in their understanding that they were able to do something extraordinary.
”It’s those algorithms they developed with the way they counted that they were actually able to predict these eclipses,” Perez said.
Perez also believed proof of that exists today within Mission Conception. Built in the 1730s at the direction of the Spanish missionaries, the influence of the indigenous people is evident by ties to celestial events. According to Perez, you can see references to an eclipse in Mission Conception’s construction. Some believe they were used to encourage the native population to convert to Christianity, while Perez believed the Indigenous people were leaving their mark; an understanding of the skies. One of the more famous examples is the illumination of the church floor during the Feast of Assumption. But, could there be another example?
Perez believed that the famous painting of the Assumption of Mary shows Mary standing on what appears to be an annular eclipse. Meantime, the Rev. David Garcia, who served as pastor of the church, said it’s likely a moon, representing Mary being over nature. In either case, it’s clear that the skies were revered.
There’s no doubt that in 1737 during the eclipse there likely was deep meaning for Perez’s indigenous ancestors.
“Mi tote. They were celebrating the snaring of the deer and the snare of the deer is the setting sun,” Perez said. “And that would have been a party. One heck of a party.”
And now, 286 years later, the population of South Texas will be celebrating again.
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