San Antonio is a Texas city bursting with city life, local attractions and rich history. When it comes to population, San Antonio ranks seventh as far as most populated cities go. San Antonio goes back hundreds of years, getting its start and initial population growth through Spanish missions. The Spanish founded San Antonio as a mission in the year 1718. Spanish missions were outposts of sorts that were used by the Spanish to bring Catholicism and Spanish culture to the native peoples living in the area at the time. Missions were also largely a means for the Europeans to take control of land and put down stakes. In 1718, the Payaya Indians were living along the San Antonio River and came into contact with the Spanish as they explored and eventually settled there, founding five missions.

If the native people promised to give up former religions and practices, the Spanish offered protection from sickness and attack that laid outside of the mission walls. Food, supplies and weapons were more readily available to the native peoples as a tradeoff for foregoing their practices and ways of life. Thus, Spanish and indigenous cultures began to blend as languages, religions, food, architecture and more began to combine. Visitors can witness the unique design of the missions, with the design drawing from both the Spanish and native peoples alike.

These five, eighteenth-century missions still stand and serve as a reminder of San Antonio’s deep history and the peoples that contributed to the blended culture the city boasts today. Through the missions, the native peoples were introduced to things such as vegetables and livestock and a new religion that would shape the future direction of San Antonio.

When visiting San Antonio, the missions are a definite must-see. The missions are available for you to tour and are part of a national park. The San Antonio Missions National Park offers visitors with both guided and self-guided tours, as well as informational visitors centers. Be transported through time as you walk through the mission buildings, farmlands, churches and expansive aqueducts.

The infamous Alamo is one of the existing five missions in San Antonio, known for the historic battle in 1836 when a group of vastly outnumbered Texans withheld and eventually overthrew Mexican forces. The other four missions include Mission Concepción, Mission San Jose, Mission San Juan, and Mission Espada.

The missions are a great part of San Antonio’s history and are sites to put on the must-see list during your visit. For more information and to start planning your trip to visit the San Antonio missions, click here to visit the National Park Service website.

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