San Antonio Mission Trail...Part 3...

Part 3 and last, on our recent tour of the
San Antonio Mission Trail.

Our third stop was at
Mission San Francisco de la Espada.

This mission was established in 1731.

Like the other missions, it afforded protection for the local Native Indians.

The priests taught agriculture, weaving, and, of course, religion.

The church here is especially small.  But, there are still masses performed here.

Mr. P is a big guy.  But, the door here is pretty small.

This restored section, is a convent.  Seems the sisters love their gardens.

Sturdy walls withstand time.  And, that mesquite tree is hanging in there, too.  The broken section is sending up more limbs.

I liked this one.  It's small and quiet.  No elaborate decorations.
Just simple expressions of faith.

Leaving, we passed this funky little house.

Someone here likes their gardens, too.

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Close by the mission is the Espada Aqueduct.

The success of the crops was very important for the success of the missions.

In a hot and dry climate, this success of the crops depended on water.

So, a dam was built on the river, to divert water into aqueducts.

The water was then used to irrigate the fields.

Remnants of that system are still there.

Pretty clever.

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Our last mission for the day, was San Juan Capistrano.

As you can see, there is a lot of restoration going on here.  It's not open to the public right now.

As with Espada, this is a small and simple mission.

But, the grounds look very charming.

I think we'll be going back to see it, when they're done.

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picture taken 2011

The most famous of the missions on the Mission Trail, is 

The Alamo.  Formally, Mission San Antonio de Valero.

Having been there many times, we chose to skip it this time.

If you haven't been there, it's worth the trip.

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We really enjoyed our tour, and will probably do it again.

We missed things I'd like to go back and see.

I hope you've enjoyed this tour.

If you'd like to see the other missions, be sure to check out Part 1, and Part 2 .

Have a Great Weekend...

~~Linda~~

San Antonio Mission Trail...Part 2...

Here we are at Part 2, of our recent tour of 

the San Antonio missions.

Our second stop was
Mission Nuestra Senora de la Purisima Concepcion de Acuna...
better known as Mission Concepcion.

The missions website, says this is the oldest unrestored church in America.

Unlike Mission San Jose, the walls here have mostly fallen in.

Although there was no restoration going on at the front, they have you enter from the side here, too.

Hmmm....not bats in the belfry.  But, they were busy.

This entry takes you beside this stairway, up to an office.

Don't you love the way the light shows off the Moorish influence of Spanish architecture?

Inside, there are remnants of the frescoes that used to cover both inside and out.

This is a rather primitive solution to reaching the rope for the bell.

The altar is simpler, but no less beautiful than San Jose.

The ceilings reminded me of the Painted Churches, we had visited.

This Baptistery has seen many events.

The front is much less ornate than San Jose.
But, it's beautiful in its simplicity.

The outside was once decorated with bright frescoes.  They've all worn away, leaving this wonderful patina of worn stone.  It's endured for 250 years...amazing.

Masses are still held here.

This day, they were setting up for some kind of Fiesta.

I love the colorful flags, against that beautiful, blue Texas sky.

Over in the Prayer Garden, this aloe was blooming with more color.
Gotta love that, too.

As is typical of us...we missed some of the things that the brochure told us to watch for.
That's what we get for reading them AFTER our self-tour.
We should have gone on the guided tour.
OK...next time.

There are two more to tell you about.
Stay tuned.

Have a Great Weekend...
~~Linda~~

San Antonio Mission Trail....Part 1

A few weeks back, our friends, Mike & Jorj, were in San Antonio.

Mike was there for work...Jorj was just hanging out.

When we asked Jorj if she'd ever been to the missions,

her answer of 'What missions?' seemed like a 'No'.

Mr. P. & Jorj

So, we headed out and picked her up, while Mike was off somewhere, working.
There are five missions along the Mission Trail on San Antonio River.

Our first stop...Mission San Jose.
Officially Mission San Jose y San Miguel de Aguayo.

This mission was founded in 1720...two years after the famous Alamo.

The building of the church began in 1768.
It is Spanish colonial Baroque architecture.

It was deemed 'The Queen of Missions'.

By the time the church was begun, there were 350 Indians living in the 84,

two-room apartments.  Very nice, for it's day.

A diorama inside one of the great halls, shows a day in the life of the mission.

The purpose of the mission, was to 'convert the local hunters and gatherers
into Catholic, tax-paying subjects of the King of Spain.'

It did afford them safety from other marauding tribes....mainly Comanche and Apache.

Their whole lives changed.  They learned to produce their food.
They planted fields, raised animals, and learned skills.
They learned to weave and sew, and carpentry and blacksmithing.

They learned a new language, and of course,
a new religion.

The mission of the Missions, was to turn this New World into a version of the Old World.

The church is really beautiful.  A lot of statuary and carvings.

It's difficult right now to get a good shot of the front.  They're restoring parts of the carvings.

Trying to repair the wear and tear 250 years.

One famous ornament on this church, is the
Rose Window.
The sculptor is unknown.
Legend tells of Pedro Huizar, a carpenter, who started the window as a tribute to his sweetheart, Rosa.
Rosa was tragically lost at sea, on her way to the New World.
Then, it is said, Pedro finished the window 'as a declaration of enduring love.'
It's also said, the window is more likely named for
Saint Rose of Lima, the first saint of the New World.

There was a record of a grist mill being on the property.  Another skill to learn.

And, another way for the mission to prosper.
Evidence of a rill, to turn the wheel for the grindstone, was found in the 1930s, while workers were digging a drainage ditch.
A replica was then built on the site.

Though Mission San Jose ceased to be a mission, in February of 1824.
It was 'secularized' and turned over the Indians living there and to a Chaplain Maynes.
The mission was neglected for many years.  In 1931, the Franciscans returned and live there today.

Picture taken June, 2011.

Today, The National Park Service takes care of preservation and protects the history here.
Masses are still performed.

Doing some research for this, I read that you shouldn't miss the stairway to the belfry.  It's carved of one piece of wood.  Well...we missed that....on TWO visits in the last 12 months.
Guess we'll just have to go back again.

If you're in San Antonio, the Mission Trail is quite an interesting view of the history of the area.
I'll tell you about some of the others soon.

Have a Great Weekend...
~~Linda~~