The installation in San Antonio echoes similar displays nationwide, blending faith, immigration and community support.
SAN ANTONIO — Across the country this Christmas, nativity scenes are being reimagined—not just as symbols of faith, but as reflections on immigration, fear and family separation.
From Illinois to Massachusetts to Dallas, some displays have drawn national attention for placing the Holy Family into modern immigration realities, including empty mangers, warnings referencing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and depictions intended to provoke reflection.
That national conversation has now reached San Antonio’s Southtown neighborhood through “Away in a Manger,” a public art installation conceived by artist Rafael Gonzales Jr. and brought to life by a community determined to support him.
The idea came to Gonzales just weeks ago while he was battling late-stage cancer.
He envisioned a full plywood Nativity installation—one that would exist “quietly and boldly out in the world,” outside of traditional religious spaces. But as his health took a turn, Gonzales realized he would not be able to physically build the piece himself.
Instead, he shared the concept online.
“I wanted to juxtapose that with what’s actually going on currently,” Gonzales said.
The work reframes the nativity story through a modern lens, focusing on immigration enforcement, displacement and uncertainty.
“Immigrant families and families that are adjacent to those families are actually living in fear,” Gonzales said.
Community artist and advocate Keli Rosa Cabunoc Romero had long admired Gonzales’ work, including previous politically themed pieces like “Un Verano Sin ICE,” a mural depicting a young boy holding a paleta. When she saw Gonzales’ post and learned about his diagnosis, she felt an urgency to act.
“We all spend time scrolling, and I saw that he had cancer—late-stage cancer,” she said, noting he learned of the diagnosis just before Thanksgiving. “I wanted to get it up as quick as possible because cancer has its timeline of its own.”
Cabunoc Romero reached out to Marco Vargas, owner of Nomas Arte Studios, a community space for local artists on E. La Chapelle near South Flores Street. Without hesitation, Vargas agreed to help bring the vision to life.
“I related real strong to it,” Vargas said. “Going out to the store, going out somewhere, and the possibility of getting picked up just because the color of your skin because you’re brown.”
Within days, artists gathered money, bought supplies and began cutting and painting. By the weekend, the installation was complete and placed outside the studio, where it has remained since Sunday.
Drivers now slow down, stop and take photos as they pass by. Vargas said he initially worried the piece might be vandalized.
“I was kind of shaky about the situation, thinking somebody would destroy it,” he said.
Instead, the installation has received widespread support.
For Gonzales, who has not yet seen the piece in-person, the response has been deeply meaningful.
“There are days hard enough to get out of bed, let alone think of cutting, painting, doing all the things I’d need to do to set this up on my own,” he said. “I am completely indebted to them.”
He said sharing the work with the community — including people he has never met — has been both humbling and affirming.
“It is something that is derived from a community,” Gonzales said. “We have this shared experience. We are going through this all together. It is current. It is urgent to us.”
Gonzales emphasized that the intention behind the piece is not shock for shock’s sake, but reflection.
“There can be some discomfort in watching or viewing this,” he said. “Discomfort is not always a bad thing. It could be a doorway.”
He added that the original Nativity story itself is rooted in displacement and vulnerability—themes that remain relevant today.
“We should lead with compassion. We should lead with empathy,” Gonzales said. “Families are on the move. Families need security.
The installation is now tied to the Pancho Claus toy drive, organized by San Anto Cultural Arts, providing toys for children of all ages in the 78207 ZIP code. A donation box will remain outside No Más Arte through 9 p.m. Thursday.
The Nativity display will remain up through the new year. When it comes down Jan. 2, the piece will be sold, with proceeds helping cover Gonzales’ medical bills.
For Cabunoc Romero, the effort is about honoring an artist while he is still here.
“He’s an amazing artist in our community,” she said. “What better way to give him his flowers while he’s still here?”