Mission San José y San Miguel de Aguayo, often referred to as the "Queen of the Missions," was founded on February 23, 1720, by Father Antonio Margil de Jesús. The mission was established to serve the Coahuiltecan Natives and to relieve overcrowding at Mission San Antonio de Valero (now known as the Alamo). The mission was named in part for the Marquis de San Miguel de Aguayo, José de Azlor y Virto de Vera.
Mission Nuestra Señora de la PurÃsima Concepción de Acuña, commonly known as Mission Concepción, was originally established in 1716 in East Texas. It was one of six missions authorized by the Spanish government to serve as a buffer against French incursions from Louisiana. The mission was developed by Spanish Franciscan friars with the goal of converting the local Indigenous communities to Christianity and teaching them European ways of life.
Completing my short hike from Mission Espada, I arrived at the back gates of a mission that seemed much better restored. Perhaps it was just much less damaged. In either event, I also noticed there were significantly more tourists present.
After a pleasant conversation, I got out of the Uber I had taken from my hotel in San Antonio. It was a beautiful sunny day as I walked toward the crumbling walls of what I presumed must have been an impressive structure. I had no idea what to expect as I'd never visited a Spanish Mission before. Two days prior, I had walked some of the grounds of the Alamo, but the huge number of tourists, and lengthy lineup deterred me from actually entering.
As I entered the complex, the most noticable feature was, of course, the bare outlines of the former mission. One could see where the outer walls once stood, and one got a vague sense as to how others must have lived along the inside of these walls, probably sharing in their protection. I was struck by the relative quiet, and tiny number of tourists milling about the grounds.
