The tower is the signature structure of the 1968 World’s Fair, international exposition. The HemisFair exposition was a celebration of civilizations in the Americas. San Antonio takes great pride in being a crossroads of cultures and business for the Americas, North and South. Today HemisFair Park continues to host important cultural facilities such as the Instituto Cultural de Mexico and Institute of Texan Cultures. Construction of HemisFair Park displaced neighborhoods dating back to the eighteenth century. Today the park is being redeveloped to recover some of the heritage lost by the destruction of those neighborhoods. The Tower of the Americas looks down on a vibrant downtown area that is visited by millions of tourists and locals every year.
