San Antonio

From Houston we went to San Antonio for two days and visited some of the sites.  Our visit coincided with Fiesta, a city wide celebration to honor the heroes of the Alamo and Battle of San Jacinto.

Our first stop was through the King William Historic District.  It encompasses land that was once irrigated farm land belonging to the Mission San Antonio de Valero, commonly known as the Alamo. When the mission was secularized in 1793, the lands were divided among the resident Indian families from the mission or sold at public auction. In the 1860s the area was subdivided into lots and laid out with the present streets. The homes constructed over the ensuing 50 years are magnificent in their architecture and splendor.

The main street into the neighborhood was given the name King William in honor of King Wilhelm I, King of Prussia in the 1870s. During World War I, when America was at war with Germany, the name was changed to Pershing Avenue. A few years after the war ended the King William name was restored.

The San Antonio Missions were established by Catholic religious orders to spread Christianity among the local native Americans. These missions formed part of a colonization system that stretched across the Spanish Southwest in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries.

San Antonio, in conjunction with the Park Service, has established a "Mission Trail" roadway linking the five missions in the SA area, with the northern terminus at The Alamo.  We took our motorbike down and rode the Mission Trail northbound, visiting each of the Missions along the way, as well as downtown San Antonio.  Given the traffic for Fiesta celebrations, the motorbike was the perfect way to meander about the city and find easy parking.

Misión San Francisco de la Espada (Mission Espada) was established in 1690 as San Francisco de los Tejas near present-day Augusta and renamed San Francisco de los Neches in 1721. The mission was moved in 1731 to San Antonio and given its current name. 

Misión San Juan Capistrano (Mission San Juan) was established in 1716 as Misión San Jose de los Nazonis in East Texas.  The mission was renamed and moved in 1731 to San Antonio.

This statue was located on one of the mission altars; you're correct if you noticed the severed head under the foot on the left.  We found this interesting to find in a religious sanctuary, and surmise it had something to do with symbolizing the Conquests.  The message we interpreted from the statue, obviously a tribute to the Mission's function during antiquity, was "Turn Catholic, or we will dominate and KILL you." :)

Mission San José y San Miguel de Aguayo (Mission San José) was named in part for the Marquis de San Miguel de Aguayo, José de Azlor y Virto de Vera.  The mission was founded on February 23, 1720, because Mission San Antonio de Valero had become overcrowded shortly after its founding.  A new church, which is still standing, was constructed in 1768 from local limestone.

Misión Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción de Acuña (Misson Concepción) was established in 1716 as Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción de los Hainais in East Texas. The mission was moved in 1731 to San Antonio.

The Alamo Mission in San Antonio was originally known as the Mission San Antonio de Valero. It was built by the Spanish Franciscan priest, Antonio de Olivares and Payaya Indians. While the mission changed locations several times, the present location was chosen in 1724. It is one of the most popular tourist sites in San Antonio and the site of the Battle of the Alamo in 1836.

We had the opportunity to experience some of the Fiesta festivities.  Here are the Texas Cavaliers Parading on their float down the canals of the river walk.

The next day we took a walk through the river walk before leaving San Antonio.

We stayed at a free campsite outside Hidden Valley RV Park.  Terry, the hostess at Hidden Valley recommended we visit Benjamin's Kitchen for authentic Mexican food.  I did not particularly care for the food but George loved it.