The Haunted Aztec Theatre
The Aztec Theatre
The Aztec Theatre is one of the prominent venues that make up San Antonio’s theater district. Today, it’s a great place to catch some live music or a comedy performance, but like many of the historical buildings in San Antonio, the Aztec Theatre has a colorful and somewhat checkered past. Read on to learn why the Aztec Theatre has made its way on the RJA Ghost Tours blog, and contact us today to book a tour in San Antonio or Corpus Christi!
Origins of the Aztec Theater
Originally built during the height of the roaring twenties, the Aztec Theatre still boasts the Gatsby-esque grandeur of the by-gone era. The theater was an immediate hit when it opened in 1926, and delighted movie-goers flocked to fill its 1500 seats to watch silent films until it debuted its first talking picture in 1927. This only accelerated the success of the Aztec, and it closed out the 1920’s as one of San Antonio’s foremost entertainment attractions. However, the economic hardships of the Great Depression set the stage for the troubling events that would make the Aztec Theatre one of San Antonio’s most haunted destinations.
The Strikes and Bombing of the Aztec Theater
The first signs of trouble at the Aztec Theatre came during the onset of the Great Depression and were a result of larger issues across the San Antonio theater industry. As theater owners employed austerity measures to contend with the new, bleak economic realities, the city’s projection operators began to suffer under increasingly difficult working conditions. Frustrated with their employers and struggling to stay afloat, thirty projectionists banded together and went on strike in an attempt to force the theater owners to hire more workers. The theater did not take kindly to the strike and decided instead to fire all 30 employees and replace them with nonunion workers from out of town. This led to a rash of sulfur bombings at the theatres, culminating in a May 4th bombing at the Aztec that saw six movie goers injured, with two of them suffering severe burns.
Haunting of Spirits
Stimulated by the economic recovery following the Great Depression, the Aztec saw a return to its glory days in the mid-1930s. Despite the theater’s monetary and cultural success, it quickly became clear that something was amiss. The theater changed hands several times over the coming decades, with a handful of owners selling it off suddenly and without public explanation. It wasn’t long before rumors began to circulate that the infamous venue was haunted, and that it was the tireless souls trapped within the Aztec that sent many of the owners heading for the hills.
The Phantom Operator
Amongst the slew of ghost sightings and spooky happenings reported by the theater’s staff and attendees over the years, one paranormal character has hogged the spotlight — The Phantom Operator. There have been numerous reports from employees of the theater that there is a ghost who haunts the projection booth and plays tricks on anyone who dares enter the space. These instances have ranged from personal trickery to messing with the projector and causing issues during live screenings of films. The Phantom Operator is believed to be the ghost of one of the projectionists who was fired following the strike during the Great Depression, forever intent on exacting revenge from their ghostly plane.
Are you interested in learning more about the Aztec Theatre and other infamous paranormal locations in San Antonio? The certified Tourism Ambassadors at RJA Ghost Tours can fill you in on all of the creepy details of the city’s haunted hot spots. Keep up with our blog, and contact us today to book a ghost tour!
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