Southwest

San Antonio: Remember The Alamo But Don’t Forget The River Walk

The defenders of the Alamo were on a mission, or more correctly in a mission.

In fact, San Antonio wouldn’t even exist if not for missions. There are five along the river through the city, the most famous being the San Antonio de Valero Mission, better known as the Alamo. The four others, San José y San Miguel de Aguayo, San Juan Capistrano, Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción and San Francisco de la Espada, are preserved as part of the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park.

San Antonio

Photo by the author

Our mission was to see all five in one day, which is easily accomplished by either car or bicycle. In our case we used both. From the park headquarters at San José y San Miguel, which is the largest and most ornate of the five missions, there is a bike path south to San Juan Capistrano and San Francisco de la Espada. The three of these provide fascinating glimpses into the history of Texas in the early 18th century, when Spain began to expand their colonization efforts northward.

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