Mission Espada is located in the most fantastical forest life of San Antonio, Texas. Between the ancient trees and tall Texas grass you will find its stone walls. But San Antonio was not this site’s first home, in 1690 a previous form existed near Alto, Texas. This refuge was sadly burned in 1692 due to native conflicts. Spain became friendlier in the area and chose to rebuild in 1716. However, it was lost again between the turmoil of Spain and France during 1719. The natives became less interested in the doomed grounds so when the mission was reclaimed in 1721 it was not as successful. Spain relocated it along the Colorado River in 1730 but still was not satisfied. A year later, 1731, Spain chose San Antonio as a tactical location for the mission[1].
Mission Espada’s was mainly operated as a military base. Espada is a weapon with a long blade that is sharp on one or both edges, a sword[2]. The name suits the goals of the mission’s era. The military was capable of operating successfully here due to the farming and ranching skills of the natives. The grounds were harvested with the use of the San Antonio River. Mission Espada is the south most mission along the river. The natives here made use of a dam, acequias, and a well, for various sources and control of the San Antonio River’s water.
Highly knowledgeable with the lands, the natives sought supervision with the architecture and construction of the buildings. Mission Espada contained the conventional buildings such as a loom, mill, barracks, housings, and a church. Two churches were constructed due to the first ones fragility and age. The second church was the last building constructed on the mission site. It is said that the master stone mason of the time was unable to fully complete the second church for various reasons and so the untrained natives finished it themselves. There is evidence of this in the keyhole shaped doorway of the church; it has a noticeably imperfect arch.
The inhabitants of Mission Espada survived and cared for the lands, you can see their faces today throughout the families that populate San Antonio. It is now classified as a National Park of America and under the protection of the government. The lands are free to be visited by the public. This humble mission exists as a reminder of the intelligence, determination, and strength of Texas.
[1] "Mission Espada." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 1 October 2007, 10:55 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 24 Sept. 2007. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_San_Francisco_de_la_Espada>.
[2] "espada." Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary. K Dictionaries Ltd. 1 Oct. 2007. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/espada>.
