San Antonio

From a village of Tejas Indians has grown the modern city ofSan Antonio ... not completely modern, for there still remain manyevidences of the past, even though towering skyscrapers mark the cityas progressive and prosperous. San Antonio is filled with picturesquecharm and interesting contrasts. Off busy downtown streets one willfind in bold relief buildings, as well as customs, that date back to timeswhen the city was settled by Spanish conquistadors.

The Spanish, fearing encroachment in Texas by the French inthe late seventeenth century, set out to make good their originalclaims by establishing forts and missions in East Texas. Captain DonDomingo Teran de los Rios was named governor of the new Spanishdominion and, in 1691 during a journey across Texas accompanied byFather Damian Massanet, missionary and explorer, paused here at anIndian Village. Mass was said on the site, a great many salutes werefired, and the place was named “San Antonio”.

No permanent settlement was established, however, but laterother expeditions passing this way encamped here. The French explorerand trader, Louis Juchereau de Saint Dennis, claiming hisinterest to be the establishment of trade relations between Louisianaand Mexico, stopped near the headwaters of the San Antonio Riverin 1714, admired the charms of the place, and declared the locationto be an ideal spot for founding a permanent community. St. Dennis’activity in the area aroused the Spanish authorities. Rivalry for thepossessions of Texas broke out anew.

In 1718 the Spanish viceroy, desiring a point midway betweenthe East Texas Missions and the Spanish Presidio of northern Mexico,established here as a fortress the Royal Presidio of San Antonio deBejar, and founded the mission San Antonio de Valero (The Alamo).

This step marked the real founding of San Antonio. Within thenext thirteen years the building of four more missions got under

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