UTSA Institute of Texan Cultures – Top Place to Visit in San Antonio, Texas

801 E César E. Chávez Blvd, San Antonio, TX 78205

Texas University at San Antonio (UTSA) Texan Cultures Institute (ITC) is a museum and library situated in Downtown San Antonio, Texas, HemisFair Park. It serves as the primary multicultural education center of the state, with exhibits, programs, and events such as the Texas Folklife Festival, an annual celebration of the many ethnicities that make up the Texas population. Since 1972, it has been conducted annually.

The facility, established by the Texas Legislature on May 27, 1965, originally served at HemisFair ‘ 68 as the Texas Pavilion before being turned over to the Texas University System in 1969. In 1973, UTSA took over the museum’s administrative control.

The system named the Institute as a faculty at San Antonio University of Texas in 1986. It is now component of the HemisFair Campus of UTSA. It is situated close the Alamo and the Walk of the River.

The Texan Cultures Institute acts as a forum for the knowledge and recognition of Texas and Texans through its studies, collections, displays and programs. The 182,000-square-foot (16,900 m2) building has interactive exhibits and displays of 65,000-square-foot (6,000 m2). The third floor library includes manuscripts, rare books, personal papers, more than 3 million historical photographs and more than 700 verbal stories.

ITC fulfills its mission as the State Center for Multicultural Education by researching the State’s ethnic and cultural background and providing the resulting data with a range of offers: 

• exhibits, programs and unique activities intended to delight, stimulate and teach 
• A library concentrating on ethnic and cultural history 
• A collection of historical photographs of over 3,5 million pictures.

The museum contains exhibits depicting many cultures and their effect on Texas history and growth.

As part of the Smithsonian Affiliates program, ITC became an affiliate in early 2010. Affiliate status grants the institution access to the artifacts, education and performing arts programs of the Smithsonian, expert speakers, teacher workshops, and resources to complement and expand the exhibitions. The Affiliation Agreement marks the institute’s fresh period. Revitalizing the primary display floor is scheduled for a sequence of upgrades. As UTSA strives to attain national university study status, the museum of the University strives to become an equal-caliber cultural institution.