Mission San Antonio De Valero,
The Alamo
The Alamo was built in the 1700s by the Spanish Empire as a place to educate the local Native Americans about Christianity. The mission became a non-religious compound in 1793 and was abandoned very soon afterwards. The abandonment left it open to Mexican Soldiers and the Texan Army where it later became the site of the famous Battle of the Alamo.
Mission Nuestra Señora De La Purisima Concepción de Acuña
Mission Concepcion was named in honor of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception A glorious stone church, Concepcion took 15 years to build, and was dedicated in 1755. It remains the least restored of the Missions within the National Park. In its prime, colorful geometric designs covered its surface inside and out.
Mission San José y
San Miguel de Aguayo
Mission San José is considered La Reina, “The Queen” of the Missions famous for its baroque Rose Window. Legend has it the sculptor of the window, Pedro Huizar, created it for
his betrothed, Rosa, as a grand token
of his love.
Mission San Juan Capistrano
​
By the mid-1700s, San Juan, with its rich pasture lands was a regional supplier of agricultural produce. Indian artisans created iron tools, cloth, and prepared hides for trade. San Juan
had a trade network stretching east
to Louisiana and south to
Coahuila, Mexico.
Mission San Francisco de la Espada
​
Espada was the first Mission in Texas built it 1690. Just north of the mission is the original Aqueduct which brought water traveling in an Acequia from the San Antonio River over a low elevation creek to nourish Mission farmlands of melons, pumpkins, grapes, peppers, and other produce.
Would you like to learn more about our World Heritage Missions? Visit the World Heritage Office website:
​