Southside in San Antonio in Bexar County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Hub of Commerce
Photographed By James Hulse, December 27, 2022
1. Hub of Commerce Marker
Workshops and storerooms clustered around this small courtyard bustled with activity - especially when a mule train arrived. Books, fabrics, hats, pots, griddles, and iron bars hauled from distant Mexico City were unpacked here and stored away. Then the fruits of mission enterprises - hides, tallow, and foodstuffs - were loaded onto the mules for export.Some years, abundant crops and livestock gave Mission San Juan the potential to trade both near and far. Spanish settlers nearby in the village of San Fernando exchanged hard cash for food grown in mission fields. Although trade with French Louisiana was illegal, colonists there were eager to barter for mission-raised cattle, hides, and tallow for candles.
Samples from a Pack Train Inventory
This 1797 document (right) details 30 different everyday items and luxury articles handled north from Querétaro in central Mexico, a journey of about 30 days. Below are a few typical trade items, with their 1797 prices adjusted to today's dollars.
1/2 lb saffron • $641
48 rosaries, the price of each • $9
2 hooded Franciscan robes,
this page online
100 lbs fine chocolate, the price per pound • $28
Sum of all items in this mule train $26,646
[Spanish Text]
Los talleres y almacenes agrupados alrededor de esta plaza bullían de actividad - especialmente cuando llegaban las mulas de carga Libros, telas, sombreros, ollas, comales, y barras de hierro traídas desde la distante Ciudad de México eran desempacadas aquí y almacenadas. Luego, los frutos de las empresas de la misión - comestibles, sebo y cueros - eran cargados sobre las mulas para exportarlos.
Algunos años, la abundancia de cosechas y ganado le proporcionaba a la Misión de San Juan el potencial para comerciar tanto cerca como lejos. Los colonos españoles de la cercana villa de San Fernando intercambiaban monedas de plata por frutos cultivados en la misión. Aunque el libre comercio era ilegal, los pobladores franceses de Luisiana se mostraban ávidos de intercambiar los productos en las misiones tales como sebo para candelas, cueros y ganado vacuno.
Muestras desde el inventario de una recua
Este documemto del año 1797 (izquierda) factura treinta cosas cotidianas y de lujo, importadas desde Querétaro, un viaje de unos 30 dias. Abajo se ven algunos artículos típicos, sus precios de 1797 calculados a dólares actuales.
225 g azafrán
Photographed By James Hulse, December 27, 2022
2. The Hub of Commerce Marker and the Mission San Juan Church
48 rosarios, el precio de cada uno • $9
2 hábitos con capetilla, el precio de cada uno • $699
45 kg chocolate fino, el precio de cada kilo • $62
El total de todos artículos de esta resua de mulas $26,646
Erected by National Park Service - San Antonio Missions.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Churches & Religion • Hispanic Americans • Industry & Commerce • Parks & Recreational Areas. A significant historical year for this entry is 1797.
Location. 29° 19.952′ N, 98° 27.283′ W. Marker is in San Antonio, Texas, in Bexar County. It is in Southside. Marker can be reached from the intersection of Graf Road and Mission Road. The marker is located in the northeast section of the Mission San Juan. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 9101 Graf Road, San Antonio TX 78223, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. A Sacred Place (a few steps from this marker); Mission San Juan (within shouting distance of this marker); San Antonio Missions (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Permission to Enter (about 300 feet away); Mission San Juan Capistrano (about 600 feet away); Bergs Mill Veterans Memorial Bridge
Photographed By James Hulse, December 27, 2022
3. Historic house next to the Hub of Commerce Marker
Also see . . . Mission San Juan. San Antonio Missions - World Heritage
Mission San Juan Capistrano moved to the San Antonio River from East Texas on March 5, 1731. The unfinished church was utilized as a cemetery and some of the original mission residents were buried there. Today, many of the parishioners are descendants of the original inhabitants of the mission. The Yanaguana Trail along the San Antonio River at the mission is a shaded, paved walkway among trees and vegetation that show you what the riverbank was like 300 years ago. The San Juan Acequia has been restored to use for watering the Spanish Colonial Demonstration Farm.(Submitted on January 4, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)
Credits. This page was last revised on February 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 2, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 70 times since then and 9 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on January 4, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.
