page_title: Spanish missions in Texas
section_title: Mission San Francisco de la Espada
hierarchical_section_title: Spanish missions in Texas / Within boundaries of Spanish Texas / Mission San Francisco de la Espada
caption_attribution_description: English: Espada Acequia (1731 aqueduct). At the Mission Espada, present day San Antonio, Texas.]] A National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.
context_page_description: The Spanish Missions in Texas comprise a series of religious outposts established by Spanish Catholic Dominicans, Jesuits, and Franciscans to spread the Catholic doctrine among area Native Americans, but with
  the added benefit of giving Spain a toehold in the frontier land. The missions introduced European livestock, fruits, vegetables, and industry into the Texas area. In addition to the presidio and pueblo, the misión was one of the three major agencies employed by the Spanish crown to extend its borders and consolidate its colonial territories. In all, twenty-six missions were maintained for different lengths of time within the future boundaries of the state of Texas.
  Since 1493, Spain had maintained missions throughout New Spain to facilitate colonization. The eastern Tejas missions were a direct response to fear of French encroachment when the remains of La Salle's Fort Saint Louis were discovered near Matagorda Bay in 1689, and a response to the first permanent French outposts along the Gulf Coast ten years later.
  Following government policy, Franciscan missionaries sought to make life within mission communities closely resemble that of Spanish villages and Spanish culture.
context_section_description: The first mission established within the boundaries of Spanish Texas was San Francisco de la Espada.  In 1689, Spanish authorities found the remnants of a French settlement, Fort Saint Louis.  
  During their expedition, the Spanish met representatives of the Caddo people, who lived between the Trinity and the Red Rivers.  The Caddo expressed interest in learning about Christianity, and the following year Alonso De León led an expedition to establish a mission in East Texas.  It was completed near the Hasinai village of Nabedaches in late May, and its first mass was conducted on June 1, 1690.
  In its first two years of existence, the mission faced much hardship, as floodwaters and then drought destroyed their crops.  After an epidemic killed half of the local population, the Hasinai became convinced that the missionaries had caused the deaths.  Fearing an attack, on October 25, 1693 the missionaries buried the mission bell, set the building ablaze, and retreated to Mexico.
  The mission was reestablished on July 3, 1716, as Nuestro Padre San Francisco de los Tejas. In 1721, it was renamed Mission San Francisco de los Neches.  It was moved in 1731 to San Antonio where it was named Mission San Francisco de la Espada.  The surviving structure is now part of San Antonio Missions National Historical Park operated by the National Park Service. A commemorative representation of Mission San Francisco de los Tejas, is located in Weches at Mission Tejas State Park.
caption: Mission Espada's aqueduct
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