The city’s Municipal Archives and Records Center on Santa Rosa is now home to the San Antonio Municipal Archives Museum.

The new museum features preserved documents and relics dating back three centuries, including city records and gifts from San Antonio’s sister cities. 

City Archivist Marcus Flores moved to the city two years ago and soon after renovation on the Office of the City Clerk started. 

Over his 25-year career, he studied museums and worked as a curator. But he started out as an archivist when he was 15 at the state archives of New Mexico.  

“Here, I’m getting the best of both worlds,” he said.

The San Antonio Municipal Archives Museum had its grand opening today and will start accepting appointments on Monday. 

Traditional Canary Island wardrobe and 18th century Presidio soldier clothing is displayed in the City of San Antonio’s new Municipal Archives Museum. Credit: Amber Esparza / San Antonio Report

“A lot of people think of San Antonio and think of the Alamo,” said City Clerk Debbie Racca-Sittre. “I want people to think of San Antonio and think about a government that has been around for 300 years.”

The collection highlights significant points of time in San Antonio’s 300 years of history, such as a bright outfit similar to what settlers from the Canary Islands wore in 1731. 

Flores said this museum invites the people to San Antonio to dive deep into their city’s history and encourages them to engage with its archives. 

“Many people don’t know we have all of this,” he said Thursday at a preview of the museum. “The museum is going to raise awareness about what we have, which really is a lot of meaningful history.”

The museum is small. It used to be a staff break room near the records facility, where birth and death certificates are created and processed. The walls feature portraits of past mayors Henry Cisneros, Julian Castro, Ron Nirenberg and current Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones. 

Starting in the winter, the museum will feature historical exhibitions.

Gifts from San Antonio’s sister cities, like this wood carving of a Ueda Lion Dance from Kumamoto, Japan, are currently on display at the City of San Antonio’s new Municipal Archives Museum. Credit: Amber Esparza / San Antonio Report

The walls, lined with shelves and timelines, detail various parts of San Antonio’s history. One wall explains sister-city agreements showcasing various gifts such as a wood carving from Kumamoto, Japan and a silk hand fan from Gwangju, South Korea. 

Flores said the gifts will be rotated to showcase as many items as possible. 

Behind the scenes and not for public viewing is a massive archival warehouse that holds other documents and relics from the city’s past. Tall shelves hold boxes of city council meeting minutes, posters from important local events, and other various artifacts, including a currently-unlabeled spear and large sign of the city’s logo. 

The archive warehouse space and museum is funded by the city’s annual budget and its $2 million renovation was funded in part by the city’s 2022-2027 $1.2 billion municipal bond, approved by voters. 

The office also received a $15,000 competitive grant from Humanities Texas. 

“It’s a funny story,” Racca-Sittre said. The office of the city clerk was informed that they had won the grant in February earlier this year before being told it had been cut by the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), only to be later informed in August that the offer remained on the table.