United States of America
San Antonio Missions
The San Antonio Missions were created by the Franciscan Order in the 18th century to evangelize the indigenous Coahuiltecan population and create settlements loyal to the Spanish.
The five missions that were meant to be self-sustaining communities are located along the San Antonio River in Texas. They include farmlands, residences, churches, workshops, wells and water distribution systems. The decoration of the churches combined Catholic symbols with indigenous natural design. Included are: Mission Valero, Mission Concepción, Mission San José, Mission San Juan, Mission Espada and Rancho de las Cabra.
Community Perspective: Mission Valero is by far the most touristy/tacky of the group for its association with the historic Battle of Alamo, but WH travellers are better off at the other locations. Frederik describes a visit to Mission San José, reputably the largest and most beautiful of all missions, while Jay enjoyed Mission Espada. And Kyle recommends the bike trail that connects all of the missions.
Site Info
Official Information
- Full Name
- San Antonio Missions (ID: 1466)
- Country
- United States of America
- Status
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Inscribed 2015
Site history
History of San Antonio Missions
- 2015: Inscribed
- Inscribed
- WHS Type
- Cultural
- Criteria
- ii
Links
- UNESCO
- whc.unesco.org
All Links
UNESCO.org
- whc.unesco.org — whc.unesco.org/
Related Resources
- nps.gov — NPS San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
- thealamo.org — The Alamo Historic Site
News Article
- April 28, 2024 dailymail.co.uk — America's 'most disappointing' tourist attraction is getting a $550M makeover
- Oct. 20, 2023 sanantonioreport.org — Lawmakers ask for better security at San Antonio Missions
- March 3, 2020 expressnews.com — Ruins at Mission San José undergoing restoration
- May 3, 2017 archpaper.com — A controversial master plan for The Alamo causes debate among architects and the public alike
- Feb. 7, 2017 mysanantonio.com — National parks vital to San Antonio’s economy
- Sept. 8, 2015 nydailynews.com — Texas man tried to write his name on Alamo wall with car key
- Aug. 15, 2015 woai.com — Global Tourists Already Seen in San Antonio Due to World Heritage Designation
- July 8, 2015 ksat.com — Party held to celebrate Missions' World Heritage status
Community Information
- Community Category
- Religious structure: Christian
- Archaeological site: Classical (other)
Travel Information
One million visitors or more
WHS Commandments Stars
Recent Connections
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Perfect Inscriptions
2015 -
WHS Commandments Stars
Scores on all except #8 -
Historical Graffiti
In the Alamo (from the 19th century)
Connections of San Antonio Missions
- Trivia
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One million visitors or more
The Alamo sees about 1.6 million visitors a year now, and expects an extra one million annual visitors by 2027 // Alamo: roughly 2 million (source 2014) -
On Coins
America the Beautiful Quarters, 2019See en.wikipedia.org
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Built or owned by Spanish
Founded by Spanish missionaries
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- History
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Sieges and Battles
Battle of the Alamo (February 23 – March 6, 1836)See en.wikipedia.org
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Camino Real
El Camino Real de los Tejas -
Fusion
of Spanish and Coahuiltecan cultures
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- Architecture
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Baroque
Church at Mission Concepción: late baroque style of New Spain (AB ev)
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- Damaged
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Controversial museum plans
Alamo Plaza - "$110 million will be used to renovate and repurpose three buildings (owned by the state) as a museum"See archpaper.com
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- World Heritage Process
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Perfect Inscriptions
2015 -
Inscribed on a single criterion only
Crit ii (2 other proposed criteria rejected by ICOMOS)
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- Religion and Belief
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Christian missions
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Franciscan Order
founded by Franciscan missionaries
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- Human Activity
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Irrigation and drainage
.. share an intricate system of water distribution channels utilizing the fresh water resources from two springs (AB ev) -
Historical Graffiti
In the Alamo (from the 19th century)
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- Constructions
- Timeline
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Built in the 18th century
Mission Valero (now called Alamo) is the oldest, dating from 1718
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- Visiting conditions
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Free entrance
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WHS Commandments Stars
Scores on all except #8
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- WHS Names
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Named after a River
San Antonio River
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- 18
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Location for a classic movie
The Alamo (1960): an American historical epic film about the 1836 Battle of the Alamo produced and directed by John Wayne and starring Wayne as Davy CrockettSee en.wikipedia.org
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News
- dailymail.co.uk 04/28/2024
- America's 'most disappointing' tou…
- sanantonioreport.org 10/20/2023
- Lawmakers ask for better security …
- expressnews.com 03/03/2020
- Ruins at Mission San José undergoi…
Recent Visitors
Visitors of San Antonio Missions
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Community Reviews
Show full reviews
I visited this WHS on 4th of July weekend 2023 and it was an interesting time to say the least. I have been to Texas several times before as I have a friend that goes to school out there (which came very much in handy for the solar eclipse that happened earlier this year!!), but I never made it to San Antonio until last year. Everyone that I know that lives in Texas RAVES about San Antonio so I had my expectations up. Nicely restored Spanish Colonial missions are almost a dime a dozen back in California so I really had to do some convincing to get my family to go see the other missions besides the Alamo.
We visited the Alamo first (how could we forget?) and it was no longer a mission but rather a "shrine" to the battle of the Alamo. Although I am a history nerd, the minute specifics of battles are not very interesting to me at all. Luckily, my family felt the same way and we headed to the other missions in the WHS after a quick stop. The way the Alamo is preserved now does not really gel with the other sites in the WHS and kind of took away from the experience for me at least.
We then stopped at Mission San Jose to grab some information and get NPS stamps at the visitor center. The rangers were very nice there and were happy to talk WHS with me! They …
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Visit date(s):
April 14 & 15, 2016
Nearby sites on trip: Big Bend National Park (T). It isn’t exactly close at a 7 hour drive, but we stopped in San Antonio on our way back to the Houston area.
Overnight location: There are many choices in the downtown. We stayed at an historic hotel, less than a 10 minute walk from Mission Valero (Alamo).
Location(s): Missions Espada, San Juan (see photo), San José, Concepcion and Valero and Espada aqueduct. We did not visit Rancho de las Cabras, as there was no guided program available.
Travel method(s): Car and foot
Travel duration: Less than half an hour drive to the furthest mission.
Visit duration: Less than 4.5 hours to visit the 4 missions and the Espada aqueduct that belong to the national park and to drive between them. A separate short walking visit to Mission Valero. We returned to Mission San Jose the next morning for a special event.
OUV: The overall structures of the missions has more of a Spanish catholic appearance than indigenous, but there are visible local features as well. The walled compounds offered protection to the Coahuiltecans in return for adopting the Spanish way of life. There are remnants that demonstrate both cultural roots.
Best of: Very pleasant park like settings. Peaceful. Lots of small wildlife to watch, especially near the waterways.
Worst of: Mission Valero (Alamo). There was some interesting information in the courtyard about the mission, …
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It shouldn't have been a World Heritage Site that made me finally get around to visiting San Antonio, but I'm afraid the relatively newly-inscribed San Antonio Missions were the impetus for my visit last December. Well, that and the opportunity to see the San Antonio Riverwalk at Christmastime. The only mission most Americans are familiar with is the famed Alamo, where the American folk legend Davy Crockett died in a Mexican massacre during the 19th century Texas Revolution. While the Alamo excels in telling the story of the revolution (and indeed, re-enactors and a Mexican army bivouac were in place the day I visited), the older history of the San Antonio missions can be found at Mission San José, one of the four missions south of San Antonio. The churches of three of these four missions are open for tourists; I particularly appreciated the intimate interior of Mission Espada. The goal of these Catholic missions were to evangelize the native Indian population, after which the missions were turned over to the Indians. Their history reminded of my visit to the Jesuit training college museum in Tepotzotlán, Mexico, earlier in the year. The buildings of each of the missions have been kept up well over the past 300 years, and I highly recommend taking time to wander each of their grounds.
Logistics: The San Antonio Missions are connected by a fifteen-mile trail, as well as by a public bus route; there is also parking at or near each of the missions …
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Technically this was the first UNESCO site I ever visited, on a road trip when I was 8. However, I barely remember it, and it wasn't inscribed until 2015, so I was happy to get the chance to revisit last week and also see the rest of the missions.
I went to all five missions in about 5 hours, using a rental car to get from place to place. I was pleased to have the vehicle since it was blazing hot. Having grown up in Oklahoma, I've been to southern Texas approximately one million times, but I am never mentally prepared for the heat.
I have a full write-up, photos, and a video of every mission here (FYI, I edited the video in the middle of the night waiting for a redeye flight to escape Hurricane Harvey before it hit, so I missed some typos on the video text. Once I'm not jetlagged, I'll go back in and fix them):
UNESCO World Heritage Site: San Antonio Missions
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This chain of missions alongside the San Antonio river are amongst the finest examples of Spanish Colonial architecture in the United States. Unfortunately, these historic structures are all overshadowed by the Alamo, which has become part of American (and Texan) folklore.
"For the Alamo, the site was hard to explain since it has long been converted into some kind of national shrine of heroic battle for Americans."
Frederick's statement here is accurate. Almost every adult aged American has heard of the Alamo, but few actually know much about the missions themselves. Millions of Americans visit San Antonio every year, yet few actually visit the chain of missions that are the origin of San Antonio. Part of this American folklore is national, but much of it is specific to the "Republic of Texas". In fact, Texas was an independent country from March 2, 1836, to February 19, 1846, they had 5 different presidents over that period and set up embassies in Europe. Part of this Texas independence "spirit" is why the Alamo overshadows the rich heritage represented in the San Antonio Missions.
I didn't bother with the Alamo. Personally, I was satisfied by visiting the exterior for about 5-10 minutes. I have little interest in the battle, because I've heard plenty during elementary school. The Alamo itself adds little to the WHS, and ICOMOS expressed concerns over the inclusion/autheniticity of the site several times in their evaluation. In the end, it was added more for completion purposes and to satisfy Texans …
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The 5 Missions of San Antonio are just one of the few extraordinary sites that are a must see while visiting San Antonio. I am a native San Antonian and visit the missions quite frequently. There is always something to photograph and am grateful to have these sites in my backyard.
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Remember the Alamo and don’t forget other four missions are maybe the words that will be in every tourist magazine of the lovely city of San Antonio especially after June 2015 when finally, the San Antonio Missions become the first World Heritage Site for Texas. During my 2 days visit in this nice city, apart from the famous scenic River Walk, I did manage to visit 2 missions after saw advertisement and articles about San Antonio Mission National Historic Park in almost every free magazine I read in the hotel. After consulted with hotel concierge and very tight schedule, I decided to take a taxi to visit Mission San Jose which reputably to be the largest and most beautiful of all missions.
The driver took me into the small street that looked like a road to someone house, and suddenly I found the large carpark area and a high wall church in partial ruined next to quite imposing stone gate. I walked around the church until I saw the very impressive front façade. The whole façade was adorned with elaborate baroque cravings statues and motif. The wooden door was also lovely to admire. Another impressive work of art was the Rose Window which located just behind the corner of the front facade, its lovely shape and motifs were quite something to see. After that I walked around the church that surrounded by large lawn and stone wall similar to small fort or military barrack. Then I took a bus …
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