Hilos Que Hablan: Textile Legacy and Life of Mariana Ornelas

Join the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center in honoring and celebrating the life of Mariana Ornelas who passed into spirit on March 6, 2017. The exhibit and sale Hilos Que Hablan: The Textile Legacy And Life Of Mariana Ornelas opens on Saturday, March 9, 2019, at 6 p.m. and continues through Friday, May 10, 2019.

We will be exhibiting huipiles and additional textiles including linens and scarfs that Mariana donated to the Esperanza as part of a legacy gift in her will.  Additionally, community members will honor Mariana’s life through stories and Juan Cabrera a Paraguayan harpist who lives in San Antonio and inherited Mariana’s two harps will give a special performance. All proceeds of the sales of huipiles and other textiles will benefit the Esperanza’s future cultural programs.

Mariana was a Professor of Spanish and Mexican American Studies at Palo Alto College and was considered one of the best professors on campus. She was as concerned for the environment and her neighborhood as she was for her students and was a Co-Founder of the Dellview Area Neighborhood Association where she served as President and a member of the city of San Antonio’s Zoning Commission. Mariana was also a board member of the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center.

An avid traveler, Mariana found herself in Paraguay during the 1970s where she discovered the Paraguayan harp. She moved to Paraguay after falling in love with the instrument. In much the same way, Mariana loved to wear huipiles that she collected from her travel throughout Mexico and Guatemala. As an Esperanza board member, Mariana participated in many social justice actions and delighted in purchasing huipiles at the Esperanza’s annual Peace Market. One of her final wishes was the donation of her collection of huipiles to the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center and fifty of these huipiles will be exhibited and be sold in her memory.