San Antonio, Texas - April 17th, 2019: Mission San Francisco De La Espada Catholic Church; Mission Espada Shutterstock ID 1577545378; your: Bridget Brown; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI Image Update

Natalia Silyanov/Shutterstock

Mission Espada

San Antonio

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The southernmost mission on the Mission Trail and part of San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, this site is home to the oldest mission in the east-Texas chain, dating to 1690. The church here was built between 1745 and 1756. This is the best place to check out the historic acequia (aqueduct) – the missions’ irrigation system that’s still in use today and has been designated as a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.

To drive from downtown, take St Marys St south until it becomes Mission Rd and then Espada Rd, following the brown signs indicating the direction to the missions.

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