Mission San Juan Capistrano
Mission Rd., San Antonio, TXThe mission was established in 1731 by the Spanish Franciscan order. It was built to convert the native population to Christianity. The mission was secularized in 1824. The mission was restored in the 1930s and is still in use today.
Spanish interest in the occupation of Texas was based on the presence of the French in Louisiana and the native inhabitants of the area. The basis of the mission/presidio system was the extension of controls to hold the area through Christianizing the natives and settlement of the area.
"The center and defense of the western settlements was the presidio of San Antonio de Bexar, founded in 1718. By its side stood the mission of San Antonio de Valero...Within a stretch of twelve miles down the river there were four other missions/ named Concepcion, San Jose, San Juan Capistrano, and San Francisco de la Espada, and located in the order here given" (Bolton, 1970: 5).
After a succession of moves beginning in East Texas, San Juan was finally established in 1731 along the banks of the San Antonio River. The sporadic life in East Texas, move to Central Texas, and final permanency in San Antonio came as a result of the inability of the Spanish to send supplies, equipment and personnel to the outposts.
Missionary activity at San Juan lasted from 1731 (the establishment of the mission) through its complete secularization|on in 1824. Its longevity is evidenced by the fact that today, 240 years after its establishment, it is still a functioning parish.
Mission San Juan Capistrano stands, with its companion missions, as an historical and political symbol of the Spanish colonial empire in Texas and its principal vehicle, the mission system. Additionally, it is an architectural reminder of and memorial to the "accomplishments of Spain's Franciscan missionaries" built because of the success of the padres in their cultural and religious conversion of the Indian population.
Bibliography
Castaneda, Carlos E. 1936. Our Catholic Heritage in Texas. Ill, Austin: Von Boeckman-Jones.
Schuetz, Meredith K. 1968. The History and Archeology of Mission San Juan Capistrano, San Antonio, Texas. 2 vols. State Building Commission Archeological Program. Reports #11 and 12.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1972.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.