WOW IS IT EVER HOT IN TEXAS!
We had an errand to run this morning and while we were out we decided to go see the Mission San Jose before it got too hot! Well, let me tell ya, we missed the "cool period" for walking the grounds of this beautiful place.
We visited what is called "The Queen of the Missions".
In 1719, Father Margil de Jesus, a seasoned Franciscan missionary, was at Mission San Antonio de Valerlo (today's Alamo), awaiting the opportunity to re-establish missions in east Texas. Before too long, he saw the need for another mission in the San Antonio River valley.He wrote the then governor of Texas requesting permission to establish a second mission south of San Antonio de Valero. He felt he was prepared to establish this mission at once as he had the necessary church goods with him, even a statue of Saint Joseph.
Permission was granted and on February 23, 1720 the founding ceremonies took place. Although the church itself wouldn't be built for forty eight more years, a community was started.
The Franciscan friar's intent was to convert indigenous hunters an gatherers into Catholic, tax paying subjects of the King of Spain. The Indians' struggle for survival against the diseases brought to them by the Europeans and the raiding by the Apaches led them to the missions and to forfeit their culture. Everything changed for these people. Diet, clothing, religion, even their names. They were required to learn two new languages, Spanish and Latin and they even had to learn new jobs.
As we walked to the main building we passed these long row of what were the homes back in the day.
This is how they cooked. These brick ovens served several families in addition to the fireplace that each "apartment" had.
Their lives became very regimented in the mission. Everyone was given religious instruction everyday. Church bells summoned them to worship three times a day.
Following a sunrise mass everyone went home to their quarters for breakfast and then it was on to their new jobs. Some went to the fields to work and others went to the tailor, textile, carpenter and blacksmith shops. Still others worked as masons, weavers, irrigation ditch builders and at the lime kilns. The women folk were kept busy preparing food, fishing, sweeping dirt floors and of course tended to their children.
We walked towards the main building and took some pictures of the grounds.
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San Jose operated as a mission for 104 years and during that time over 2000 Indians were baptized. Today, families that still worship there continue in the faith taught to the mission Indians.
We went inside and it was just amazing!
The National Park Service preserves and protects the living heritage of the people transformed here and the stone structures they built.
We made our way the visitors center if for no other reason than to get out of the heat.
We took our time looking at the exhibits and we watched a short movie about the place.
They are getting their own quarter! This will be part of the quarter designs the Treasury Department trots out every once in awhile.
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