La Carpa Garcia, 1914-1947
Honored at the Hertzberg Circus Museum, 1998-2002 & the Witte Museum in San Antonio, Texas, Summer 2004; Look for La Carpa Garcia featured on Wikipedia and the news re: a special exhibit that was showcased at the Bullock Museum in 2006.
Welcome to the site of La Carpa Garcia, a former
Mexican tent/circus show that enjoyed success during the 1920s through the
1940s. La Carpa consisted of several families: Manuel V. and Teresa Garcia (shown here),
Manolo and Florinda Garcia, Raymond and Virginia Garcia, Rodolfo, Consuelo, and
Pilar Garcia, and Esther Garcia Robinson to name a few. Bringing their talent
and circus acts to the people of the communities, La Carpa entertained for more
than 30 years. During this period, they traveled and performed in California,
New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, and Aztlan.
While there were other Mexican
carpas, La Carpa Garcia is historically hailed as one of the more popular and
long-standing Mexican tent shows from this era. It is recorded in several
publications including the Hispanic Almanac by Nicolas Kanellos and also had a
prominent place in the Hertzberg's Circus Museum in San Antonio, TX in the late
1990s.
The original touring company,
led by Manuel V. Garcia and family, began operations in San Antonio, Texas in 1914. Pilar Garcia also came to the United States in 1914 and toured with
another famous tent show, the Carpa Cubana, before joining La Carpa Garcia.
Other La Carpa members originally started with Carpa Cubana such as Virginia
Garcia, who was married to Raymond Garcia.
Pilar perfected and performed a very dangerous high wire act that made him well known in the circus community. (Pilar is pictured above.) His wife, Consuelo, also performed as a singer, dancer, and acrobat. Children also performed in La Carpa. Teresa Garcia's daughter, Gilberta, is pictured on the left in one of her costumes.
The tent shows always
incorporated a variety of entertainment including Mexican dances, flashy
costumes, and traditional songs. The carpas were also venues for social
commentary in the form of comedic sketches. In recent years, at least one
scholar, Dr. Peter Haney, has researched the songs, folklore, and stories of
the carpas. His dissertation is entitled, "Carpa y Teatro, Sol y Sombra:
Show business and public culture in San Antonio's Mexican colony,
1900--1940," and can be found at the University of Texas at Austin
library. He has also written several articles and papers on the topic.
At the end of the vaudeville
traveling show era, the carpa members eventually settled in San Antonio, Texas.
In 1947, family members retired from show business or went on to perform in the
Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Circus, or other forms of entertainment
such as performing in nightclub acts and big bands in the city. Others chose to
go into education and law enforcement. A wing of the Hertzberg's Circus Museum
in San Antonio was dedicated to the Mexican carpas and unveiled in May of 1998.
For a few years, it was a wonderful attraction for historians, the general
public, and local school children. Several Garcia and Gonzalez family members
contributed to the museum efforts at the Hertzberg providing wonderful stories,
artifacts, costumes, images, and clippings for the collection. Former
members of La Carpa Garcia proudly participated in the museum's educational
activities as well.
La Carpa Garcia was also
showcased at the Witte Museum in San Antonio during the summer of 2004 and will
be shown at the Bullock Museum in Austin, Texas, in 2006. Most of the
artifacts and photos that will not be on display at the Bullock are currently
in storage in the hopes funding can be secured to provide a permanent home for
the exhibit.
During March 2011, La Carpa Garcia art and photos were
displayed at the Memorial Branch Library in San Antonio, Texas (3222 Culebra
Road) thanks to the San Antonio Public Library system, the Witte Museum, Ms.
Sandra Griffin, Memorial Branch Librarian, and artist, Adrianna Garcia, who is
also a descendent of La Carpa.
The images on this site are
from the collection at the Hertzberg Circus Museum of San Antonio, Texas, and the collections of Garcia and Gonzalez family members. You are
welcomed to use them-- just give proper credit to the Garcia and Gonzalez
families. In some instances,
these are photos of photos, so they are not perfect. If you are a member of the
Garcia or Gonzalez family and have photos you wish to contribute, please
contact us!
