66th Anniversary Presentation of the Folk Play “Los Pastores”

Los Pastores is performed evry year at Mission San José

NPS

News Release Date: December 5, 2013

Contact: Lee Wilder, 210.932.0650 x 14

Contact: 210.825.0967

December 5, 2013
For Immediate Release
Lee Wilder, 210.932.0650 x 14

66^th Anniversary Presentation of the Folk Play "Los Pastores" at Mission San José by the Guadalupe Players

San Antonio Missions National Historical Park is proud to announce the 66^th anniversary presentation of the folk play, Los Pastores, by the Guadalupe Players on the grounds of Mission San José. Join us on the evening of December 21, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. to celebrate. The folk play, having its origins in European medieval nativity plays, is sung in Spanish with a narration in English (a program guide will be available). There is no charge for this event.

The Los Pastores story depicts the pastores' (shepherds') journey to honor the Christ Child, and the obstacles Lucifer puts before them. Its dramatic presentation brings a round of cheers from the audience when the Archangel Michael conquers the devil, allowing the shepherds to find their way to Bethlehem.

Don Leandro Granados brought the play to San Antonio from his beloved Mexico around 1910. Father Carmelo Tranchese of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church edited and translated the text, and it was published in 1949. Parishioners from the Church began performances in the early 1940's and have been carrying on this tradition in San Antonio and South Texas ever since. In 1947, the Guadalupe Players began presenting the historic folk play at the iconic Mission San José. For many years the play was sponsored by the San Antonio Conservation Society. A version of Los Pastores is believed to have been performed in San Antonio's Spanish colonial missions during the mid-1700s.

The 2013 presentation of Los Pastores is made possible by financial underwriting from the Mission Trail Rotary Club. The National Park Service, Los Compadres de San Antonio Missions, and Mission San José Church co-sponsor this performance by the parishioners of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church. Narration and historical commentary is provided by Dr. Felix Almaraz, professor of history at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Visitors should bring their own chairs and be prepared for cold weather, as the play takes place outside. Hot food and drink will be available for a small charge. Secure parking is available at no charge.

For more information on this event or about San Antonio Missions National Historical Park and other programs presented, please call [phone].

San Antonio Missions National Historical Park was established in 1978 to preserve, restore, and interpret the Spanish colonial missions of San Antonio, which represent the largest concentration of cultural resources from the Spanish colonial period in the United States. For more information about the National Park Service and San Antonio Missions National Historical Park please visit our web site at www.nps.gov/saan. For more information about our friends group, Los Compadres de San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, visit www.loscompadres.org. We are also on Facebook under San Antonio Missions National Historical Park.

-NPS-