Rosita's Bridge

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At the Riverwalk in San Antonio, Texas, one of the Yanaguana Cruise Riverboats glides under Rosita's Bridge, a stone bridge connecting the La Villita village and Arneson River Theatre seating area to the Arneson River Theatre stage (La Villita is on the left and the Arneson River Theatre stage is on the right). The San Antonio city council named Rosita's Bridge in honor of Rosita Fernandez.

Born in Monterrey, Mexico, Rosita took San Antonio as her adopted hometown and became one of its most beloved icons; for nearly 30 years, she was the featured attraction at the Arneson River Theater's summer-long Fiesta Noche del Rio, a fund-raiser for local children's charities. Rosita continued to appear at charity events well after her official retirement, particularly the Teletón Navideño.

Rosita's career began in the 1920s, singing with her uncles in the Trio San Miguel. After moving to San Antonio as a young girl, Rosita continued to tour with her uncles in tent shows across south Texas. With the increased popularity of radio, Rosita auditioned and became the lead in a 1932 W.O.A.I. radio show. By the following year, Rosita was the voice in several radio commercials. As a recording artist, Rosita made hundreds of recordings and was on the RCA, Decca, and Brunswick labels, among others. Rosita was also a pioneer in television, appearing in San Antonio's first television broadcast on W.O.A.I.-TV, and performing on a weekly basis in several subsequent television programs. Among the notable stars Rosita worked with are Xavier Cugat, Garry Moore, Dean Martin, Joan Crawford, and Ed Sullivan. Expanding into movie roles, Rosita's largest part was as the leading lady in Disney's 1963 film Sancho, the Homing Steer, based on J. Frank Dobie's true story. Rosita also appeared in the 1960 John Wayne film, The Alamo, and had parts in Three Hundred Miles for Stephanie, and Seguin.

Rosita Fernandez died of heart complications on May 2, 2006, at the age of 88.

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