Mission San Juan Capistrano




Mission San Juan Capistrano was founded in 1731 by the Spanish Catholics of the Franciscan order to convert Native Americans to Christianity. Although this mission was not as successful as other neighboring San Antonio missions, by 1756 there were over 200 neophytes living in Adobe huts at the mission. The original capilla (chapel) was built from brush and mud. The building you see today was rebuilt in part by a public works project in 1934 and a reconstruction project completed in 1960s. The church is now a part of the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. 


Mission San Juan Capistrano was not as successful as other Spanish missions in part because lands allotted to the mission were not sufficient for crops or grazing. The mission was also vulnerable to attacks from nearby competing Native American tribes (mostly Apache and some of those feared horse riding Comanche) and was essentially abandoned from 1820 to 1840.


There are still ruins from the other buildings and an unfinished church at San Juan Capistrano, located on the East bank of the San Antonio River. At it’s peak in 1762 there were over 1,000 cattle, 3,500 sheep/goats, and 100 horses. The Spanish were pretty good at keeping livestock records. 🐄 🐑 🐐 The main church remains an active parish to this day. I’d like to go to a service here! Anyone want to go conmigo? (I may or may not have stolen the first photo idea from the brochure, let’s call it *inspiration* 😉)




-WAM-
September, 2021

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