San Antonio is an exhilarating city helped to that level by its’ profound history dating back to the 1700s. And by its’ neighbor cities all around it.
San Antonio, the seat of Bexar (pronounced Bare) County (1837), is situated at the headwaters of the San Antonio River about 80 miles southwest of Austin. The second most populous city in Texas, it is, in addition, the seventh most populous city in the United States with a population pushing 1,500,000.
Spanish explorers first visited the site, then a camp of the Payaya Indians in 1691. Some years later, in 1718, a Spanish expedition from Mexico established the Mission San Antonio de Valero, later called the Alamo. A presidio (military garrison) known as San Antonio de Bexar was established nearby.
History
During its early years, the settlement suffered from raids by Apache and Comanche tribes. And from its’ founding and for thirty years, it became a military post. The mission was secularized in 1793 and became a military post functioning as a provincial capital, for those thirty years. But as time passed, it became a county seat of the Republic of Texas, later renamed San Antonio.
The arrival of the first railroad in 1877 brought folks from around the United States, Central America and Mexico while the city and its surroundings became a major military center during World Wars I and II.
These days the River Walk is a most popular attraction in San Antonio attracting thousands to it, folks who can enjoy a walk around the downtown area at least that along the river. And no doubt, you’ve heard of the Spurs, no not something you put on the back of your boots. Rather, a National Basketball Association team which has won numerous titles over the years.
The River Walk or Paseo del Rio is San Antonio’s outdoor centerpiece. Winding through the downtown area, its’ walkways are lined with shops and restaurants, San Antonio Missions National Historical Park preserves the Spanish Missions Nuestra Senora de la Concepcion de Acuna, Mission San Jose y San Miguel de Aguavo, San Juan Capistrano, and San Francisco de la Espada. The Mission Park is located along the Mission Trail which begins at the Alamo and extends 9 miles.
And lest we be remiss, another interesting factor in San Antonio’s history and present-day activity is the creation of the Conservation Society, “an organization established to preserve San Antonio’s history in architecture, the remembrance of housing from a long time ago.” Today, with respect to the Conservation Society’s efforts, we, you and I, can visit landmark houses in the city that take us back many, many years in time when architecture would have been an established and creative perspective.
Take a tour!
