Guenther House

On the same day we visited the last 2 Missions, we decided to find a nice place to eat.  Jeff actually found Guenther House, which is along the Riverwalk.

Little did I know at the time that this would be my only view of the San Antonio Riverwalk for this visit!  It looks quite peaceful and residential.  This is not the very commercial side of the Riverwalk, but it was a nice setting for this restaurant!

This charming front step is the original front door to the house built by Carl Hilmar Guenther, the founder of Pioneer Flour Mills, in 1859.  It has been restored and now houses a restaurant, museum, gift shop and special events venue.  The entrance to the restaurant is at the back of the house.

It was quite a popular place for lunch on the day we visited (before the virus scare really set in), and we had to wait for a table.  While waiting we decided to explore the house a bit, and found a couple of rooms restored to their former glory that are now part of the museum.  I love the view from one of the balcony windows, looking onto the San Antonio River below.

The gift shop sold a variety of souvenirs, adorable aprons and even flour that is still produced in the flour mill.  The large millstone (center of photo) is the original millstone used in the flour mill – a nice piece of history on display!

While exploring, at the very top of the house, is a lovely roof garden.  Formerly, it was the ballroom of the house.  I thought it would be a charming place for a smaller shower, or even wedding reception, and guests can step out onto the terrace to get a nice view of the river, and some lovely breezes.

There are two places to eat – outside in what is called The Arbor, an open patio with an arched canopy and ceiling fans and inside with the Art Nouveau style of the 1920s.  We said we’d take first available seating and ended up in the inside.  What lovely leaded glass all around the upper portion of the walls, above the larger windows, except for the pot from which the ivy grows!  Also, check out the dragon lights!!!  Oh, and the food was tasty, too!  Jeff opted for lunch – delicious champagne chicken enchiladas, while I opted for a decadent breakfast of Belgian waffles with whipped cream and strawberries!  Yum!! 

Enjoy!!

Mission Conception

The last mission that we visited on this trip was Mission Conception.  At 250 years old, the church at Mission Conception is one of the country’s oldest original stone churches.  However, much of the Mission today is not standing, so our visit encompassed visiting what we could of what is at least partially standing.  Also, there is one more Mission on the San Antonio Mission Trail, The Alamo.  However, due to the CoVid-19 scare, we did not get to visit that mission on this trip.  I’m glad we got to see what we did, and now, let’s take a look at Mission Conception.

The first thing we noticed on the Mission grounds was technically not truly a part of the Mission.  It was The Quarry, and was the source of the stone for building Mission Conception, as well as Mission San Jose, the previous Mission we saw.  Workers used pick axes to cut lines in the limestone rocks, and bars and wedges to pry up the rocks from the ground.  Stone masters then shaped and finished the stone.  Although the quarry is much, much smaller than quarries we tend to see today, remember this was a quarry from 250 years ago, with all stone removed manually.

The grounds of Mission Conception are primarily in ruins, with a few exceptions.  Along the side of the church, there is an outside corridor (above image).  The corridor runs alongside the rooms of the Convento at Mission Conception – among those are the kitchen (outside ruins), refectory and library, where an example of the art that can be found inside the buildings (image below).  The art is a blend of Christian, Spanish and Native art elements. This art work was restored in 1988.

Here’s a nice view of the front of the church.  Unfortunately, we could not get inside the church, as they are in the middle of renovating it.  These outside walls used to be covered in colorful frescos, but we couldn’t see any evidence of those today.  

As we walked back to the exit, we noticed some other buildings not noted on any maps of the Mission.  I also took an image looking through the doorway of a ruin that spoke to the resiliency of nature, as there is greenery growing where there once was a building.

Enjoy!!

Mission San Jose

The third mission we explored was Mission San Jose, about mid-way between Mission Espada (the furthest Mission) and San Antonio.  It certainly was another beautiful day for exploring!  There is a road that we drove down to get from mission to mission called, appropriately enough, Mission Road.  This road, though, was used 250 years ago to carry residents, information, supplies, other goods, and warnings of attacks from other Indian tribes (primarily Apache and Comanche).  Today, it primarily carries curious tourists!

Before we walked through the gate, we noticed the bastion on the corner of the mission.  Once we were inside the gate, we found we were able to walk into the bastion, a first among the missions we visited so far.  The inside was very interesting – painted white clay, small windows just large enough for a rifle barrel to fit through, and a wooden ledge upon which the soldiers or citizens defending the mission were stationed.

The bastion also had a window that looked inward, toward the center plaza of the mission.  I don’t often get the opportunity to take both an inside looking out and outside looking window photo, so I took advantage of this one.  One interesting thing to notice is how thick the walls were!!

The entry gate for tourists to enter is open, with the wooden gate doors removed.  However, throughout the mission, other gates still had the wooden doors attached.  Also, one of the gate keys was on display – very large, difficult to mislay!!  Inside the mission walls, Indians lived, worshipped and made up a thriving community, along with the Spaniards.  They learned to blacksmith, weave on European looms, cut stone and make shoes and cotton clothes.  Those who worked outside the mission tended the fields, known as labores, orchards and the livestock.  The population fluctuated, and sometimes reached as high as 300!

The Indians lived in small houses (called jacales) around the mission walls.  In 1755, 84 of these houses lined 3 of the 4 mission walls. The houses may look like little more than shacks to us today, but things were different then.  Every few houses, there was an Earth oven outside.  Most people cooked outside their living quarters in those days so as not to make the houses too hot inside during the warmer months.  Along each of the four mission walls, there was also a well, so people could get water for cooking, drinking and washing.

The center plaza of the Mission was where larger gatherings would have been held, and certainly celebrations of many kinds.  There are also some rocks jutting out from the trees.  Those rocks are the foundation (or what’s left) of workshops where Indians learned skills such as blacksmithing, cutting stone, etc. We made our way around the plaza area to get closer to the mission church.

This section of the building that was connected to the church was called the convent.  Today, we think of a convent as a home for nuns, but back in the late 1700s – 1800s, a convent was where missionaries lived and visitors were housed.

As we approached the convent, it was interesting to see the “layers” of windows, from the front of the convent to the rear.  As we stepped into it, it appears today to be a nice arched walkway.  It was that back in the day, but this walkway also led to rooms off to the right in the lower image.

In these two images, you can better see that this convento was a 2-story building, with rooms on both floors.  Of course, the floorboards are long gone, but it’s interesting to see how sturdy the foundations are!

Here’s a nice image of the side of the mission church.  You can see Jeff (turquoise shirt) walking away from what looks like a small tower or staircase.  We’ll get to that in a minute – but first, notice the carving window toward the lower right in the image (below the dome).  This is known as the Rose Window, which is a wonderful example of Spanish Colonial ornamentation in the US.  Legend has it that the carver of the window, Pedro Huizar carved this as a monument to his lady love, Rosa.  Tragically, on her way from Spain to join him in the US, she was lost at sea.  A more down to earth reason for the window’s name is that it is named after St. Rose of Lima, the first saint of the New World.  I’ll let you decide which story you prefer!

Back to the tower/staircase – I waked up to it, taking in the stone structure and the rather cute little oval window – it almost looked like it was a practice window for the larger fancier Rose Window I mentioned before.  I then looked between the gate that closed the steps off to tourists.  The interesting thing about this stairway is that the construction is all wood.  Jeff and I have seen staircases like this before, but they were always concrete.  The middle image is looking up at the underside of the stairs.  As I said, I couldn’t get in there to look up at the steps, so I just put my camera through the bars, pointed it up, and hoped for the best!!  Oh, and no, I have no idea where the steps led!

Walking around the small step tower, we came to the front of the church.  As we rounded the corner, we first saw the bell tower and church dome.  Then, I noticed the intricate carving on the outside of the church – truly amazing when you think about the timeframe when the Mission was built.  We did step briefly into the church, and the sacristy was very ornate.  And, finally, just outside the front of the church, there were a few headstones.  This one is from a missionary, I assume, named Juan who died in 1893.

Just outside the church, there was a small museum.  The lighting in there was quite dark, and I couldn’t get photos of many things in there.  One thing that I was able to photograph was a map of the world, circa 1565!!  I had to shoot it from the side or I’d get too much glare, as the map is protected under glass.  As you can see, there’s a bit of glare showing, but it was the least amount I could manage.

After the museum, we walked past some additional Indian homes, and came to quite a pretty gate; this one with an iron gate.  The iron gate was even prettier as we walked back in (middle image).  And, where were we headed?  Read on!!

In about 1874, the Mission wanted to begin to grow wheat, in addition to corn.  A mill was built, which was the first in Texas, and the flour produced here allowed for the wheat to be processed.  This wheat flour was also provided to the other missions in the area.  The upper portion of the mill that we are able to see today, (top photo) is one that was rebuilt in the 1930s to be as close to the original as possible.  The lower portion of the mill is original (middle photo).  Water from the acequia (irrigation ditch) flowed from the San Antonio Rive, through a wooden shoot and allowed the wheel in the lower vault to turn and grind the wheat into flour (lower photo).

After returning to the Mission proper from the Grist Mill, we saw a few more exhibits, reflecting what life may have been like in the Mission for both Indian and missionary alike.  I must admit, I really like the look of the fireplace!!

After the exhibits, we visited the Granary, where much of the grain was held and then distributed to those within the Mission and to others from different Missions.  I do admit being a bit curious about the light fixtures hanging from the ceiling – they seem a bit fancy for a storage building!!  I’ve also included a photo of the window in the Granary – it gave such lovely light when we were there.

The last images I want to share are just some images that also speak to the overall feel of being at the Mission, including a rather light-hearted cacti garden!!

Enjoy!!

 

Mission San Juan

The next mission that we visited was Mission San Juan.  In today’s world, the two missions are only about 5 minutes away from each other – per our GPS, about 2.8 miles.  But, back in their day, I’m certain the trip between the two took quite some time. 

Missions were truly a hub of commerce during their time.  A document, dated 1797, is a list of supplies from a pack train inventory.  This train (most likely a mule train) made a trip from central Mexico, and some of the items they had for sale were incredibly expensive.  In today’s dollars, a pound of fine chocolate would cost about $28!  A robe for a Franciscan priest cost just under $700!  The above image represents one view through a wall to the center plaza of the mission where goods were bought and sold.

This area is the site of a burial ground for the Indian people and other locals. Beginning in about 1780, people were buried in this area, which was to be a church.  However, the church was never completed.  Their remains were removed in an archeological dig in 1967.  In 1999, they were re-buried in this area in a ceremony that was attended by descendants of the original people, and the Archdiocese of San Antonio.  The two photos (above) are photos of the burial ground, both from the side, and then over the top of the grounds through what would have been a door to the church.

About 7 miles of irrigation ditches watered the many fields around Mission San Juan.  The main irrigation ditch, called acequia madre, had gateways along its trail, where water would be allowed in or turned off, as determined by the mayordomo, who decided how much water was to flow where and for how long.  Water was so important to life in and around the Mission, land was measured in suertes, the area that could be watered in a single day.  The fields were quite fertile, and one quart of seed would result in six bushels of corn at harvest.  A ranch outside of the Mission was also quite prosperous, raising about 3500 sheep and 3000 heads of cattle.  Work curing hides and making other instruments and tools from this livestock took place inside the Mission.  As you can see, the waters are still flowing today and beyond the immediate surroundings of the Mission (as we saw afterwards when Jeff checked Google Earth), are still reliant on these waters for their crop fields.

There are not many remaining structures in Mission San Juan, at least not above ground.  Per archeological and old Spanish records, there is belief that this Mission was home to about 200 people at one time.  There was a page of the 1778 census in a small on-site museum, and although it’s just about impossible to read, I thought it was a nice piece of the history of this Mission to include, along with some partial structures still standing.  

The main gateway into the Mission was monitored by a potero, in a sense a monitor or gateway guard to the Mission.  Traders had to show their papers before being allowed to enter.  The porter lived in a small house, called a porteria, which was next to the main gate, and housed the small museum.  Shown here (in clockwise order starting in the upper left corner} are the door to the porteria, the overhead arch, the gateway, and the outer wall of the porteria.  The porteria door now leads to the small museum, mentioned above.

The church in the Mission is actually quite small.  However, small, it is an active church, with masses every Sunday at 10:30am (English) and Noon (Spanish).

As we completed our walk around the Mission, leaving the Church and heading toward the Priest’s House, Jeff noticed these markings on the sidewalk.  He didn’t know what they were, but my Catholic upbringing helped me to recognize them as markings for the Stations of the Cross. 

Enjoy!!

 

Mission Espada

Mission San Francisco de la Espada was the final mission of the three established in 1731.  We decided to visit the missions in reverse order relating to their closeness to San Antonio, so it became the first mission we visited.  

The missions of San Antonio weren’t just churches, which many people may think today.  They were, in fact, small communities.  Each had a church, and also a farm and ranch.  The Franciscan friars taught the natives to act as Spaniards, and converted them to the Catholic religion.  There were 6 missions – five of them flourished.  In the above image, you can see the remains of the quarters where the Indians lived.

Before the Franciscans arrived, Texas was like a large country without highways, walls or buildings.  However, in the span of a single lifetime, the Coahuiltecan Indians were farming at Mission Espada and learning about laying brick and stone.  The mission community echoed traditions of Europe in the Middle Ages, and the Indians’ world was changed forever.  I really like getting images looking through windows – reminds me of what some of the Indians may have seen from their homes.  The “Indian quarters”, as they are referred to, make up the outside walls of much of this mission.

Ladrillos were a type of brick used in the Mission construction in the 1800s.   These bricks are thinner and wider than bricks of today.  They closely resembled the size and of Roman bricks.  They are obvious in the doorway image above.  There’s even some hint of it in the church window.  And, here I thought they were just some nice decorative touches on the doorways – who knew some history was involved?

Mission Espada was especially vulnerable to attacks from both the Apache and Comanche Indians.  Along one wall was an area where reinforcements would protect the Mission.  It was located on either side of the main entrance to the Mission, altho one side had more of a building.  At times, only 2 soldiers and their families were at Mission Espada, so families from the nearby village of San Fernando were called upon to help.  Experience at other Missions proved that for a mission to survive, constant, even if small, military presence was needed.  Records indicate that only 16 flintlocks and two swivel guns (small, wall mounted cannons) were used to protect this Mission. On the other side of the main gate is a wall with “loopholes” in it, through which guns were fired at the attackers.

The church at Mission Espada was actually in a couple different locations.  The first church is the main church that stands today.  It was the smaller of the two churches, although it looks quite large and majestic in my images!  There is what appears to be a low wall that winds around one side of the church.  These are foundations laid in 1742 for what was planned to be an expansion of the church.  However, when the master mason abruptly left the mission and the area, work ceased and the larger church was never built. The second church was first built to be a granary, but then was used as the church for 3 years, when the mission population grew.  You can only see the foundation today. When the population fell again, they moved out of the “granary” building back into the “little” church. During the years 1716 – 1773, over 1000 people were baptized at the church.  Along the side of the foundations, one can see the areas used to anchor the wooden arches of the building, both as granary and church.  

When it was used as a granary, the women of the area would come each week and receive corn, based on their situation (i.e., married, with children, widows).  The Franciscans introduced many new foods and spices, such as cumin, oregano, pepper, cinnamon, saffron, garlic and rosemary, to the people who lived here.  Chilies and corn were already staples in the native’s diet.  Interestingly, the foundations of the granary/church reflect the footings for the curved arches that formed the ceiling for when it was both the church and granary (image on the left).  The image on the right reflect the foundations of what is called the “new granary”.  I didn’t find any explanation of this – my assumption is that it was built for the period of time that the first granary was used as a church. 

The current church was first built as a sacristy, but later used as the church.  Interestingly, the front façade of the church, along with the door, are original and over 200 years old.  I’ve also included images of the well alongside the church, and the walkway between what I’m assuming was the rectory and the church.  It’s truly a lovely shaded walkway that sort of invites one to sit and reflect, doesn’t it?

This final image includes a sort of main feature in the center plaza area of the mission – an old oak tree that has many of its branches on the ground.  Can you imagine the history it has lived through?  The circular bastion in the other image was added after the Mission was secularized, in 1824.  Intense fighting occurred at this Mission during the Texas Revolution, in 1835.  

Enjoy!

Note:  Much of the narrative in this blog post was pulled directly from the information stands throughout the mission.

Driving Through the Past

When driving down the secondary roads in New Mexico, I always feel like I’m revisiting the Past.  Primarily, I feel like we’re driving through the remnants of the Old Wild West.  After I took these images, I did adjust them to reflect the way I feel when looking at them, both in person and the image.

Windmills may not remind me of the Wild West, but they do remind me of days gone by, when the windmills were used for pumping water for the herds of cattle of other livestock.  It’s fairly rare (in my experience) to see windmills in such good shape, with all the blades intact.  This one didn’t have any sort of water tub nearby, so it’s hard to know if it was used to pump water or not, but it is a nice reflection of the past.

This old building was not an old homestead.  We think it may have been an old storage building, used to house hay or other crops before shipping to town.  However, it was storage – of that we’re fairly certain.  I really loved the pattern that the bricks seem to make along the side and the front of the building.  It’s also fairly easy to see through the windows, as there is no glass left in any of them.

And, finally, this lonely looking tree is also symbolic of not only livestock grazing in the past, but in today’s world, too.  It looks pretty barren now, but imagine it full of green leaves in a few months, where the cattle (or whatever) can gather for a bit of shade as they rest during the day.

Enjoy!