So says award-winning journalist Jan Jarboe Russell in San Antonio: A Cultural Tapestry. And the stories she tells about her adopted hometown are, indeed, building blocks for the spirit that makes the city come to life. Recounting the popular folk legend of La Llorona, the old woman of the river, Russell writes of the deep enchantment that runs throughout San Antonio's daily affairs.

Enriching Russell's tales are hundreds of outstanding images, collected by local photographer Mark Langford from the area's best photographers. Together, they reveal the threads that bind and enliven the cultural tapestry of modern San Antonio.

With the river serving as a serene presence that bears witness to the city's long heritage and its unbounded promise, San Antonio--Russell explains--is an urban center with the innocence of a small village. Although now the eighth-largest city in the United States, it's a city that stands firm on its diverse foundations--whether fashioned from brick, from stone, or from words.

"The secret of San Antonio is simply this," Russell concludes. "We are a real place, but we haven't yet given our magic away."