UTSA anthropology students have chosen to research tourism’s role in San Antonio as a class project, evaluating its impact on local culture and in the construction of the community’s collective memory.

The class studies trends and impact of changes through the Alamo’s evolving role in the city, Fiesta’s emergence as an annual tradition, the construction and expansion of the San Antonio River Walk, HemisFair ’68, and the city’s projected growth.

The students contend that the emergence of tourism industry may have created disparities in authenticity, as well as gender and ethnic representation.