Mission San Jose
One year after Fray Antonio Margil de Jesus left the failed missions in East Texas, he founded what would become the largest and best known of the Texas missions. Viewed as the model among the Texas missions, San Jose gained a reputation as a major social and cultural center. So rich an enterprise was a natural target for mounted Apache and Comanche raiders. Although San Jose residents could not prevent raids on their livestock the mission itself was almost impregnable. In his journal, Fray Juan Agustin Morfi attested to the defensive character of Mission San Jose: "It is, in truth, the first mission in America...in point of beauty, plan, and strength...there is not a presidio along the entire frontier line that can compare with it."

Mission Concepcion
The handsome church at Conception looks essentially as it did more than 200 years ago when it stood at the center of local religious activity. From the beginning, Mission Concepcion hosted religious festivals. The friars strove to replace traditional American Indian ritual through the demonstration of Christian ideals. Morality plays, such as Los Pastores, a colorful drama honoring the birth of Christ, were common in practice. In addition, the friars formalized the American Indian's acceptance of Catholicism through the adminstration of the sacraments. Many American Indians continued to practice the Catholic faith after secularization.

Mission San Juan
Originally christened San Jose de los Nazonis while in East Texas, the reestablished mission of San Juan Capistrano made its permanent home along the banks of the San Antonio River in 1731. By mid-century, San Juan, with its rich farm and pasturelands, was a regional supplier of agricultural produce. With the surplus from these products, San Juan established a trade network stretching east to Louisiana and south to Coahuila, Mexico. This thriving economy helped the mission to survive epidemics and American Indian attacks in its final years.

Mission Espada
In 1731, after their retreat from East Texas, the founders of San Francisco de los Tejas moved the mission to the San Antonio River and renamed it San Francisco de la Espada. The southernmost of the San Antonio chain of missions, Espada appears as remote today as it did in the mid-1700's.

After each mission developed a solid economy, the American Indians needed specialized vocational training. After secularization, the vocational skills acquired during the mission period proved beneficial to the growth of San Antonio. The influence of these American Indian artisans is evident throughout the city today.

Rancho de Las Cabras
In 1731 Mission San Francisco de la Espada was one of three missions re-established on the San Antonio River from what is now East Texas. In addition to the land necessary for the mission's compound, each mission was granted land for farming and ranching. Espada's grazing lands became known as Rancho de las Cabras, the Goat Ranch.

In 1995. the National Park Service acquired a small sectoin of the former ranch lands. This tract, located at the junction of Picosa Creek and the San Antonio River, contains the ruins of the Rancho de las Cabra's compund. Tours are lead on the first Saturday of each month. Call (210) 932-1001 for more information.