The San Antonio missions were self-sufficient communities. Rich farm lands outside the stone walls of these compounds provided an array of fresh vegetables and fruits. Orchards and gardens were watered by an elaborate system of aquaducts. Sheep, goats and cattle grazed their pasture lands. They supported area settlements and the nearby presidio (fort).
Mission San Antonio de Valero, commonly known as the Alamo, was founded in 1718. It was the first mission on the San Antonio River.
The Mission of Nuestra Senora de la Purisima Concepción was transferred from East Texas in 1731. The church looks essentially as it did in the mid-1700s when it served as the mission's center of religious activity, though colorful geometric designs that once covered its surface have faded.
The Mission of San José y San Miguel de Aguayo was founded in 1720. It became a model of mission organization and a major social center. The "Queen of the Missions" was notable for the unique architecture of its church and the richness of its fields and pastures.
Elaborate carvings decorate the mission church of San José.
Another view of San José
Interior of arched walkway
The walls of the San José compound provided housing for the people who lived and worked at the mission. The buttresses on this section of the wall were added to support the arched ceiling of the interior room - possibly a dining hall.
That's my sweetheart Don and me, captured by a photographer we met at the mission.
Residence within the stone wall
Room within the buttressed section of the wall, San José Mission.
Mission San Juan Capistrano was originally established in East Texas as San José de los Nazonis. It was moved to the east bank of the San Antonio River in 1731.
Mission Espada was founded as San Francisco de los Tejas in 1690, the oldest of the East Texas missions. It was moved to the San Antonio River in 1731 and renamed San Francisco de la Espada. It is the southernmost of the San Antonio chain of missions.