San Antonio, TX – The chain of missions established along the San Antonio River in the 1700’s is a reminder of one of Spain’s most successful attempts to extend its dominion northward from New Spain (present day Mexico). Collectively they form the largest concentration of Catholic missions in North America. As Spanish explorers pushed across the Rio Grande and headed northeast, they encountered the Tejas Indians for whom Texas is named. Early missions were unwalled communities built of wood or adobe. Later as tensions between northern tribes and mission residents grew, these structures were encircled by stone walls. Directed by skilled artisans from New Spain, the mission Indians built their communities. The Mission San Antonio de Valero, commonly called the Alamo, was founded in 1718 and was the first mission on the San Antonio River. The Alamo is has been cared for by the Daughters of the Republic of Texas for over 106 years and is currently managed as a state historic site under the Texas General Land Office.
Mission San Antonio de Valero, commonly known as the Alamo, was one of 5 missions in the region
The San Antonio Missions National Historical Park includes the four other historic missions of San Antonio: 1) The Mission of Nuestra Señora de la Purisma Concepción de Acuña (Concepción), 2) San José y San Miguel de Aguayo (San José), 3) Mission San Juan Capistrano (San Juan), and 4) San Francisco de la Espada (Espada). There is a visitor center at San José which offers an informative film describing the building and settling of the missions, a small museum with relics from the missions, and informative displays. San José is a great place to start your visit. There is parking available at each of the missions which are located along the San Antonio River with the distance between Concepción and Espada (farthest apart north to south) being about 7 miles. Bus transportation and rental bikes are available for those without a car.
The early missionaries, Franciscan friars, sole objective was to convert indigenous hunters and gatherers into Catholic, tax-paying subjects of the King of Spain. The Indian’s struggle for survival against European disease and raiding Apaches led them to the missions and to forfeit their culture. Everything changed for these people- their diet, clothing, religion, culture and even their names. The missions were fully secularlized under Mexican government orders in the early 1820’s. The colorful pageantry of culture, art, food, celebrations, and architecture we enjoy in San Antonio today emerged from the blending of Spanish and Indian traditions that took place in the missions. Services are still held at the mission churches.
Concepión
Mission Concepción
The Mission of Nuestra Señora de la Purisma Concepción de Acuña was transferred from East Texas in 1731. The church essentially looks as it did in the mid-1700s as the mission’s center of religious activity. Colorful geometric designs once covering the surface have long faded. Missionaries worked to replace traditional Indian rituals with the religious festivals teaching Christian beliefs. Carvings of saints and objects of adoration were popular images of Catholicism among the Indians.
A rendering of Mission Concepción
Mission Concepción’s church was the center of religious activity
A closer view of the detailed work around the front entrance
Entrance to Mission Concepción church
Ironwork cross on top of Concepción’s church
A look inside Mission Concepción’s church
An arched walkway in the mission
Remaining early artwork in Concepción
Detailed wooden doors at the mission
Residences at Concepción
Another view of the Mission Concepción
San José
Mission San José was founded in 1720 and is the best preserved
San José Mission
In 1720 Fray Antonio Margil de Jesus founded the best known of the Texas Missions, San José y San Miguel de Aguayo. San José was the model mission organization and a major social center. Visitors praised its unique church architecture and the rich fields and pastures. The size of the complex testifies to San José’s reputation as the “Queen of the Missions.” Its village was central to a successful mission, and the layout of the mission compound shows how important community life was. Massive stone walls were built for defense. The mission residents learned to use firearms and fend off Comanche and Apache raids. Their skill plus imposing walls discouraged enemy attacks.
Relics are on display in the Visitor Center
Acequia (similar to aquaducts) were the lifeblood of the Missions
The exterior wall of San José approaching from the Visitor Center
Residences were built in the exterior wall which was a room in thickness
Residence doors enter from the inside of the exterior wall at San José
The building of the limestone San José church, in Spanish colonial Baroque architecture, began in 1768. At the peak of this mission’s development there were 350 Indians residing in 84 two-room apartments.
San José facade
The Rose Window
Remnants of faded exterior paint
Church entrance at San José
Detailed artisan work
Ironwork cross on top of the church
Well and exterior wall at San José
San José Mission church from across the courtyard
One of the large entries to the mission community at San José
San Juan
Mission San Juan
Mission San Juan Capistrano was originally San José de los Nazonis in East Texas. In 1731 it was moved to its permanent home along the San Antonio River’s east bank. Its fertile farmland and pastures would soon make it a regional supplier of produce. Orchards and gardens outside of the walls grew peaches, melons, pumpkins, grapes, and peppers. Its irrigated fields produced corn, beans, sweet potatoes, squash, and even sugar cane. In 1762 Mission San Juan’s herds were said to number 3,500 sheep and nearly as many cattle.
Mission San Juan’s church
Another building at San Juan
The bells atop San Juan
Entrance doors to San Juan church
Remnants of San Juan
A rendering of Mission San Juan
Espada
Mission Espada’s church
Founded in 1690 as San Francisco de los Tejas, the oldest of the East Texas missions was moved to its present location at the San Antonio River in 1731 and renamed San Francisco de la Espada. Espada looks nearly as remote now as in the mid 1700’s. It was Spanish policy that missionaries make mission community life like a Spanish village’s life. To develop a solid economy, they taught mission Indians vocations: cloth weaving, blacksmithing, carpentry, masonry, and stone cutting, and farming. Espada was the only mission that made bricks, which you can still see.
Wall of Mission Espada
Mission Espada has the best preserved acequia (similar to aqueducts or irrigation ditches) system. The Espada Dam, completed in 1745, still diverts San Antonio river water into an acequia madre (mother ditch). Water is carried over the Sixmile Creek, historically Piedras Creek, via Espada Aqueduct, the oldest Spanish aqueduct in the United States. Flood gates carried water to fields for irrigation and to the mission community for bathing, washing and powering mill wheels. Farmers still use this system today.
Ruins of a residential area
The Mission Espada church
Espada church entrance
Interior of Espada church
Mission Espada relief diagram
While in the San Antonio region, we stayed in our RV at the Alsatian RV Resort. We enjoyed Hiking in Texas Hill Country including regional and state parks and natural areas. We went on a quest to find the best Texas Style BBQ in the region and spent a half day visiting the Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch for an “African Safari -Texas Style”. We visited the Alamo in downtown San Antonio and the spent time exploring the fabulous San Antonio River Walk.
