History & Culture

Young female archaeology student screens dirt for artifacts with Mission San Jose Indian Quarters in the background. — Mission history is studied through written records, artifacts, oral histories, and more.
NPS Photo.

Established over 300 years ago, Mission San Jose survives as an artifact of the Spanish Colonial period. Four Spanish colonial missions and their associated features make up San Antonio Missions National Historical Park today.

Reconstructed limestone horno dome in foreground with limestone Mission San Jose church in background.

While the missions in San Antonio were being established in the early 18th century, European colonization affected most regions of North America. British, French, and Spanish groups occupied major sections of the already densely populated North American continent. Indigenous groups in South Texas, referred to by the Spanish as 'Coahuiltecans,' felt the effects of colonization in other parts of the continent before the missions were even established along the San Antonio River. As Indigenous groups to the north and east moved south due to colonial pressures in their own ancestral lands, Coahuiltecan groups felt the impacts as their land, water, and food resources dwindled.

Red Yucca buds with a blooming prickly pear in the background. — Red Yucca flower buds with blooming prickly pear cactus behind.
NPS Photo

Before the Spanish colonial era, hundreds of small native bands inhabited these South Texas lands for thousands of years. The culturally diverse groups of Indigenous bands that lived on these lands are often now referred to under one homogeneous group, Coahuiltecan. This name was given to them by the Spanish based off the geographical region they inhabited, Coahuila y Tejas. Many families of South Texas and nothern Mexico can trace their Indigenous roots back to these Coahuiltecan nomadic hunter-gather groups.

Birds eye sketch of Mission Espada Compound with wall enclosure and several buildings. — Mission structures housed entire communities along the San Antonio River.
NPS Photo.

Beginning in 1718, five mission communities formed along the San Antonio River. These missions were at the northern frontier of New Spain, a territory of the Spanish Empire. These Spanish colonial missions transformed local ways of life by introducing a new religion, farming, and settled communities.

Living quarters were built inside the missions, against the compound walls for the Indigenous neophytes and one or two Spanish soldiers. The church was the focal point of the missions and the missionary lived in the convento right next to the church. Workshops and storerooms dotted the central grounds. Outside the walls were the croplands and ranches, and the danger of competing groups.

Groups of visitors walk down the paved path at Mission San Jose. — A large group of visitors walking along a sidewalk inside Mission San José.
NPS Image

These missions made a lasting impact on San Antonio culture. After generations, Native people who entered these missions lost elements of their languages and religions. Parts of Native and Spanish cultures combined at the missions, fusing into South Texas culture. Components of Native and Spanish cultures can be found throughout the missions, in the frescoes, foods, clothing, and customs. This fusion of culture can still be observed in the surrounding modern community today.

Many local families have found connections to these missions.For local archives and records this is a comprehensive list of the San Antonio area archives and special collections.

Compare Pottery Artifacts

2 inch piece of brown bone-tempered pottery sherd sitting in the palm of a hand.

Left image
This bone-tempered pottery artifact is an example of pre-colonial technology found at Mission San Jose.
Credit: NPS Photo

Right image
This European ceramic artifact is an example of early 19th century pottery found at Mission San Jose.
Credit: NPS Photo

Wide image of framed portraits of mission descendants laying on a table.

We’re Still Here: Mission Descendant Stories

The history and culture of San Antonio Missions National Historical Park lives on through the families and stories of mission descendants. “We’re Still Here: Mission Descendant Stories” puts faces to the oral histories and memories of mission descendants in San Antonio. The exhibit recognizes families that have deep connections to these missions. These families make the missions a living community. Descendant families come from a diverse group of Texans with combinations of Indigenous, Latino, and European heritage. San Antonio Missions National Historical Park preserves and protects architectural, archaeological, and landscape features that demonstrate a complex interweaving of cultures that prevails in this community today.
Click this link for "We're Still Here: San Antonio Mission Descendant Stories".

Research Articles

Showing results 1-6 of 6

Vegetation Monitoring at San Antonio Missions National Historical Park: Results for 2023
- Locations: San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
- Offices: Gulf Coast Inventory & Monitoring Network
The Gulf Coast I&M Network conducts vegetation monitoring fieldwork once every four years in each park. This article presents a brief project overview and key findings from the 2023 I&M vegetation monitoring event in San Antonio Missions National Historical Park (NHP), Texas, which was the second round of sampling for the park.
San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
The Post-Colonial Tufa House: A Historical Analysis from Construction to Present-Day Interpretations
- Locations: San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
Explore Kaylee Holland's (SCA 2023 Intern) analysis of the Tufa House's history at Mission San Juan, from construction to present-day interpretations. This article is based on an ArcGIS Story Map and can be accessed by clicking each section on the article.
San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
Archeological Research at Mission Espada's Indigenous Quarters
- Locations: San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
Read more about University of Texas at Austin Ph.D. candidate, Kelton Sheridan's archeological research at Mission Espada's Indigenous Quarters as she explores questions such as: What food did people eat? What household objects did they own? What belief and traditions did people keep?
San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
The Camposanto at Mission San José
- Locations: San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
One of the many characteristics and customs of Spanish Missions along the borderlands was the establishment of a camposanto (sacred burial ground) for baptized Native Americans and citizens of New Spain. Generally, Spanish missionaries established camposantos in front of the church or as near to the front of the church as possible. Today, there are two grave markers in a small camposanto located in front of the church at Mission San José.
San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
Mission San José and the Road to Secularization, Part 1: 1794
- Locations: San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
The road to secularization for Mission San José y San Miguel de Aguayo was long and costly. The Spanish missions along the U.S. Southwest borderlands were never expected to be permanent settlements. In theory and law, each mission was to be handed to local secular clergy following ten years of operation, and the Indigenous residents of each mission were to be given land to sustain themselves once their conversion to Spanish citizens was complete.
San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
Mission San José and the Road to Secularization, Part 2: Post-1794
- Locations: San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
The road to secularization for Mission San José y San Miguel de Aguayo was long and costly. The Spanish missions along the U.S. Southwest borderlands were never expected to be permanent settlements. In theory and law, each mission was to be handed to local secular clergy following ten years of operation, and the Indigenous residents of each mission were to be given land to sustain themselves once their conversion to Spanish citizens was complete.

Tags: cemetery mission san jose camposanto san antonio missions research

Last updated: December 23, 2024

Contact Info

Mailing Address:

Headquarters
2202 Roosevelt Avenue
San Antonio, TX 78210

Phone:

210 932-1001

History & Culture

We’re Still Here: Mission Descendant Stories

Research Articles

Vegetation Monitoring at San Antonio Missions National Historical Park: Results for 2023

The Post-Colonial Tufa House: A Historical Analysis from Construction to Present-Day Interpretations

Archeological Research at Mission Espada's Indigenous Quarters

The Camposanto at Mission San José

Mission San José and the Road to Secularization, Part 1: 1794

Mission San José and the Road to Secularization, Part 2: Post-1794

Contact Info

Mailing Address:

Phone:

Contact Us

Tools

Stay Connected

Contact Us

History & Culture

We’re Still Here: Mission Descendant Stories

Research Articles

Vegetation Monitoring at San Antonio Missions National Historical Park: Results for 2023

The Post-Colonial Tufa House: A Historical Analysis from Construction to Present-Day Interpretations

Archeological Research at Mission Espada's Indigenous Quarters

The Camposanto at Mission San José

Mission San José and the Road to Secularization, Part 1: 1794

Mission San José and the Road to Secularization, Part 2: Post-1794

Park footer

Contact Info

Mailing Address:

Phone:

Contact Us

Tools

Stay Connected