Rancho de las Cabras

Rancho de las Cabras. . The First Cattle And Livestock At Mission Espada were brought here from other missions far to the south along the Rio Grande. The herds prospered and multiplied in grazing fields near the mission along the San Antonio River. As the number of cattle increased, additional pastureland was needed and in the early 1760s missionaries acquired a remote tract of land for their ranching operations. The site, known as Rancho de las Cabras (Goat Ranch), was located thirty miles to the southeast near today's Floresville. Herders and their families lived at the isolated ranch that by 1772 had 1,200 cattle, 2,700 sheep, 716 horses, as well as goats, pigs, oxen, mules, burros, and chickens. The ranch prospered until Mission Espada was secularized beginning in 1793, and its lands were distributed to residents. The site deteriorated and during the 1800s and 1900s was used for storage and grazing and by hunters and scavengers. Recognized for the important role it played in mission life, Rancho de las Cabras was acquired by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in 1982 and in 1993 became part of the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. , Captions , Top: Only a few deteriorated walls remained when archaeologists first began to study Rancho de las Cabras in 1980. This plan (below) and artist's rendering (above), based on numerous archaeological investigations and archival research, illustrate Las Cabras as it might have appeared in the 1700s. , Courtesy: Center for Archaeological Research, University of Texas at San Antonio., Bottom 1: The walls of Rancho de las Cabras deteriorated rapidly in the 1800s and 1900s due to neglect and vandalism. The structure is seen here as it appeared in about 1900. , Courtesy: Houston Metropolitan Research Center (0151-0279), Houston Public Library. , Bottom 2: Field crews from the University of Texas at San Antonio Center for Archaeological Research have conducted ongoing excavations at Rancho de las Cabras since 1980. Their investigations have resulted in the documentation and stabilization of the site and its remaining walls. , Courtesy: Center for Archaeological Research, University of Texas at San Antonio.