Location: Mission San Jose Church in San Antonio, Texas
Author: Chris & Heather Boothman (A Brit & A Southerner)
Description: During our recent visit to San Antonio, we experienced the San Antonio Mission Trail which encompasses a variety of interesting and gorgeous archaic settlements that were once booming communities during the 19th Century.
The above image depicts the largest of the missions – Mission San Jose, commonly known as the ‘queen’ or ‘mother’ of all the missions as this was a key focal point/hub of the Hispanic movements during the 19th Century. Still an active catholic parish among the local communities, this was an amazing experience to walk around the sacred grounds and learn about the history surrounding not only this location but the other missions that make up the Mission Trail.
Culminating in the most famous mission of them all, the Alamo, the Mission Trail is a great experience to either stroll along the river walk or simply take the short drive to each settlement location. As you can see from this picture, the intricate details that went into the architecture of these churches is particularly impressive, and mention should be given to the national park that currently maintains and renovates these missions as they really keep them in idyllic condition.
You can read all about our experiences along the San Antonio Mission trail here, but I think this image really captures the sense of how all of these come together to form such historic communities. With so much history and heritage here, I would highly encourage anyone visiting Texas to take a trip to the southern part of the state and experience this for yourselves.