After we had ridden about 3 miles, I noticed a sign for the Espada Aqueduct. We turned around and rode our bikes about 1/2 mile off the Riverwalk to the aqueduct.
The need for irrigation for all of the missions is why the Spanish constructed seven acequias, five dams, and an aqueduct. It was constructed by the Franciscans who served the missions in 1745. Amazing! Water flowed through a little canal also on top of the aqueduct.
After our little aqueduct detour, we decided to ride our bikes to the furtherest mission, Espada, and then stop at the other two missions, San Jose and San Juan, on the way back. The bike path seemed very familiar to me but it wasn't until we went inside the grounds of the Mission Espada that we realized that this was the one mission (besides the Alamo) that Chuck and I visited in November of 2013 (see Mission Espada).
When we arrived, they were still holding mass but within just a few minutes, the service was over and the crowds were being warmly greeted by their priest. In fact, all of the missions are still active Catholic churches.
This architecture of this mission is so simple and beautiful.
Last time we were here, we did not get to go inside of the chapel previously but it is just as simple and beautiful on the inside as it is on the outside.
After touring the grounds, we got on our bikes and headed back north on the Riverwalk.
The flower are beautiful along the Riverwalk right now.
We crossed the river and came in the back side of the Mission San Jose.
We parked our bikes and began touring the grounds.
Like all of the missions, San Jose's chapel has been completely restored although its renovation is not quite as true to the original as Espada. Before picture:
And this is how it looks today.
We spoke with a park volunteer who explained that the Catholic church is still responsible for the church building and any office or residence for the priest but the National Park Service takes care of the grounds and surrounding structures.
After we left Mission San Jose, we stopped at a nearby park and ate our picnic lunches.
Our last stop for the day, was the Mission San Juan which is located within a mile of the campground. We went inside the visitor center and found this picture of a store at Mission Espada (the first mission we visited today) that operated in the 1930s.
We also learned from the information in the visitor center and on a ranger-guided tour of the grounds the purposes for the missions. For Spain, when they began to try to colonize the western world, they did not have enough people (citizens) to prevent conquest by the French who were also trying to colonize the New World. These missions converted native peoples to Catholicism and taught them to live as Spanish citizens which was a means of expanding and securing the Spanish empire. The Spanish expected that the missions would only last about 10 years and then the land would be given back to the native peoples and the missions would become secularized and become a buffer against other European nations wanting the same territory in the New World.
For the Missions, as originally conceived, it was an act of evangelism -- not buildings. A mission was a movement to spread and promote the faith and to save souls.
As we began the tour of the grounds, we could see the bastion to the far right circular room where they would protect themselves from attacking Commanche or Apache.
We entered the gate...
...and immediately saw the Mission San Juan church building.
The Indian families would live in two room "apartments" within the walls themselves.
From inside the bastion, you could see the rifle holes.
They also had communal outdoor ovens because in the summer it was way too hot to be cooking over a fireplace inside.
We next began walking towards the San Juan chapel.
Much of the church has been restored. Some restoration was begun in the mid-1800s. A couple of Franciscan priests from Pennsylvania came but because it was during the Civil War, the priests were fearful of the locals and did very little to restore the chapel. They did some brick work (where the red brick is located)...
and built this pillar. but that was about it.
We walked by the Rose Window...
The smaller tower to the right of the bell tower contains steps...
...which is the only way the bell tower or the choir loft is reached. There was also a "smearing" of what the outside facade formerly looked like. Very colorful!
Just about every part of this church building including the roof have collapsed and then been restored with the most recent $2.12 million renovation occurring in 2012.
The only part that has never collapsed is the intricately-carved ornate front of the chapel.
While the doors on the front of the cathedral were not original, the doors going into...
...and out of the sacristy were original.
The outside of the back of the church building was amazing and I had fun taking a lot of pictures here.
We left the Mission San Juan and headed back up the Riverwalk to the campground.
The Riverwalk was very busy today with a lot of people out enjoying the nice weather. We stopped to watch these kayakers...
...head down the paddling trail canal.
When we got back to the campground, both Bonnie and I got all of our laundry caught up which we were very glad to do. Ken and Bonnie invited us to their place to share some chicken wraps which were delicious with some Sweet & Spicy flavored Tabasco sauce. Hot lips!
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And then Chuck and I cooled them down by sharing some of our homemade chocolate ice cream we had in the freezer. :)
What a great day biking and exploring the San Antonio missions! And how very blessed we are to be sharing this gift of a day with such wonderful friends! :)
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