San Antonio Missions National Historical Park

San Antonio Missions
National Historical Park
Mission Concepción
Map showing the location of San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
Map showing the location of San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
Map showing the location of San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
Map showing the location of San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
LocationSan Antonio, Texas, USA
Nearest citySan Antonio, TX
Coordinates29°21′42″N 98°28′49″W / 29.36167°N 98.48028°W / 29.36167; -98.48028
Area948 acres (384 ha)
572 acres (231 ha) federal[1]
EstablishedApril 1, 1983 (1983-April-01)
Visitors1,238,920 (in 2022)[2]
Governing bodyNational Park Service
WebsiteSan Antonio Missions National Historical Park
CriteriaCultural: (ii)
Designated2015 (39th session)
Part ofSan Antonio Missions
Reference no.1466
RegionEurope and North America

San Antonio Missions National Historical Park is a National Historical Park and part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site preserving four of the five Spanish frontier missions in San Antonio, Texas, USA. These outposts were established by Catholic religious orders to spread Christianity among the local natives. These missions formed part of a colonization system that stretched across the Spanish Southwest in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries.

In geographic order from north (upstream of the San Antonio River) to south (downstream) the missions are Mission Concepción, Mission San Jose, Mission San Juan, and Mission Espada. The Espada Aqueduct, also part of the Park, is due east of Mission San Juan, across the river.

The fifth (and best known) mission in San Antonio, the Alamo, is not part of the Park. It is located upstream from Mission Concepción, in downtown San Antonio, and is owned by the State of Texas. The Alamo was operated by the Daughters of the Republic of Texas until July 2015, when custodianship was turned over to the Texas General Land Office.[3]

On July 5, 2015, the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, along with the Alamo Mission in San Antonio, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.[4]

  1. ^ "Listing of acreage – December 31, 2011" (XLSX). Land Resource Division, National Park Service. Retrieved March 19, 2012. (National Park Service Acreage Reports)
  2. ^ "NPS Annual Recreation Visits Report". National Park Service. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  3. ^ Zavala, Elizabeth (July 10, 2015). "Daughters of the Republic of Texas conclude custodianship of the Alamo". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  4. ^ Associated Press. World heritage status for The Alamo, Japan industrial sites, Conroe Courier, July 5, 2015.

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