San Antonio – Missions and Markets – Remember the Alamo!

Rosie and The Operator are out and about on the Mission Trail.  In the 1700s Spain was looking to increase its dominance and break into North America.  They built 5 Missions along the San Antonio River, each mission had a walled compound and some had a fort associated with it, or nearby….in times of trouble a bell could be rung and the Calvary could come to the rescue.

First stop was San Jose founded in 1720, this is the most complete Mission left standing.

The nomadic people of this area all lived in small tribes, they were starting to barter with the Spanish in turn the nomads by association were dying from European diseases, small pox, influenza and the like.  The Apache Indians from the North were also raiding the nomads, out of fear and demoralisation the natives turned to the the missions for protection and survival.   The missionaries in turn renamed the people, banned their  ethnic practices, made then speak Spanish, converted them to Catholicism, then made them Spanish citizens increasing the population and wealth for the King of Spain.

San Jose is still a working church, this is the inside.

The Missions were self sustaining with approx 300 natives living in each one. Crops were grown outside the walls of the Mission and each mission had a ranch, these ranches were free roaming, with sheep and cattle and normally half a days travel away from the Mission….because they were free roaming, the herds were too big to fence in, it would be terrible for the cattle to eat the Missions crops or trample them.

The (reconstructed) walls contained the basic housing that the natives lived in. The walls were massive for defence and the mission residents learned to use firearms to fend off any Apache attacks.

Water for drinking, livestock and irrigation was diverted from the river into stone lined ditches called acequias.  San Antonio has the oldest and the largest Spanish Colonial water system in the United States, these aqueducts can still be seen today just outside the mission.

The oldest  on the trail is Mission Espada founded in 1690.  Its philosophy was to was to make its community life like that of a Spanish village.  To develop a solid economy they taught their natives to make bricks, weave cloth, carpentry, masonry and stone cutting.  Skilled workman from his mission were the ones that helped build San Antonio today.

San Juan was established in 1731, its fertile land and pastures would make it a regional supplier of produce. Orchards and gardens grew peaches, melons, pumpkins, grapes and peppers.  Its irrigated fields produced corn, beans, sweet potato, squash and even cane sugar.  The abundance of crops allowed for a thriving economy of trade for this mission.

Mission Conception (right) was established in 1731, it highly regarded its religious teachings and had the highest number of native conversions.

Then there is the famous Alamo, it was founded in 1718 and was the closest fortified mission to San Antonio town.  The Alamo today is hallowed ground to all Texans and represents the Shrine of Texas Liberty because of the famous Battle of The Alamo that was fought there in 1836.  ‘Remember the Alamo!’, is the famous battle cry that is still repeated today as the ultimate ‘no retreat, no surrender Texan catch call.

This mission has a small unimposing facade and is surround by towering buildings in the middle of modern San Antonio.  It was the site of the last stand for the Commander of the Fort, William Travis and his 200 men who were attacked by Mexicans under the command of General Antonio Santa Anna.  This is the famous Alamo, the last bastion of Texas, whoever controlled the Fort, controlled the city, and, thus controlled the then border province that is now Texas.

The Alamo was under siege for 13 days  and they were outnumbered 10-1. A surprise attack by Santa Anna in the early hours of the morning sealed the forts fate and after a fierce one and a half hour battle the fort was captured and all the men inside executed.  Texas may have lost this battle but it strengthened their will to not let go of their land.  Texas eventually took their land back in other battles to follow with the Mexicans and all subsequent battles started with the cry ‘Remember the Alamo!’

The sign on the door when you enter the Alamo reads, ‘Be silent friend, here hero’s died to blaze a trail for other men’.

After all that history Rosie was seriously flagging from the heat of the day.  We went to Market Square  which holds the biggest Mexican market outside of Mexico.

San Antonio has a population of over 1,000,000 people, 60% of that population is of Mexican descent….so you can imagine what a fine lunch Rosie and The Operator had at Mi Terra  inside the Mexican market.

This restaurant is open 7 days a week 24 hours a day and has been there for the last 70 years.  It is full of colour, festivities and noise as soon as you open the door.  Mariachi players wander the tables and serenade as you are eating, a really fun place to sit in air conditioned bliss, have a bite to eat and a glass of freshly squeezed lemonade before Rosie hit the market proper….

The Operator was groaning and reminding Rosie that certain things she touched, thinking of buying, wouldn’t fit in their suitcases….yes, Rosie has heard it all before, she will make it fit, you just watch me…..

Okay…. The Operator was right, again – The wooden Texas Longhorn skull wall hanging was too big for the bag.  Out came The Operators travelling multitool and the horns unattached, voila, into the suitcase she goes.

The Mexican celebration of The Day of the Dead is coming up on the 1st of November….it is a day of remembering those that have passed on and shrines to the dearly departed were all over the market.

After shopping Rosie and The Operator ventured forth for a stroll in The King William District of town. In the late 1800s this was the most elegant residential area of the city.

 

Prominent German merchants originally settled this district and bought with them a distinct architectural style.  The neighborhood today is still the best address in town….beautiful mansions line either side of the road and tall trees frame the street like an elegant tunnel.

The gardens and houses are pristine with so many squirrels skittering everywhere. It  was a really lovely stroll and there was only one house for sale on the street….this is the one, in the left pic…is a bit of a renovators dream…or nightmare… priced at $850,000.

Rosie and The Operator had their final dinner in San Antonio on Bellas patio on the Riverwalk. Dusk turned to night and the fairy lights came on in the tree that grows out of Bellas concrete wall….after the infamous San Antonio flood of ’21 this seedling was lodged in the wall and grew into a huge tree…its trunking literally comes out of the wall of the retaurant.  It was a lovely evening to cap off a great time in this beautiful city.