The explorations of Francisco Vasquez de Coronado of the Texas High Plains and the Luis Moscoso expedition into East Texas between 1539 and 1543 formed the basis of Spain's claim to Texas. More than a century would pass before the Spanish extended their settlements into what is now Texas.
Spanish interest revived when Robert Cavelier, sieur de La Salle, who founded Fort Saint Louis on Matagorda Bay in 1684, claimed lands for France that included Texas.
This expansion by France posed a threat to Spain's territory and Spain responded with the establishment of the East Texas missions. A chain of five missions along the San Antonio River became the largest concentration of Catholic missions in North America. These five missions survive today, still relatively intact, as examples of the Spanish colonial missions of the Southwest. They serve as a general architectural record of the mission era and examples of building styles from every period of mission history.
The first and best know of the San Antonio missions, commonly called the Alamo, was established in 1718. The church structure as it stands today was begun about 1755. This mission functioned mainly as a way station between missions in East Texas and base missions in Mexico.
The Alamo's claim to fame as the "Cradle Of Texas Liberty" came in 1836, when a band of 189 volunteers defied a Mexican army of more than a thousand through a siege of thirteen days from February 23 to March 6.
Among the defenders were William B. Travis, Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie. All 189 volunteers died in the siege. The leader of the Mexican army, Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, claimed a "glorious victory." Many of Santa Anna's aides feared that one more 'glorious victory' would finish the Mexican army. The finish came April 21 on the San Jacinto Plain when the Texas army, under the command of Sam Houston, defeated Santa Anna and the Mexican army.
Mission San Jose was founded in 1720 and gained a reputation as a major social and cultural center. San Jose was the strongest garrison against raids from Indians. The entire mission compound, including an outer wall with Indian dwellings, granary and workshops, has been restored. The old flour mill outside the north wall was built about 1790, is the oldest in Texas. The main attractions of San Jose are the domed church and the sculptured exterior of the sacristy window known as 'the Rose Window'.
First established in East Texas, Mission San Juan made its permanent home on the banks of the San Antonio River in 1731. San Juan has had extensive restoration work. The little chapel with an open bell tower and ruins of a larger church that was never completed can seen when you visit. The restored missionary residence displays artifacts from the Spanish colonial period.
The Mission Concepcion was established in 1731. One of the most attractive of the San Antonio missions, it took more than twenty years to complete. The massive church with twin towers and a cupola is the oldest unrestored stone church in the United States. It stands as completed in 1755, with original paintings of religious symbols and architectural design.
The Mission Espada was established in 1731. It is the southernmost of the chain of missions located on the San Antonio River. The little church features an attractive chapel and stone entrance archway. Restored several times, Espada is still in use today. Ruins of the wall that once surrounded the mission compound, foundations of a granary and a baluarte, or fortified tower, can be still be seen on the mission grounds. Near the mission is an aqueduct over Piedra creek, part of the mission's irrigation system built in the 1740s. The system includes a dam on the San Antonio River and an acequia, or irrigation ditch, still in use today.
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