Reading T.R. Ferenbach’s Fire and Blood, a History of Mexico, I encountered the Mexica (or Aztec as they are called in English) concept of flower wars. Which made me think of the San Antonio Fiesta’s Battle of The Flowers.
The Mexica version was the fifteenth century pursuit of thousands of prisoners for human sacrifice to the bloodthirsty Aztec gods. The San Antonio one, which began in 1891 as an April 21 salute to the heroes of the Texas revolution, has become a chamber of commerce event where floats are decorated with flowers.
In early years the Texas participants threw flower petals at each other. Otherwise the only apparent connection between the two is that some San Antonians undoubtedly are descendents of the Mexica. But, to my cluttered mind, it’s a strange coincidence that probably bears scrutiny.
THE TEXAS SCRIBBLER 