Mission Espada, San Antonio TX

The last mission we saw on the trail of missions was Mission Espada.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_Espada

Mission Espada, San Antonio TX

Of the mission we saw I think I liked this entrance the best. 

As with the other missions they had a diagram of the place so you could get a sense of how it was when it was a working compound and safe haven place during the 1700's.

Like Mission San Juan this one was not in as good of shape as Mission San Jose. But it was still interesting to see.

With the walls partially down this one gave you a better feel for how small the rooms were and how they were spaced out.

I liked this Romanesque arch.  It was distinctive and different from the other places.

The mission is in the National Park system and as such they have Park rangers on duty there and this was the building where they were located.

Remnants of buildings that once were there.

The one thing I noticed about this place was that in places the wall was just the protective wall and it did not have buildings connected to it in which the natives would live.

Here is the church.  I was disappointed that there was a parking lot there near the building and that a truck was parked there.  It was hard getting a shot without the truck in it.  There was just something about seeing a truck there that made it feel like it was so out of place. 

These were more remnants of the wall.  I took this one because you could tell that the walls used to have plaster on them and at one point they were painted green.

You could see this trail that lead down to the San Antonio River.  It looked like it was still being used today to get to the river.  The river at this point is pretty shallow and is not a very big river. 

As I was looking at the trail I noticed these busy, busy ants all marching in file going back and forth down to the river. 

Finally I was able to get closer to the church area and I did get this one and was pleased with it.

Mission Espada, San Antonio TX

And also this one.  As we were walking around we found out that the red tile roof area was an actual convent where people were still living there.  Then that made sense to me why there was a truck where there was in the parking lot.

The side view of it.

This is what it looked like from the back.

And how it looked inside.  I was pleased that they let you go in and could see it.

This is the area where people still live.  I didn't realize it until you got to the one sign. Then I felt a little guilty for intruding upon their living area.  Because of that we didn't stay long.

Here's the parting view of the compound.

This was the last one we saw.

Mission San Juan- San Antonio TX

 In San Antonio they have a mission trail where you get to see the missions that where built in the 1700 by the Franciscan priest.  They were spaced about a days walk apart along the San Antonio River. Each one was different and unique.  The first one we saw was Mision San Jose.  Then we went on to Mission San Juan.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_San_Juan_Capistrano_%28Texas%29

Mission San Juan, San Antonio TX

Because they are of such historical significance in the area they have been taken over by the National Parks.

When you go in they have these plaques so you can see how the compound was laid out when it was an active settlement.

As we where walking around to the church portion we could help but see this cross. 

This one was not near as in good shape as the fisrt one we went to - Mission San Jose. I thought it was inserting to see the flowers taking over this section.

You can tell they have been working on restoring the church to its original magnificence.
Here's the side view of the church and you can see the walls were not built up like they were at San Jose's. 

Those bells were very striking.  At one point the sky was blue behind them and they really stood out.  I wished I had taken the picture when I could have.  

The bells of Mission San Juan

This is an active church ans as such they keep it in good shape.

Here's how it looks from the left side of the area.  This mission did not have near the stuff to see as San Jose did and we were done touring the area pretty quickly. 

Mission San Juan, San Antonio TX

I did enjoy seeing the walls and the way they were made with native rocks. 

Another view of the cross.  I could help but notice the symbolism of it being surrounded by cactus.

Cross in a bed of cactus, @Mission San Juan

Then we went on to Mission Espada

Mission San Jose - San Antonio TX

My spouse and I wanted to do the Mission trail.  We had a map with the trail on it but we got confused when we saw signs pointing us in one way and the map said another.  We stuck with the signs and realized that we were following the major roads and the fastest way to get there.  In doing so we missed the first mission of Conception ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_Concepcion  ).  We thought we would see it on the way back if we wanted to.  So the first mission we saw was San Jose.  It turned out to for the best since San Jose had the most information and is where the Natural Park visitor center was located. Of the ones we saw this was by far the best one to see.  In its day it was called the 'Queen of the Missions'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Antonio_Missions_National_Historical_Park

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_San_Jos%C3%A9_%28Texas%29

 Mission San Jose, San Antonio TX

This was the front entrance to the place

I was really impressed with its limestone walls. 

We saw these two wholes in the wall and realize they were peep holes. We then proceeded to go into the compound.

I did like seeing this plaque showing how the place was laid out.

Here was another diagram that explained things.

This was the room where those two holes were located. As you can tell it was used as a fort to protect the people that were inside of it.

The rooms on the inside of the wall.  These were the homes where the Indians would live and do their work. That round looking thing was a fireplace.

 The main building in the compound was the church.   This was a good view so you could see how there was a central court yard in which all the activities would take place in.

Here was the gate that was close to where the soldiers would stay.

I thought this was pretty.

A closer view of it. 

This is going inside.  Its still a place of worship and people are expected to show it the reverence it deserves.

A shrine to the Virgin Mary

I did like their stations of the cross. 

This is called the Rose window.  I thought it was very lovely to see.

You could tell that this plaster must have covered the whole church at one time and it must have been very impressive to see.

This was the front entrance into the church.

Here's what it looked like looking directly on.

The back side of the church area.

Because farming was so important they built a mill to grind the gains into flower. 

This is the mill. 

This was there warehouse. 

One of the most important areas was this water well. 

I was surprised to see these cacti growing on the roof.

 One last parting shot of the compound as we were leaving the walled area.

After we saw Mision San Jose we went to Mision San Jaun.  These missions were placed to be a days walk away. I marveled at how we were able to travel it in our cars within  20-30 minutes.