San Antonio: City of Missions

A historical and architectural overview traces the city’s evolution from an indigenous settlement through Spanish mission and presidio foundations, settlement by Canary Islanders, and successive political phases under Spanish, Mexican, republican, Confederate, and United States governance. It recounts mission construction and secularization, the siege and fall of the Alamo, and the demographic and economic shifts that followed, including Anglo-American immigration, cattle-driving and railroad eras, and growing military significance. Illustrated descriptions highlight surviving mission architecture, parks and river improvements, and the city’s continuing mix of historic sites alongside modern development.