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Building the Missions of San Antonio in Texas marked the beginning of big changes in the way people lived and in the culture of the region. The Missions remind me of the churches in Santo Domingo, which were built earlier, following the arrival of Christopher Columbus in America in 1492, and also by the Franciscans. The first mission I visited was the Mission of San Francisco de la Espada (Saint Francis of the Sword), founded in 1731, next to the San Antonio river. The mission was built as a community with its own self-sufficient economy. There was a wall around the mission to protect the residents from outside invasion. It protected the church, the warehouses and the homes. Some parts of the wall still stand.
La construcci�n de las misiones de San Antonio en Tejas marc� el principio de grandes cambios al modo de vivir de la gente y a la cultura de la regi�n. Las misiones me recuerdan las iglesias en Santo Domingo, que se construyeron anteriormente, desde la llegada de Cristóbal Col�n a las Am�ricas en 1492. Primero me detuve en la misi�n de San Francisco de la Espada, fundada en 1731 al lado del r�o de San Antonio. Las misiones fueron construídas como comunidades con sus propias econom�as. Eran amuralladas para la protecci�n, no solo de los habitantes, sino tambi�n de la iglesia, de los almacenes y de las casas contra invasi�n ajena. Todav�a quedan partes de la muralla.
You pass through the entrance gate, where you can see the red bricks that were hand made at the mission itself.
Se entra por la portada, donde se ven los ladrillos rojos fabricados a mano en la misi�n misma.
This maps shows how the mission as it once was.
Este mapa muestra la misi�n como era antes.
The convent and the church stand intact.
A�n quedan el convento y la iglesia.
Everything else is in ruins.
Todo lo dem�s est� en ruinas.
There is a well in front of the convent.
Hay un pozo en frente del convento.
The convent is impressive.
El convento es impresionante.
The interior of the church has been destroyed by fire, but the walls stand intact.
El interior de la iglesia fue destruído por un fuego, quedando el exterior sin da�os.
The church was restored and is in use today.
La iglesia restaurada a�n se usa.
The building on the left has the information booth.
En el edificio a la izquierda est� la oficina de informaci�n.
Read a history about the Espada Mission, and also at another link.
Aqu� puede leer una historia sobre las misiones de San Antonio.
Link:
wikipedia
La Espada
San Juan
La Espada Aqueduct
San Jos�
Concepci�n
History and Information
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