Technological Local Field Trip

San Antonio Misión, Concepción

By : Kimberly HerreraJanuary 18th, 2009

1886Mission Concepcion

From the north, Mission Concepción is the second mission still standing along mission road.

Even though missions were self-contained communities. The missions of San Antonio communicated, and offered mutual aid to one another.

Here at the rock query you can see the mission Indians scouring for new limestone to finish building the mission wall.

The missions were created with the most abundant material in the area, limestone.

Mission Concepción completed construction in 1731 along with the remaining two mission's of San Antonio, Mission San Juan and Mission Espada.

The natives of the mission The missions were built by local Native

Americans called the Coahuiltecans (kwa-weel-te-kans).

The Spanish soldiers taught the mission dwellers how to defend the mission from the nomadic natives in the area, the Apache and Comanche.

Pros & Cons to mission life

Cons-When the natives chose to join the mission they were expected to give up their own religion, culture, traditions, and names.

Pro-Natives gained shelter, clothing, protection, security, and year round food.

As you can see from the picture, the height difference of the Coahuiltecans and present day generations.

My daughter is about 3'8. Making the height of the natives about 5 foot.

Concepción is the only unrestored stone church still standing in the United States.

The architectural style is Spanish Baroque with Moorish arches and windows.

Teaching with stones The beauty of the

missions stem from their unique design.

To help diminish the language gap between the Spanish and Natives, the stones of the missions served as a functional purpose.

Different symbols represented Christian traditional faith markings.

An entrance way from the sanctuary at Mission San Jose into the chapel room, show

an architecture designed with shells and leaves through out the door frame.

Here is an artistic symbol above a pillar in the church at Mission San Jose.

Representation Face of an angel-

means heavenly messengers that serve a link between God and man.

Pomegranate- is the symbol of the church and its expansion, traditionally a sign of fertility and the blood of Christ.

Rose- is a reminder to man of the splendor in paradise.

The mission bell The missions were more then churches.

The church kept order and structure over the mission community.

The community consisted of a church, farm, and village.

The bell scheduled daily fast, feast, prayer, and work.

The mission bell still runs today, and sets the schedule for the daily/weekly mass services.

The mission flag

The flag flew over all of Spain's colonial empire missions in America until 1785.

The flag was known as the Cross of Burgundy after King Philip I, and his father King Charles I.

Water sources The main source of

water for the village came from the well in the center of the mission, typically close to the church.

Other supplies of water came from the Aqueducts.

Aqueducts To follow the flow of

gravity, the aqueducts typically were built north or northwest of the missions.

The water from the aqueducts were primarily used for irrigation.

Mission Espada to the south, has the oldest Spanish aqueduct system in the United States.

Mission Concepcion does not have remains of its aqueducts still standing. Photo by:

glasssteelandstone.com

Prayer Shrine

Located in front of the church was a cemetery for the friars, and villagers deceased.

Presently the cemetery has been covered up, and a prayer shrine is located in its place.

To this day people still light candles for their loved and lost family members.