After relocating to Oklahoma in 1988, Kristela began to deeply reconnect with her Indigenous identity. Though raised within vibrant Tex-Mex traditions—rooted in food, herbalism, spirituality, and rich oral storytelling—her ancestral ties remained difficult to trace until the mid-2000s, when online access to Spanish Colonial records and DNA databases opened new doors. Through countless hours of research—both on her own and alongside dedicated family members—she was finally able to reconnect with her Lipan Apache lineage in 2021.

“I was able to re-connect with my direct paternal family who I thought were lost to time,” she said, marking a powerful turning point in her personal journey.

In 2022, Kristela and her cousins made it their mission to bring greater awareness to their ancestors’ vital contributions to the foundation of San Antonio and the broader history of Texas.

“For generations, I lived with the ‘family secret’—that we were ‘Indios, Apache.’ At certain times in history, admitting that could mean a death sentence. But that has changed. Today, our family, our children, and future generations can say with pride: We are Lipan Apache. We remained on our ancestral lands, and we have stories to tell.”

Kristela was a former clinical nurse and proudly served in the U.S. Army and the Oklahoma National Guard. She passed away in October 2023 after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. She was the first President of the San Antonio Mission Indian Descendants (SAMID) and later served as a valued Advisory Board Member.

Her legacy lives on through the Annual Frybread Social and Holiday Market held in San Antonio each November.