Downtown in San Antonio in Bexar County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Missions in the San Antonio River Valley

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 22, 2018

1. Missions in the San Antonio River Valley Marker

Inscription. Spain, which ruled Mexico for 300 years ending in 1821, paid little attention to its northeastern frontier until French settlers built outposts near the Red River in Louisiana. The Spanish responded by establishing missions in East Texas in the 1690s, and in 1718 a way station was built at today's San Antonio. This outpost consisted of a presidio (military barracks) and the Mission San Antonio de Valero (now the Alamo). To convert the area's large Native American population to Christianity, another mission, San Jose, was founded down river in 1720. Eleven years later three of the East Texas missions, now known as Conception, San Juan, and Espada, were moved to the San Antonio River. All the missions became parish churches in the 1790s. Mission San Antonio de Valero, which became a military barracks and the site of a famous battle for Texas independence in 1836, is now a museum and shrine. The four down-river mission churches remain active parishes.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Churches & Religion • Colonial Era • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1821.

Location. 29° 25.389′ N, 98° 29.148′ W. Marker is in San Antonio, Texas, in Bexar County. It is in Downtown. Marker can be reached from East Commerce Street, 0.1 miles

Paid Advertisement

Click on the ad for more information.
Please report objectionable advertising to the Editor.

Click or scan to see
this page online

east of South Alamo Street, on the left when traveling west. Marker is located on the San Antonio River Walk, east of the Alamo Street Bridge, with access from Commerce Street, near St. Joseph's Catholic Church. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 801 East Commerce Street, San Antonio TX 78205, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. St. Anthony de Padua (here, next to this marker); Alamo Funeral Pyre (within shouting distance of this marker); St. Joseph's Church (within shouting distance of this marker); 250th Anniversary of the Founding of San Antonio (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Founding of the Pan American Round Table (about 500 feet away); The Torch of Friendship (about 500 feet away); Congressman Henry B. Gonzalez (about 500 feet away); Menger Hotel (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in San Antonio.

Also see . . .
1. Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción de Acuna Mission. Concepción is the best preserved Spanish mission in Texas. Its stone church, which was completed in 1755 and has never fallen into ruin, is considered by some historians to be the oldest unrestored church in the United States. Concepción was the second of six Franciscan missions established on both sides of the present Texas-Louisiana border by the Ramón expedition of 1716–17.

Marker detail: Alamo as it appeared in 1845 image. Click for full size.

Courtesy: National Archives, 1845

2. Marker detail: Alamo as it appeared in 1845

This drawing by Lieutenant Edward Blake represents the Alamo as it appeared in 1845 only nine years after the battle. Today's well-known facade on the chapel was constructed when the United States Army occupied the building as a quartermaster depot in 1849.

Concepción is a state and national historical landmark, now part of San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, and is open daily to the public. (Submitted on July 3, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. Mission San Juan (Mission San Juan Capistrano). The history of Mission San Juan Capistrano is similar to that of two other nearby missions in that it was relocated to the San Antonio area from East Texas in 1731. Its purpose was also similar to that of the other missions, namely to convert Native American groups to Christianity, assimilate them into Spanish society, and promote settlement in the region. (Submitted on July 3, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

3. San Francisco de la Espada Mission. The Espada community of San Antonio has the unique distinction of participating in the oldest continually operating irrigation system in the United States. In 1731 Father Pedro Muñoz of the College of Santa Cruz de Querétaro made a contract with the Pacaos Indians stating that they would be the owners of San Francisco de la Espada Mission, one of the early Spanish missions on the San Antonio River. The aqueduct, friary, and sacristy were completed in 1745. It was at least nine years before any other permanent structure was built. (Submitted on July 3, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

4. San José y San Miguel de Aguayo Mission. San José Mission, one of the five Spanish

Marker detail: Mission Concepción image. Click for full size.

Courtesy Witte Museum, San Antonio

3. Marker detail: Mission Concepción

Mission Concepcion, shown here in a painting by Theodore Gentilz, was the best preserved of the missions in the early 1900s when the Catholic Church undertook restoration of all the ancient buildings. Today it is considered the most original mission building in the United States.

missions in San Antonio, was founded in the early eighteenth century as a result of a shift of missionary effort from East Texas to South Texas. After a disastrous epidemic in 1739 reduced the number of Indian inhabitants to forty-nine, the mission was moved to its present location on higher ground, more than one-half mile from the former site. Numerous Indian groups were represented at San José. (Submitted on July 3, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

5. San Antonio de Valero Mission. San Antonio de Valero, one of five Spanish missions established by Franciscans in what is now San Antonio, is most commonly known as the site of the battle of the Alamo (1836). The mission was started by Father Antonio de San Buenaventura y Olivares, of the College of Santa Cruz of Querétaro, who first visited the region in 1709. (Submitted on July 3, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Marker detail: Mission San Juan image. Click for full size.

Photographed By John Mize

4. Marker detail: Mission San Juan

People living today on lands around Mission San Juan can trace their families back to the original inhabitants. It is the center of a community that has existed continuously since the 1730s.

Marker detail: The ornately-carved façade of Mission San Jose image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Courtesy: Ford, Powell & Carson Architects & Planners, San Antonio

5. Marker detail: The ornately-carved façade of Mission San Jose

Missions in the San Antonio River Valley Marker (<i>wide view</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 22, 2018

6. Missions in the San Antonio River Valley Marker (wide view)

Credits. This page was last revised on February 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 2, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 302 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on July 3, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.