Posted on by Randy

San Antonio – Mission to See the Missions

We finally took a day to tour the historic Spanish Missions during our week in San Antonio. One of the first things we did upon arriving in town, was to walk the Riverwalk and have lunch at one of the fine restaurants. We love the riverwalk. I could do that every day. It’s like walking a beach at sunset. You are simply drawn to it. On the other hand, the majestic missions are rich with 1600’s history and are interesting to study. So, just before we left San Antonio, we were on a mission!

There are five missions in the area including the most famous: The Alamo. The others are San José, Concepción, San Juan, and Espada. Most include some ruins along with a restored church that is still in use today.

History

Spain’s colonization was being threatened by the French moving west from Louisiana. Spain stepped up their presence by building six missions beginning in 1690. The Spanish friars were here to establish the Catholic Church and along with that taught the native Americans how to irrigate and farm the land, including raising livestock. Prior to that, they were hunter/gatherers.

Increasing hostility from the mission Indians’ traditional enemy, the Apache, and later the Comanche, coupled with inadequate military support, caused the communities to retreat behind walls. Disease reduced the native population, accelerating the missions’ decline.

Here we are in front of San Jose Mission.
San Jose – several interesting arches.
San Juan mission. The arches must have been rooms at one time, but would have made a good outdoor pub!
Trish relaxing in the shade.
San Jose’s Rose Window. From their website: Sculpted in 1775, the Rose Window is considered to be one of the finest examples of baroque architecture in North America. Its sculptor and significance continue to be a mystery. Folklore credits Pedro Huizar, a carpenter and surveyor from Spain, with carving the famous window as a monument to his sweetheart, Rosa. Tragically, on her way from Spain to join him, Rosa was lost at sea. Pedro then completed the window as a declaration of enduring love.
San Jose mission. Look closely at the bottom painted patterns. This is the original 1690 fresco.
Inside the San Jose chapel that has been restored.
San Juan chapel
I thought this San Juan bell tower was cool. Maybe with three bells that could play a tune?
Mission Concepción

MIssion completed! I’m a bit behind on the blog. We have since been to Fredericksburg Texas for nine days and are now in west Texas on the way to Carlsbad, New Mexico. Stay tuned for upcoming blogs for these areas.

Thanks for following along! Hit the subscribe button below and leave a comment if you wish. Take care and God Bless.

6 Replies to “San Antonio – Mission to See the Missions”

  1. I love the old missions & that part of Texas history. Mike & I need to go visit San Antonio again. Looking forward to seeing u soon in New Mexico. LL

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    1. We made it to New Mexico today after a long drive. Almost six months in the Lone Star state and now we have a new state! Looking forward to seeing you guys!

      Reply

  3. Excellent post! Enjoyed the pictures, San Antonio needs to be on the bucket list. I knew a little about the River Walk from the Christmas floats every year. Very interesting, Thank you! Michael

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