Mission Espada was one of the oldest missions in Texas. It was established around 1731 and had been operational until about the 1900’s. There is much culture and history in this mission. As I walked on the choppy stone paths linked with clay that is decades old, I saw what the Indigenous people of south Texas had built. The Spanish came to this world that we now know as Texas in times that are ancient to our ears.
The missions were built to convert the Indians to Christianity and also help establish the Spanish in what is now America. In those times, the Indians were rallied together like livestock on the open prairie to come and serve Spain by building and keeping these old missions. Back then, however, they were not old but brand-new in this country. Most Indians had never even seen this type of architecture let alone be forced to leave their previous culture and adopt a new foreign way of life.
However, this intrusion upon the Natives proved to be something extremely positive. With the Spanish came technology and the mixing of customs.
Located near the banks of the San Antonio River, the mission used acequias to irrigate the land and growing crops. This technology paved the way for agricultural advancement. Many different trades were assigned to the workers of the mission such as blacksmith, stonemason, carpenter, etc. The missions were diverse and made with the blood and sweat of our ancestors. A visit in the walls of this hallowed ground is to feel the spirit of nature itself. The church was an exceptional place. Even the holy water was still using the same draining system as if the mission’s people had not even left, but remained sitting in the wooden pews, waiting for mass at dawn before a long day of never ending labor. If they only knew that their work would remain as precious history protected in the heart of a true San Antonian.