San Antonio is a city that is not only beautiful but is also full of history. We as natives of San Antonio go about our daily lives in a rush and sometimes forget to take a step back and look at the past. I had just that opportunity. To go to a very popular monument here in San Antonio. My college Humanities class was asked by our professor to go to the Alamo and write an entry on this blog about our experiences there. It has been quite some time since I had been to the Alamo and I was looking forward to seeing this historic landmark again. We were also asked to go a bit more in depth and answer a few questions regarding how we view the Alamo. We as Americans and Texans in particular see the men who died at the Alamo as heroes. These men are heroic legends in Texas who fought off the evil Mexicans. There is however two sides to every story and the story of the Alamo are no different. Not only did Anglos fight at the Alamo but native Texans of Mexican decent also fought and died there. When walking through the Alamo the focus seems to be on the well known heroes that fought here and very little is there that pays homage to the others who fought here as well. In other word we as Americans see this battle as white people who fought off Mexicans. There were however many people of Mexican descent who without their contributions Texas may still be part of Mexico. These are the little mentioned unsung heroes of the Alamo. We need to acknowledge their contributions to this cause. The Alamo is very well kept with three main buildings for you to walk through as well as a beautiful garden you can walk through as well. This trip was a good experience for me and I encourage you to go somewhere historic near where you live and experience some history. I also ask that you try and get the story of any historic event from both sides and all involved in order to get a complete view of what really happened.

The Dam at Mission Espada

My Humanities class was recently asked to write an essay on a number of topics that relate to the mission system in San Antonio Texas. I chose to write my essay on the dam that is on the grounds of Mission Espada in San Antonio Texas. This Dam is connected to an acequia system that was used to bring water to crops. Acequia's are ditches that channel water from the dam to crops. This acequia system at Mission Espada is the only acequia system in the whole United States. This was a marvel of engeneering when it was constructed in the mid 1700's. This acequia system was vital for the Spanish because it was essential for the farming of crops. When the spanish arrived here they had the task of teaching Native Americans a new way of life. This included converting a hunter and gatherer society into a society that could learn to farm and no longer had to constantly move around in search of food. Without the dam and corresponding ditch system the crops the spanish and natives were attempting to grow would die in times of drought. With a constant food supply the spanish had stability and could use their energy on teaching the natives the catholic religion and spanish ways. This dam system was dependant on a source of water. This water source was the San Antonio River. If you look at the layout of the Missions in San Antonio They are all along the banks of This river. Without this river the Missions would not have been able to function. Now I am going to discribe the way the dam functions in more detail so you can get a clearer picture of the layout of the dam and acequia. The san Antonio river sits right at the edge of Mission Espada and the dam is built on the river. The water at the dam will dam up and eventually the pressure of the current will force the dam to overflow. This is exactly what the makers of the dam wanted. With the water that is flowing over the dam they dug ditches (or Acequias) to catch this water. The ditches ran down to the fields where the crops were planted and now the crops had a constant supply of water in order to grow. This was a very well built dam and proves this in the fact that people who farm near Mission Espada in the current time still use the dam and acequia system to water their crops. The Area around the dam is lush and very green due to the fact that there is never a shortage of water in this area. The Mission is a very beautiful place and if you are ever in San Antonio I encourage you to stop by the mission and see for yourself this amazing place.

My Mission Espada Experience

All too often these days we as a community and a nation for that matter look towards the future. We are allways seeking to progress in our technology, our ability to make things more efficient and so on. This is a good thing in many ways however we must not forget all of the people who have came before us. We can look to the past for knowledge, inspiration and beauty. This past Monday I was able to take a step back in time and see a structure that has been in San Antonio for over 250 years. This structure is Mission Espada and it is on the Southeast side of San Antonio. Although this Mission is a shell of it's former glory there are still many imprerssive things to see here. The thing that probobly caught my eye first was this very well preserved church that stands at least three stories high. It must have been a grand sight back then with its three big bells chiming and its custom carved doors. Another innovative and interesting feature at mission Espada is the Acequia which were canals diverted from the San antonio river that gave the mission much needed water for the crops that grew nearby. This was the first spanish settlement in Texas. It was a self sustaining settlement that served as a place to convert the native americans and gain a foothold in Texas for the Spanish Crown.