The Best of Everything

Although Mexicans make up half of San Antonio's population of 253,854, they have taken little part in the civic life of the city. The Mexicans, segregated on the West Side, have been virtually ignored by the rest of San Antonio's citizens. One who did not ignore them was short (5 ft. 6 in.), good-natured Gaetano Anthony Lucchese, 50, son of a Sicilian immigrant. When Tano Lucchese was 17, his father* sent him to the West Side to manage the old Zaragoza theater. Lucchese liked the movie business; he also liked and understood Mexicans. They liked him too. The adults used the lobby as a meeting place; children were allowed to romp through the aisles during shows.

As Lucchese prospered, he bought the Zaragoza and other theaters, including one with seats wide enough for two. He also acquired a fortune estimated at "between one and two million" dollars and the desire to repay his debt to the Mexicans. Said Tano Lucchese: "The Mexicans are kicked around too much. I want to give them a center they can call their own. The best of everything."

Lucchese's idea of the best was a four-story, $1,250,000 foreign-trade center in San Antonio, called Casa de Mexico. In the center he planned a 2,500-seat movie theater, a penthouse with bar and lounge and, in the wings, offices for firms engaged in U.S.-Mexican trade.

This week, the half-finished Casa de Mexico got its first tenant, Mexican Consul General Gustavo Ortiz Hernan. Lucchese was sure that by the time construction was finished in the fall, the 87 other offices would be rented, mostly, he hoped, to importers and exporters.

San Antonians, recently awakened to the potentialities of U.S.-Mexican trade, have begun to share Tano Lucchese's enthusiasm. Each year, some 30,000 Mexicans come to San Antonio from across the border, some 130 miles away. Even more important than the millions they spend is San Antonio's position as the gateway to Mexico. Last year, the Laredo customs district handled $333,300,000 worth of U.S. exports most of which passed through San Antonio. San Antonians expect this to increase when the Pan American highway is finished. And they hope to establish a foreign-trade zone, similar to the custom-free zones at New York and New Orleans (TIME, May 12). San Antonio hopes to become the foremost U.S.-Mexican trading post.

* Founder of Lucchese Boot Co., famed throughout the Southwest for its cowboy boots.

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