Part Two San Antonio. SW USA 2024: The Canadian Coddiwomplers*
*Coddiwomple: “to travel in a purposeful manner towards a vague destination."
San Antonio – Mission Reach
On Sunday, after watching the Harcourt live stream, we cycled south on the River Walk trail along the Mission Reach. Our first stop was at the San Jose Mission for a Mariachi Mass. This was an amazing service with Mariachi music provided by guitars, flute, violin and a small chorus. Very moving.
Here is a brief (1:40) video: https://youtu.be/teisFvQkEao
The Mariachi Mass was introduced by a local nun after hearing a similar mass in Mexico. She approached the Ortas family to provide the music and it has been a tradition in San Antonio since 1969. The extended family have led the choir and the mariachi group for three generations. Their Sunday performances are almost always at Mission San José.
The service was in Spanish and neither of us speaks Spanish but I recognized enough words to know that the priest was talking about Jesus as a physician or healer and there was a story about a still-born baby that lived. About 2/3 into the sermon, the priest asked if there was anyone who didn’t understand Spanish. Three of us raised our hands and he went on to summarize his sermon in English but without the details of the story. What I came away with is that Jesus is a healer but to be healed, we must be willing to tell Him about our pain - physical, mental or spiritual.
The missions in San Antonio have a very long and interesting history. The first one to be built in 1718 was called Mission San Antonio de Valero. It is now the site of the Alamo – more on this one in the next blog.
The Spanish government wanted to increase and protect their colonies and they expanded into what is now Texas. The five missions were established at the northern frontier of New Spain. However, there were not enough Spanish people to settle the area and Spanish citizens were necessary to keep the French and later the Americans out of Spanish territory. The purpose of the missions was to convert the indigenous people to Catholicism, teach them a “taxable” trade and have them become Spanish citizens.
Many of the native people did choose to give up their nomadic lives to farm at the missions in exchange for protection and a reliable source of food.
The five missions were active for between 70 and 100 years but were eventually secularized in 1824. This meant a transition from official mission status to ordinary Spanish society – the lands were divided among the resident natives. The missions were always meant as a transition step into community. In 1792, Father José Francisco López inspected the San Antonio missions and recommended that all five missions be secularized. The “native” peoples while still keeping some of their culture were essentially Spanish and any “Indians” still in the wilds had no interest in converting. Since the missions had completed their original task of establishing Spanish communities, closing them was expected, and would free up the missionaries to pursue other endeavors. Valero (Alamo) was closed in 1793 and the other four were closed by 1824.
Presently, the four missions south along the river make up the San Antonio Missions National Historic Park. All five missions have been designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The land around the actual churches belongs to Texas; however, the churches, with the exception of the Alamo, belong to the Catholic Church and regular worship services are held in each parish.
Mission Espada
We had a lovely day cycling along the pathway and visiting the rest of the missions - Mission San Jose (1720), Mission San Juan Capistrano (1731) and Mission Espada (1731). We also saw the Espada Aqueduct, which is east of Mission San Juan.
Mission Espada was mainly an agricultural mission and created the aqueduct to irrigate the crops.
We managed to get a tiny bit lost at the San Juan mission, we couldn’t find the way south to the next site; but then again, Jerry keeps saying we could get lost in our own backyard! Along the Riverwalk we discovered beautiful and interesting sculptures.
The ride back was into the wind and uphill/upriver but our trusty trikes made it easy and we got home safe and sound.
On Monday we had a lunch date with Mel and Jay of HomeARoam fame. We met halfway near Bulverde, north of San Antonio. Mel and Jay have a YouTube channel and post videos of their adventures travelling. Jerry has followed them for several years now and we first met them in person when we visited Hope, BC where they live.
What’s really cool is that Mel, a veterinarian technician, used to work at The Cat Clinic in Guelph. We had a great visit with them.
https://www.youtube.com/@HomeARoam
So long for now.
Love from,
Jerry, Elizabeth, Misty, FJ (Flat Jesus), the Guys, Miss Adventure Too, and Clifford the Big Red Truck.
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