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San Marcans may consider our town the Mermaid Capital of Texas, but the state legislature did not make it official this session.
Sen. Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo) sponsored Senate Concurrent Resolution 63, which would have given San Marcos the designation of Mermaid Capital of Texas. The resolution passed in the Senate but was not voted on in the House of Representatives.
“Obviously there was a lot to be discussed,” said July Moreno, head of the Mermaid Society SMTX, and naming a Mermaid Capital probably was not a priority for this session.
Moreno said she had heard that time constraints kept the House vote from happening.
The San Marcos City Council had voted on a resolution supporting legislation that would make San Marcos the Mermaid Capital of Texas. The resolution floated in the Senate made mention of the “Aquamaids” who performed at Aquarena Springs, the Mermaid Society and the importance of the San Marcos Springs and Edwards Aquifer.
“The story of the mermaid in San Marcos begins with the abundant springs that every day release 100 million gallons of freshwater from the Edwards Aquifer into the San Marcos River; considered a sacred place by Native Americans and regarded as the creation site of the Coahuiltecans, the springs have drawn people to their banks for more than 11,500 years, making this area what is thought to be one of the oldest continually inhabited sites in North America,” the resolution reads in part.
It also states, “By adopting the mermaid as a symbol of the city, the people of San Marcos are encouraging public interest in the natural environment and highlighting the central role that their community is playing in preserving the water resources of the Lone Star State.”
Moreno said the Mermaid Society will try again for the designation the next time the Texas Legislature convenes.
“We definitely feel this is needed for San Marcos,” she said. “I think it’s a wonderful way to represent San Marcos, our river culture … Who knows? We might be Mermaid Capital of the World.
