Concepcion Mission To San Antonio example essay topic

Tour of San Antonio The Missions of Texas While in San Antonio there are five missions you, as a tourist, need to see. These missions are the mission of Nuestra Senora de la Puris sima Concepcion, the San Jose y San Miguel de Aguayo, the Mission San Juan Capistrano, San Francisco de la Espana, and Mission San Antonio de Valero, The Alamo. They are all a great part of the state of Texas. The Mission Concepcion was first built in East Texas in 1716, but they only stayed there for fifteen years do to hardships. After this it and two other missions moved to San Antonio.

The missions were rebuilt on the San Antonio river on March 5, 1731. While Concepcion was built in east Texas just out of logs and thatch the new Conception was built to last it is still standing today. It was built so well it is the only mission in San Antonio that the walls, roofs, and other major structures have never collapsed. The Concepcion is not only the oldest standing stone church in Texas but in the nation. "Father Habit, historian for the Franciscan Order, states un-equivocally that 'it is the oldest church of the Immaculate Concepcion of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the United States" (sa conservation 1). Many Indians came with Concepcion mission to San Antonio to start a new life.

The Padres and the Indians built rough temporary structures made of thatched roofs to accommodate their living and worship needs. They planted crops and dug irrigation ditches for their food to eat. As they built permanent mission. They built the Concepcion mission in the design of the general mission plan of the time period. In time the Mission became a community.

The Indians and the Padres built a stone wall around the mission compound. (sa conservation 1) "Inside the enclosure were the usual buildings of the missions: a stone granary, a friary or convent o for the priests apartments along the outer walls for the Indian families, various workshops and, of course, the church itself " (sa conservation 1). While the permanent church was being built the people of the Concepcion Mission were having worship in temporary structures. The church was started in 1740, and completed and dedicated on December 8, 1755. Early church record describe the church in detail. (sa conservation 1) "It was cruciform building of stone and mortar, having a vaulted roof with cupola, or dome, and two similar towers topped by crosses of Iron. This was the only mission church in this area to have twin bell towers (sa conservation 2)."The building is recorded as being 89 feet long and 22 1/4 feet wide.

The walls are 45 inches (almost four feet) thick, having facings inside and out of solid stone with adobe and small stones in the center" (sa conservation 2). Over the door of the mission was a statue of Mary Immaculate, which is no longer there today (sa conservation 2). Today you can still read the inscription of "dedicated to the Blessed Virgin" (sa conservation 2). At the base of the towers is a chapel with a single window.

There are early fresco paintings on the wall. (sa conservation 2) An upper room that was added after the permanent structure was built, has an interior window opening looking down at the sanctuary. Also the is an exterior window with a window seat and a beautiful view towards the east. At the top of the stairway that leads to this room is a Moorish style arch. (sa conservation 2) The convent o wing had several rooms opening onto the Cloisters. "One of those rooms were descried as a library and office. Its ceiling was decorated with a most striking painting which for many years has been referred to as "The Eye of God" (sa conservation 2). In July of 1989, the " 'Los Compadres' a fund raising group for mission preservation, paid for a conservancy treatment wall art at the missions" (sa conservation 3).

This Conservancy found that rather the painting being only a picture of an eye it was actually an "entire face with two eyes, a nose, a mouth, a mustache and a goatee! (sa conservation 3). Between 1731 and 1762 there was 792 recorded baptisms of Indians at the Concepcion mission. After the Mission of Concepcion had been in operation for 63 years the mission was (sa conservation 3) "partially secularized, some of the farm land and possessions were distributed among the remaining residential Indians. Some few families continued to live there for a time until it was completely secularized in 1824" (sa conservation 3). The entire thing was painted with a colored geometric design similar to that painted on the exterior walls of the Mission San Jose. (sa conservation 2) The full name for this Mission is San Jose y San Miguel de Aguayo Mission.

This mission was the result of the missions for the east moving to south Texas. It was one of the five Spanish missions, it was founded in the early eighteenth century. In 1719 a war between France and Spain broke out. As a result of the war the mission was closed and Father Antonio Margin de Jesus, who was president of Franciscans of the College of Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe de Zacatecas, went to San Antonio on December 26, 1719, he decided to build a new mission. (t sha 2) The land was given to a couple of groups of Indians that lived just south of San Antonio. Fathers Agustin Patron and Miguel Nunez de Haro they moved the mission several times because of different reasons. One of the reasons was a epidemic that happened in about 1739.

The sickness killed all but about forty-nine Indians after this sickness the mission was moved to it present location. (t sha 2) The mission was built to get the Indians to become Christians". Juan Agustin Mori wrote in the 1780's, 'many play the harp, the violin, and the guitar well, sing well, and dance the same dances as the Spaniards" (t sha 2). The Indians were taught "fundamental agricultural technology, notably systematic cultivation of the soil, selective use of seeds, irrigation techniques, use of hydraulic power in a flour mill, and granary storage methods" (t sha 2). This helped the growth of corn, beans, lentils, potatoes, sugar cane, cotton, melons, and fruits so there would be more to harvest. (t sha 3) San Jose mission was closed after being open for more that a century.

Troops were stationed at the mission for a while they were there they did lots of damage to the mission. In 1859 it was reopened and restored by Father Alto S. Hermann. The church stayed open until 1868 when the Benedictines were recalled. After several storms the north wall and the dome fell. It was not long and the ceiling fell in, December 1868. (t sha 4) " In 1872 the Holy Cross Fathers of Notre Dame began visits to San Jose and, in spite of the disrepair, faithfully conducted services in the sacristy for nearly fifteen years" (t sha 4). The tower and the steps both fell in the early nineteenth century.

Both structures were rebuilt. Bishop John Shaw reopened the church and approved excavation of San Jose. In 1932 restoration started on the church and in 1937 the dome and roof were rebuilt. In 1968, 1969, and 1970, they did research on the sight and found all kinds of different Indian remains and other artifacts. The Mission area were made nation and state historical sites in 1941. It was ran by the Texas Parks and Wildlife from 1941 to 1983.

At this time it was added to the San Antonio Missions National Historical Parks. (t sha 5) Mission San Juan Capistrano was first built in 1716 in East Texas. In 1731 they moved to its present location where they worked on building it up until 1756. They were going to build a church but because of the decline in population the church was never finished. (nps 1) In the mid seventeenth century San Juan was rich in farming and pastureland. Because of this the National Park Service try to recreate the irrigation ditches. That were used to water the fields. The mission was very self-sustaining.

With in the walls of the mission were many different kinds in the mission. These Indians made many different things such as iron tools, clothes, and prepared hides. Out side of the walls were many orchards and gardens that provided different fruits and veggies. Most impressive was about twenty miles south of San Juan was Rancho de Pataguilla had in 1762 was reported as having 3,500 sheep and the same cattle. (nps 1-2 and Education Program 3) With the abundances of supplies and agriculture the mission set up trade, the trade went as far east as Louisiana and as far south to Coahuila, Mexico.

The trade helped to defend against Indian attacks and epidemics. The San Juan dam was the key to the Missions Irrigation system. All of the San Antonio missions had a irrigation system set up to water the fields of crops. (nps 2) All of these missions were built as a result of Spain trying to colonize what is now known as Texas. (state 189) These are some of the amazing thing to see in the city of San Antonio. There is also the Alamo and many of other places to see in the city. While you are in San Antonio you want to go to the many Mexican restaurants.

Bibliography

Mission San Juan Capistrano". NPS. 28 Nov. 2001 articles / vs.
us 23. htm. Talley, Mike ed. State Travel Guide 2001.
Austin: Texas Department of Transportation, 2001.
Texas Missions Tour of San Antonio Marion Chris Straub December 5, 2001 Dr.