San Antonio 1718

Three hundred years ago San Antonio was founded as a strategic outpost of presidios and missions on the edge of northern New Spain, imposing Spanish political and religious principles on this contested, often hostile region. The city’s many Catholic missions bear architectural witness to the time of their founding, but few have walked these sites without wondering who once lived there and what they saw, valued, and thought. San Antonio 1718 presents a wealth of art that depicts a rich blending of sometimes conflicted cultures -- explorers, colonialists, and indigenous Native Americans -- and places the city’s founding in context. The book is organized into three sections, accompanied by five discussions by internationally recognized scholars with expertise in key aspects of eighteenth-century northern New Spain. The first section, “People and Places,” features art depicting the lives of ordinary people. Such art is rare since most painting and sculpture from this period was made in service to the church, the crown, or wealthy families. They provide compelling insight into how those living in the Spanish Colonies viewed gender, social organization, ethnicity, occupation, dress, home and workplace furnishings, and architecture. Since portraiture was the most popular genre of eighteenth-century and early nineteenth-century Mexican painting, the second section, “Cycle of Life,” includes a selection of individual and family portraits representing people during different stages of life. The third and largest section is devoted to the church. Throughout the colonial period, Catholic evangelization of New Spain went hand in hand with military, economic, and political expansion. All the major religious orders—the Franciscans, the Dominicans, the Jesuits, and the Augustinians—played significant roles in proselytizing indigenous populations of northern New Spain, establishing monasteries and convents to support these efforts. In San Antonio 1718, more than 100 portraits, landscapes, religious paintings, and devotional and secular objects reveal the visual culture that reflected and supported this region’s evolving world view, signaling how New Spain saw itself, its vast colonial and religious ambitions, in an age prior to the emergence of an independent Mexico and, subsequently, the state of Texas.

By 1850, the frontier settlement of San Antonio had seen more than its share of hardships, Indians attacks, rebellions, and repeated military occupations. These events all marked the towns recent past. In 1854, though, the editor of the Alamo Star felt confident enough in the town’s progress to announce that the embattled outpost would soon be known as the “Queen of the West.” The Star, of course, capitalized on the name of the town’s most famous landmark—the Alamo. Although historians have written about the battle and the town, no one has yet adequately explained how they are connected to each other. A deeper look at the development of San Antonio shows that it was not only the site of the Battle of the Alamo, it was the center of much of the history of Spain, Mexico, Texas, and the United States. Queen of the West: A Documentary History of San Antonio, 1718–1900 takes readers through a series of important writings detailing how San Antonio transformed from an important but threatened outpost to a thriving Edwardian city. The author, Richard Bruce Winders, provides an introduction to each eye-witness account providing diverse perspectives on the history of San Antonio by the people who actually lived it. The author is an internationally noted authority on the topic of the Alamo. The work will be a valuable resource for students of history and teachers. The book draws together a body of work that readers would have a difficult time finding on their own. The cover art is by noted artist Don Yena.

This well researched and documented book recounts the unique history of water and water distribution in early San Antonio, Texas. The founding of San Antonio in 1718 was due to the presence of two major sources of water --San Pedro Springs and the headwaters of the San Antonio River. From these Spanish engineers designed seven major acequia systems that followed sometimes barely perceptible land contours downward. The history and remarkable expertise of those early engineers is recounted here. Photographs and maps of early San Antonio and urban San Antonio add to the story. The manuscript was completed shortly before the renown local San Antonio archaeologist died at the age of 70 years.

From a village of Tejas Indians has grown the modern city of San Antonio ... not completely modern, for there still remain many evidences of the past, even though towering skyscrapers mark the city as progressive and prosperous. San Antonio is filled with picturesque charm and interesting contrasts. Off busy downtown streets one will find in bold relief buildings, as well as customs, that date back to times when the city was settled by Spanish conquistadors. The Spanish, fearing encroachment in Texas by the French in the late seventeenth century, set out to make good their original claims by establishing forts and missions in East Texas. Captain Don Domingo Teran de los Rios was named governor of the new Spanish dominion and, in 1691 during a journey across Texas accompanied by Father Damian Massanet, missionary and explorer, paused here at an Indian Village. Mass was said on the site, a great many salutes were fired, and the place was named "San Antonio". No permanent settlement was established, however, but later other expeditions passing this way encamped here. The French explorer and trader, Louis Juchereau de Saint Dennis, claiming his interest to be the establishment of trade relations between Louisiana and Mexico, stopped near the headwaters of the San Antonio River in 1714, admired the charms of the place, and declared the location to be an ideal spot for founding a permanent community. St. Dennis' activity in the area aroused the Spanish authorities. Rivalry for the possessions of Texas broke out anew. In 1718 the Spanish viceroy, desiring a point midway between the East Texas Missions and the Spanish Presidio of northern Mexico, established here as a fortress the Royal Presidio of San Antonio de Bejar, and founded the mission San Antonio de Valero (The Alamo). 4 This step marked the real founding of San Antonio. Within the next thirteen years the building of four more missions got under way.

"This pamphlet outlines the history of the Post at San Antonio from 1845 to 1879 when the post and its facilities were located in downtown San Antonio. Included are the activities of the garrison in San Antonio, the Quartermaster Depot and the Army operations controlled by the regional headquarters in the city"--Page 2 of cover.

San Antonio was named for the Portuguese Saint Anthony of Padua when a Spanish expedition stopped in the area in 1691. The actual founding of the city took place in 1718 by Father Antonio de San Buenaventura y Olivares. The ?River City? is famous for the Alamo and the River Walk, the two most visited tourists attractions in the entire state of Texas, along with Sea World, Six Flags Texas Fiesta and a very strong military concentration. This book follows life, government, events and people important to San Antonio history and the building of this unique city. Spanning over two centuries and two hundred photographs, this is a must have for any long-time resident or history lover of San Antonio!

This easy-to-use guide gives you the history, highlights, and hot spots of the nation's eighth largest city. You get extensive listings of historical places, annual events, restaurants, accomodations, shopping areas, and more.