Old City Cemetery Center to host winter events

The Old City Cemetery Center on Sixth Street in downtown Brownsville will host several events in December, all of which are open to the public.

The center, which opened in October, will host a photography exhibit titled “Sacred Places and Holy Spaces,” showcasing about 15 images taken in the 1920s and 30s that have been donated to the museum. The exhibit is from Dec. 6 to Jan. 30.

The photos were taken at religious locations around Brownsville, featuring some rare interior images of the town’s first churches.

Local families donated most of the images to the center.

The Old City Cemetery Center Cine Series will kick off with “Mariachi Mass,” a film taking place in San Antonio with many connections to the Valley.

The film looks at Catholicism among Mexican Americans from a scholarly perspective and asks significant questions about the compatibility of Old World faith with new surroundings.

The film will be shown free of charge from Dec. 4-8 at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m.

The center will host a “Make Your Own Nacimiento” workshop at 11 a.m. on Dec. 8, teaching participants how to make a nativity scene and learn about the history of these dioramas.

Archivist Jessica Villescaz will lead the workshop, which will cost $5 for members and $7 for non-members.

The Old City Cemetery Center itself is located at 600 E. Jackson St. on the corner of Sixth and Monroe streets. It opened on Oct. 18 to help preserve the history of the Sixth Street Cemetery, which is home to many of the founders of the city’s institutions.

It is open free of admission from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, contact the center at (956) 541-1167.