The Mystery of The Castle’s Toltec Statue
Plus how the Karam’s statues actually originated with the owner of The Castle
Toltec warrior statue at the Castle in 1980
Long-time residents may remember a large statue towering over the backyard of The Castle on Mary Louise. Some considered this monolith to be evil, and certain mysterious circumstances were certainly aligned with its tenure. This is the story of that statue and its brethren, which is deeply interwoven into the fabric of two prominent San Antonio families, both of whom lived on Mary Louise Drive.
In 1966, Dr. Max Morales, a well-known physician, bought the house at 250 Mary Louise and moved in with his young family. He also brought with him the dream to build a magnificent Mexican restaurant using family recipes and themed with décor from the Mayan and Toltec cultures.
He and his business partner hired architect Carlos Flores to design La Piramide, which was to be built near Evers Road and I-410. The restaurant was designed to resemble a pyramid, and in an example of stunning architectural design, the entrance was to be lined with Toltec statues. This would have been a very special place and a true regional destination.
Architect Carlos Flores’ stunning design for La Piramide, featuring a breathtaking entrance lined with Toltec warrior statues.
Dr. Morales hired a local sculptor, Antonio Medina, to build the six Toltec statues and a variety of smaller pieces for the restaurant. Mr. Medina was both extremely talented and prolific. He built the “Jolly Jack” statue at Sea Island Shrimp House, the fountain at the now-razed Central Park Mall, a huge plaque of Gen. Douglas McArthur at his namesake high school, and architectural elements which decorate numerous theaters and commercial buildings throughout the area. Most of his work was cast concrete or fiberglass, molded from originals he sculpted in clay.
Dr. Max Morales in Mexico visiting an original Toltec statue.
Soon after the Toltec sculptures were completed, tragedy struck Dr. Morales, when his business partner embezzled the funds for the restaurant and absconded to Mexico! No longer able to fund his dream, Dr. Morales decided to erect one Toltec statue in his backyard while he looked for a plan for the rest. The Morales kids loved the statue and named it “The Coloso,” and their visiting friends were always in awe of the immense and mysterious object. As I see it, the end of Dr. Morales’ restaurant dream was the first of several calamities associated with the statue.
As it turned out, the Morales family was friends with the Karam family, proprietors of Karam’s Restaurant on Zarzamora. The Karams lived just down the street on Mary Louise and the families often visited with each other. Soon a deal was struck, and Karam’s became the new owner of all of the statues, save the one Dr. Morales kept in his yard. These sculptures graced both the original Karam’s on Zarzamora and a second location, Karam’s North, near Callahan and I-10. The latter eventually closed and its statues were transferred to the Zarzamora location. They remained there until the restaurant closed in 2008.
Two Toltec warrior statues greeted visitors to the short-lived Karam’s North on I-10 and Callahan
The Morales family sold The Castle in 1971 and left the Toltec statue in the back yard. In 2016, I met the now-adult Morales children, and they shared that their mother did not appreciate that statue at all, so it would appear she finally had her way when they moved!
Several years later, the statue was featured in the June 1980 issue of Texas Monthly, where it was described as being 25 feet tall, a gross exaggeration. Based on multiple photos, I would judge the height to be approximately 12 feet.
And tragedies surrounding the statue continued, for the next two owners of The Castle each had mysterious deaths in their families, including one death rumored to be caused by spontaneous combustion! I am not certain there is any truth to that, but it fueled the legend that the backyard Toltec statue caused all of these tragedies.
The statues were built with a combination of cement and fiberglass and were supported by an internal wooden armature. During an intense rainstorm in the early 2000s, the wood within the statue at the Castle finally shattered and the Coloso fell to the ground in a heap of rubble. Only the head remained in one piece, and the owners took that with them to their new home in 2006, where it remains to this day.
In reference to the deaths and the “bad voodoo” associated with the statue, one neighbor actually remarked “I will just say that everyone who left that house after it was put up left in a box. I am glad that it is gone.”
As for the other sculptures, once Karam’s closed those statues were dismantled and now reside in pieces at the Land Heritage Institute, 1349 Neal Rd., on the south side of San Antonio.
Remains of the statues now reside at the Land Heritage Institute.
I hope you have enjoyed learning a bit about the history of this former neighborhood icon and how it was related to the legendary Karam’s in San Antonio.
