Mission Concepción's church is the oldest unrestored stone church in the country and it is the only church in San Antonio that hasn't lost its roof or walls. Since the original structure still stands, visitors can see some early frescoes in some rooms. Before Texas weather and time eroded parts of the building's decorative elements, there were colo... Morerful geometric designs on the surface.

The church was dedicated in 1755 and the congregation celebrated its 250th anniversary of the dedication in 2005.

In the Battle of Concepción, Colonel Domingo Ugartechea led Mexican troops in battle against Texan insurgents led by James Bowie and James Fannin on Oct. 28, 1835. Historian J.R. Edmondson wrote that the brief, 30-minute battle was, "the first major engagement of the Texas Revolution."
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Hours
Open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Closed Thanksgiving Day, Dec. 25, and Jan. 1.

Address
807 Mission Road
San Antonio, Texas 78210

Tel: 210-932-1001 (Visitor's Center)Less

Mission San José is the most complete mission in San Antonio due to a project in the 1930s by the Works Project Administration which was supported and funded by the San Antonio Conservation Society and U.S. federal government. It stands as a good example of what life would have been and how it would have looked in the mid 1700s.

Most o... Moref the church is from the original structure, but much of what visitors see today was reconstructed in the 1930s.

The rose window is considered one of the finest examples of baroque architecture in North America. Legend states that it was named for a women called Rosa, who was to marry Juan Huizar. Many believe Huizar created the famous window.

The mission was founded in 1720 and named for Saint Joseph and the governor of the Province of Coahuila and Texas, Marqués de San Miguel de Aguayo.

The mission is sometimes called the Queen of the Missions, due in part to fine carvings on the facade, such as around the church's front door and the famous rose window. During its most active period, there were 350 Native Indians and considered a model for all Texas missions. The stone walls, bastions, granary, and church were completed in 1782.

The grist mill was never used to ground corn, only wheat. It was built later on and by that point the Indians preferred wheat-based foods over corn. The mill you'll see at the mission today is mostly a reproduction and used five days a week.

Since it was a large and industrious location, it was a common target for Apache and Comanche tribes. However, the mission walls stood the test and residents only feared when they had to leave the safety of the mission to harvest the fields or travel. Soldiers stationed at the mission taught the residing Indians how to fight with guns and cannon.
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Hours
Open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Closed Thanksgiving Day, Dec. 25, and Jan. 1.

Address
6701 San Jose Drive
San Antonio, TX 78214

Tel: 210-932-1001 (Visitor's Center)Less

Mission San Juan Capistrano was originally founded in 1716 as Mission San José de los Nazonis in eastern Texas to minister to the Nazonis Indians. However it wasn't successful and moved in 1731 to its present location in San Antonio.

The church that stands today, a friary, and granary were completed in 1756.

San Juan was a... More thriving community and in 1762 there were 203 Indians living there. One government inspector in 1767 wrote, "overseers or administrators are not needed. ... The Indians themselves take care of work in the cloth factory, carpenter shop, forge ... and attend to all of the work that is to be done in the town. They are industrious and diligent and are skilled in all kinds of labor."

The large community meant progress and growth. As such, the church that stands today was meant to be replaced with a larger one and construction began in 1772. When population declined through disease and raids from neighboring Indian tribes, the larger structure was abandoned in 1786.
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Hours
Open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Closed Thanksgiving Day, Dec. 25, and Jan. 1.

Address
9101 Graf Road
San Antonio, Texas 78214

Tel: 210-932-1001 (Visitor's Center)Less

Mission Espada was the first mission established in what is now Texas. It was founded in 1690, originally called San Francisco de los Tejas near what is now Weches, Texas. The mission moved to what is now San Antonio in 1731 and was renamed Mission San Francisco de la Espada. The church was completed in 1756 and the friary in 1745.

Loo... Morek around San Antonio, particularly in downtown, and you'll see lots of Spanish influences including wrought iron, stone, and architecture. It all began with this mission. The Franciscan missionaries taught Native Americans about the Catholic faith as well as more modern skills such as farming, masonry, and weaving through the Spanish government's policies. These skills included needing to know how to use plows, farm equipment, and equipment for horses, oxen and mules. As the equipment needed repair, the area soon needed a skilled blacksmith (which led to wrought iron decor). As the mission aged, natives learned how to repair the buildings, which led to more stone masonry and Spanish influences in the architecture. And all along the people needed clothing, so the monks taught them how to weave clothing and blankets.
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Hours
Open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Closed Thanksgiving Day, Dec. 25, and Jan. 1.

Address
10040 Espada Road
San Antonio, Texas 78214

Tel: 210-932-1001 (Visitor's Center)Less