Alamo and the other missions: The other missions
The Mission Trail runs ten miles south along the river from Alamo Street, down S St Mary's Street and onto Mission Road. Mission Concepción and Mission San José can be reached via Texas Trolley from the Alamo Visitor Center (210/212-5395; $28); missions San Juan and Espada require a car. Each of the remaining four missions has been restored to act as an interpretive center illustrating some aspect of mission life (daily 9am-5pm; free), while the churches themselves still serve active parishes.Mission Concepción , 807 Mission Rd, with its distinctive twin towers and cupola, was built between 1731 and 1751. Colorful scraps of original frescoes can still be seen, along with bullet holes from rougher days. Exhibits here concentrate on the religious function of the missions. The 1720 Mission San José , 6701 San Jose Drive, which interprets the mission as a social and defense center, is the most complete of all, restored in the 1930s by the WPA. Other notable features include the beautiful carved-stone ornamentation, especially the ornate rose window. A Mariachi Mass is held here each Sunday at noon. Of the two smaller and more isolated missions, Mission San Juan , 9101 Graf Rd, has displays on agriculture (as well as a unique delicate bell tower), while Mission San Francisco de la Espada , 10040 Espada Rd, looks back on ranching at the missions.
Copyright Rough Guides Ltd as trustee for its authors. Published by Rough Guides. All rights reserved. The Rough Guides name is a trademark of Rough Guides Ltd.
Copyright © 2006 United States.biz
