Main/Military Plaza in San Antonio in Bexar County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Laredito and the Tale of Two San Antonios

Photographed By James Hulse, January 8, 2023

1. Laredito and the Tale of Two San Antonios Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

Beginning in the Late 1600s, Spanish explorers, and later settlers, traveled north from Mexico into Texas on the Camino Real, a road that crossed the Rio Grande near today's Eagle Pass. This route became essential to trade between Mexico and the presidios, missions, and settlements established north of the river. By the early 1800s commerce between San Antonio and central Mexico had increased, and a shorter route was developed. Establishment of this new route encouraged settlement and business west of San Pedro Creek. Freighters gathered in Military Plaza and along the creek to load and unload their wagons with goods of all types. As a result the street became known as Laredo and the adjoining neighborhood as Laredito. It would become the predominantly Mexican American barrio, and San Pedro Creek became a dividing line between the Mexicano neighborhoods to the west and the white neighborhoods to the east.

Captions
1: Heavy mule-drawn wagons transported goods between Texas and Mexico. Freighters assembled their loads and camped in neighborhoods west of the creek.
2: As trade with Mexico

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increased, Laredo Street became the town's main thoroughfare leading south toward the Rio Grande. The street was lined with houses of logs, mud, adobe, and stone.
3: The road crossed San Pedro Creek at Military Plaza and followed the west bank until it turned southwest toward the town of Laredo on the Rio Grande.

[Spanish Text]
Laredito y el Cuento de Dos San Antonios
A Partir De Finales Del Siglo XVII, los exploradores españoles y los colonos posteriores viajaron hacia el norte desde México hasta Texas por el Camino Real, una carretera que cruzaba el Rio Grande cerca del actual Eagle Pass. Esta ruta se volvió esencial para el comercio entre México y los presidios, misiones y asentamientos establecidos al norte del río. A principios del siglo XIX, el comercio entre San Antonio y el centro de México había aumentado y se desarrolló una ruta más corta. El establecimiento de esta nueva ruta alentó el asentamiento y los negocios al oeste de San Pedro Creek. Los cargueros se reunieron en la Plaza Military a lo largo del arroyo para cargar y descargar sus vagones con mercancías de todo tipo. Como resultado, la calle se conoció como Laredo y el vecindario contiguo como Laredito. Se convertiría en el vecindario predominantemente mexicoamericano, y San Pedro Creek se convirtió en una línea divisoria entre

The Laredito and the Tale of Two San Antonios Marker along the south side of Dolorosa Street image. Click for full size.

Photographed By James Hulse, January 8, 2023

2. The Laredito and the Tale of Two San Antonios Marker along the south side of Dolorosa Street

los vecindarios mexicanos al oeste y los vecindarios blancos al este.

Subtítulos
1: Pesados carros tirados por mulas transportaban mercancías entre Texas y México. Los cargueros reunieron sus cargas y acamparon en los vecindarios al oeste del arroyo.
2: A medida que aumentó el comercio con México, Laredo Street se convirtió en la vía principal de la eludad que conduce al sur hacia el Rio Grande La calle estaba llena de viviendas de troncos, barra, adobe y piedra.
3: El camino cruzó San Pedro Creek en Military Plaza y siguió la orilla oeste hasta girar al suroeste hacia la ciudad de Laredo en Rio Grande.

Erected 2022 by San Pedro Creek Cultural Park. (Marker Number 31.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Hispanic Americans • Industry & Commerce • Roads & Vehicles.

Location. 29° 25.445′ N, 98° 29.785′ W. Marker is in San Antonio, Texas, in Bexar County. It is in Main/Military Plaza. Marker is on Dolorosa Street, 0.1 miles east of South Laredo Street, on the left when traveling west. The marker is located along the Dolorosa Bridge in the San Pedro Creek Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 622 Dolorosa Street, San Antonio TX 78205, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers.

The view of the Laredito and the Tale of Two San Antonios Marker from across the street image. Click for full size.

Photographed By James Hulse, January 8, 2023

3. The view of the Laredito and the Tale of Two San Antonios Marker from across the street

At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Urban Renewal and the Expansion of Government Buildings (a few steps from this marker); A Poor Settlement Takes Shape at the Northern Frontier of New Spain (within shouting distance of this marker); Dolorosa Street (within shouting distance of this marker); The Healing Arts West of the Creek (within shouting distance of this marker); The Fight for an Independent Texas: From a Spanish Province to a Republic (within shouting distance of this marker); The Buried Past is Never Lost (within shouting distance of this marker); Jose Francisco Ruiz (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Plaza de Armas: Center of Commerce and Government (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in San Antonio.

Also see . . . Where beauty meets purpose. San Pedro Creek Culture Park (Submitted on January 22, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

Credits. This page was last revised on February 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 22, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 148 times since then and 53 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on January 23, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.