Spanish Missions of San Antonio - Page 2 of 3

San Juan

Much like Mission Espada, Mission San Juan Capistrano was originally established as San Jose de los Nazonis in East Texas and then moved to San Antonio in 1731.

window and arch — Notice the arch is being supported by metal rods and a beam? Seems the building is crumbling and they are trying to save it.

cracks in the mission wall — This is the inside of the wall that's being supported, you can see the large cracks in it.

Inside Mission San Juan — The chapel is quite narrow, maybe 12 feet wide?

bench under window — This building was marked as a private residence. I think the pastor or head of the church lives here, there is an office marked in the back too.

historic mission walls — Residence on the mission grounds. Can you imagine living an a house almost 300 years old?

By mid century, San Juan Mission with its rich farm and pasture lands, was a regional supplier of agricultural produce. Orchards and gardens outside the walls provided peaches, melons, pumpkins, grapes and peppers. Corn, beans, sweet potatoes, squash and even sugar cane were grown in irrigated fields. In 1762, Mission San Juan’s herds were reported to include 3500 sheep and nearly as many cattle.

The San Antonio missions were self-sufficient, and they supported area settlements and the nearby presidio. In good times, they traded surplus goods to others.

This is a three part post on the Spanish Missions of San Antonio.

The first mission photographed on the previous page was the Espada and the next mission is San Jose.

Page 3 – San Antonio Missions – San Jose

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