Sacred Sites & Nature Tours walk the ancient paths around the springs in San Marcos. It was from the waters of Spring Lake, the former Aquarena Springs, which the Miakan-Garza band of the Coahuiltecan people believed they were born.
When the Apache, Comanche, and Spanish arrived in South Texas they found hundreds of bands of people collectively called Coahuiltecans based on geography more than ethnicity. Seeking the protection of the mission walls, the groups of hunter-gatherers, who ranged south from Austin into northeastern Mexico, were assimilated into Hispanic society.
Despite nearly disappearing into the Texas culture, the group left behind a library of cave paintings. The White Shaman Panel on a rock wall near the Pecos River contains a map of four springs of special importance to the tribe, says Dr. Mario Garza, an elder of the Miakan-Garza band.
The tours, sponsored by the Indigenous Cultures Institute, begin at Spring Lake, where people followed the deer out of the belly of the Earth. With Dr. Garza’s insightful stories, a walk through the wetlands, a ride on the glass-bottom boats, and a visit to Jacob’s Well Park, it’s a full day immersion into a Native American history seldom revealed.
Sacred Sites & Nature Tours meet at the Meadows Center in San Marcos and are a look into the past from a very unique perspective. Tours include a Native American meal, all entry fees, and transportation to Jacob’s Well. For more info, call 512/393-3310 or go to www.indigenouscultures.org.
1,235th in a series. Collect them all. Day Trips, Vol. 2, a book of “Day Trips,” is available for $8.95, plus $3.05 for shipping, handling, and tax. Mail to: Day Trips, PO Box 33284, South Austin, TX 78704.
This article appears in March 27 • 2015.
