Newly constructed memorial honors 53 migrants who died in South San Antonio

Thursday marks two years since 53 migrants died in an unventilated tractor-trailer on the city’s South Side— the largest human smuggling event in U.S. history. A permanent memorial will be unveiled and completed this weekend.

Construction of the migrant memorial began near an existing makeshift memorial in the week leading up to the anniversary of the human smuggling tragedy.

The “Migrant Memorial” will provide visitors with a sitting area with seven shade trees and three parking spaces. 

It consists of 53 limestone block boulders leading to a concrete-paved circular plaza. Each boulder represents a person who died at the scene with its size, ranging between 13 to 55 inches, corresponding with the ages of each victim. 

The youngest victim’s boulder— 13-year-old Pascual Melvin Guachiac Sipac from Guatemala—  will be 13 inches tall. 

The boulder in the middle of the plaza will include a large plaque including the names of the 53 victims and their countries of origin.

On June 27, 2022, officials discovered a tractor trailer near Quintana Road near Interstate 35. Forty-eight people were dead at the scene. Five of the 16 people rescued later died at local hospitals. Dozens of men, women and children were abandoned with no water inside of a sweltering-hot trailer as the weather reached nearly 100 degrees.

Since then, South Side residents have maintained a memorial in honor of those who died, displaying the names, countries of origin and flowers. 

People who pass by have often left water bottles at the memorial.

The makeshift memorial has stood through storms, wind and even a fire, but area residents had long hoped for a permanent memorial that will live on in their honor. 

“We have stories of neighbors and sometimes relatives that have been through this. San Antonians sympathize with the folks who were looking for an opportunity to have a better life,” said Councilwoman Adriana Rocha Garcia, who has advocated for funding to pay for the permanent memorial since 2023. 

Rocha Garcia said the memorial cost the city under $100,000 and was funded by the Neighborhood Accessibility and Mobility Program. The price tag turned out to be much less than the $15 million estimated in 2023, which included the costs for paving that stretch of Quintana Road. 

“We are honoring the [community’s] grief and the culture, making sure we give them a space to pray and to reflect,” she said. “And just to think about what happened.”

Neighbors around the site will hold a rosary on Saturday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. At the event, people will say a prayer and share testimonies of similar experiences including of their own family members who came to the U.S. in search of better lives. 

On Saturday, a priest will bless the area and matachines will perform a ceremonial native dance at the site. Water bottle donations are needed for the event, said Organizer Angelita Olvera, who has cleaned and watched over the memorial since the first flowers were placed at the site.

Olvera said anyone is welcome to visit the site on Thursday, adding that family members from those who died are expected to visit.

“It’s emotional [for me] every time I go there,” Olvera said. “They wanted to get air, wanted to get water, wanted for someone to please open up those doors to the trailer.”

“I go sit there and it is hot. I can just imagine how hot this trailer was…,” she said.

Fifteen minutes away from the site where the 53 migrants died, members of the South Side community will host an anniversary event at the “Sacrificios” mural at Mission County Park on 6030 Padre Drive. 

Andrea Rivas, one of the three artists who painted the mural, is hosting an event, where each victim’s name will be called with a moment of silence to honor them. 

Rivas, who is of Honduran descent, created the grassroots event, especially because the tragedy was personal to her. Six people from Honduras died in the tractor-trailer. 

“It’s an emotional gathering,” she said. “It’s not meant to be a party or a ceremony. It’s meant to go back to your roots. What happened two years ago was something that should never have happened and should never repeat itself. 

People risk their lives for a better future here. It’s heartbreaking, knowing they were left to die. They sacrificed everything. This is a moment for us to pay our respects, to honor them, to remember them, to respect them.”

Earlier this month, Bexar County officials found a human smuggling operation holding 26 migrants in a shack with high temperatures reaching the 100s.

At the scene, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said a reward process for people who give tips on human smuggling operations is being created.