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Monday 9am - 5pm Tuesday 9am - 5pm Wednesday 9am - 5pm Thursday 9am - 5pm Friday 9am - 5pm Saturday 9am - 5pm Sunday 9am - 5pm

San Antonio Missions National Historical Park

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San Antonio Missions National Historical Park

San Antonio Missions National Historical Park is a unit of the National Park Service. Please be considerate of others' opinions.

Please be aware that hours vary at each Mission Site
Mission Concepcion: 9 am- 5 pm, Monday-Sunday
Mission San Jose: 9 am- 5 pm, Monday- Sunday
Mission San Juan: 10 am- 5 pm, Monday-Sunday
Mission Espada: 10 am- 5 pm, Monday- Sunday

Page Expectations and Guidelines:
Welcome to the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park page. We hope this will become a place where you feel comfort

able sharing information and experiences about San Antonio Missions NHP with one another. While this is an open forum, it is also a family friendly one, so please keep your comments and wall posts clean. In addition to keeping it family friendly, we ask that you follow our posting guidelines here. If you do not comply, your message will be removed. We do not allow graphic, obscene, explicit or racial comments or submissions, nor do we allow comments that are abusive, hateful or intended to defame anyone or any organization. We do not allow attempts to defame or defraud any financial, commercial or non-governmental agency nor do we allow comments that suggest or encourage illegal activity. External links do not constitute official endorsement on behalf of the National Park Service or the Department of Interior. Comments, posts or external links that do not contribute to dialog and discussions about San Antonio Missions NHP may be deleted. You participate at your own risk, taking personal responsibility for your comments, your username and any information provided. Federal regulations prohibit advertising on government sponsored web pages. This includes promotion or endorsement of any financial, commercial or non-governmental agency. Statements or external links that drive viewers to commercial web sites are considered advertising. Such posts and/or links are subject to deletion. People who continue to post prohibited content and/or links may be subject to page participation restrictions and/or removal from the page. We reserve the right to determine whether the intention of a post is to advertise a commercial venture. These rules are ultimately subject to emerging National Park Service social media management policies, and therefore may change as conditions warrant. For official information about San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, please visit our Web site at: http://www.nps.gov/saan/index.htm

Thanks!

06/12/2026

This week, we’re highlighting a small but charming native wildflower, the Widow’s Tears, Narrowleaf Dayflower, and Hierba del pollo, but mostly known as the Erect Dayflower.

This dayflower is a delicate, low-growing plant with tiny, bright blue flowers that typically bloom for just a single day. Despite their brief appearance, these flowers are a favorite among bees and other small pollinators. It grows in sunny to partially shaded areas, often appearing in open fields, along trails, or in lightly disturbed soils. Its resilience allows it to thrive in a variety of conditions across Texas.

Though small in stature, the flower reminds us that even the tiniest blooms support wildlife and add beauty to our natural landscapes.

Image: NPS Photo/ Andrew Shirey

06/09/2026

Long before the San Antonio Missions stood along the San Antonio River… this land was beneath the sea.

Around 90 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period, much of Texas was covered by a warm, shallow ocean teeming with life. Ancient marine creatures such as ammonites, giant clams, sea urchins, corals, and mosasaurs swam through these waters. When many of these organisms died, their shells and skeletal remains slowly settled to the seafloor.

Over millions of years, those remains were compressed and transformed into the limestone layers that still shape South Texas today.

Centuries later, Spanish colonists and Indigenous communities quarried these same stones to construct the amazing structures now part of San Antonio Missions. Different types of limestone—including tufaceous limestone, quarry block limestone, and Austin limestone were used in the walls, churches, granaries, and other structures that still stand today.

So, on World Oceans Day, the missions remind us that the story of this place began long before human history. The stones beneath our feet carry the memory of an ancient sea and the countless marine creatures that once lived here.

06/06/2026

Long before modern fi****ms, one of the most effective hunting tools in Texas was the atlatl (pronounced AT-lat-ul), and today is National Atlatl Day!

An atlatl is a spear/dart-throwing device that acts as an extension of the arm, allowing hunters to launch darts farther, faster, and with greater force than by hand alone. For thousands of years, Indigenous peoples across Texas relied on this remarkable tool to hunt game ranging from deer and antelope to smaller animals, helping provide food, clothing, and materials for their communities.

The atlatl has a long history in Texas, with archaeological evidence showing it was used for thousands of years before the bow and arrow became widespread around 1,200–1,500 years ago. Even after the bow and arrow arrived, knowledge of the atlatl remained part of many Indigenous traditions.

What makes the atlatl so impressive? A skilled user can throw a dart over 100 miles per hour, greatly increasing both distance and accuracy. This ingenious invention demonstrates the creativity, innovation, and deep environmental knowledge of the people who lived on this landscape long before the missions were established.

Today, archaeologists continue to find evidence of atlatl use throughout Texas, helping us better understand the lives of the region’s earliest inhabitants.

Have you ever seen an atlatl demonstration or tried throwing one yourself? Was it harder or easier than you thought?

NPS Photos/ Andrew Shirey

06/05/2026

This week's Flora Friday, we’re highlighting a plant that’s as tough as it is striking. Can you guess what it is?

With its long, rigid, dagger-like leaves, this plant is well adapted to the hot, dry conditions of South Texas. Those sharp tips aren’t just for show; they help protect the plant from being eaten by animals.

In the spring and early summer, the Spanish Dagger sends up a tall flowering stalk covered in clusters of creamy white blooms. These flowers aren’t just beautiful, but they share a fascinating relationship with a specialized pollinator known as the yucca moth, which depends on the plant to reproduce.

Historically, yucca has also been an important resource for people. Its tough fibers were used for making rope and baskets, while other parts of the plant had practical and cultural uses.

Next time you’re out on the trail, keep an eye out, but give this plant a little space. Those “daggers” are sharp!
Image: NPS Photo/ Andrew Shirey

06/01/2026

Dinosaur?! At San Antonio Missions??
We know what you’re thinking: “I came here for history… not Jurassic Park.” But the story of dinosaurs is literally built into the San Antonio Missions. (Spoiler: It’s limestone.)

Long before Mission San José or any mission bells echoed along the San Antonio River, this whole region was part of a warm, shallow sea. Think beach vacation...just 100 million years early. While dinosaurs strolled along ancient coastlines, the waters here were full of ammonites, giant clams, corals, and marine reptiles having the time of their lives.
When those prehistoric creatures eventually settled to the seafloor, their remains slowly transformed into the limestone later quarried to build the missions.

The tufaceous limestone, quarry block limestone, and Austin limestone you see throughout the park? Yep—each piece carries a whisper from the ancient ocean. Some stones even show fossilized shells if you look closely. Found any yet?

And if you really want to level up your dinosaur knowledge, head west to Big Bend National Park. The Fossil Discovery Exhibit tells the tale of creatures that once ruled the region, including Quetzalcoatlus—a flying reptile roughly the size of a small airplane.

So this National Dinosaur Day, remember, our park isn't just historic—they’re prehistoric. These walls are built from stories far older than the missions themselves… stories of ancient oceans, long‑gone creatures, and a Texas landscape that looked nothing like today’s.
Pretty rock‑solid history, right? 🦖✨

NPS Photos/Andrew Shirey

05/29/2026

This week's Flora Friday, we’re featuring a bold and beautiful wildflower that thrives in tough conditions. The Prickly Poppy!

With its large, delicate white petals and bright yellow center, prickly poppy can look almost fragile, but don’t be fooled. This plant is built to survive. Its bluish-green leaves are covered in sharp spines, helping protect it from being eaten and allowing it to thrive in dry, open areas across Texas.

Prickly poppy is often one of the first plants to appear in disturbed soils, making it an important pioneer species that helps stabilize the ground and pave the way for other plants to return.

Like many resilient plants, it comes with a warning as its sap can be toxic, so it’s best admired from a distance. Next time you’re out on the trail or even along the roadside, keep an eye out for this striking flower standing tall in unexpected places.

Image: NPS Photo/ Andrew Shirey

05/27/2026

What comes to mind when you think about symbols and logos?

Maybe it’s an emblem, a familiar icon, or a design that instantly communicates identity. Long before our modern world of graphics and branding, San Antonio Missions was using simple, powerful symbols to share identity and ownership.

Mission livestock brands served as distinctive marks tied to each mission community. These symbols identified cattle, horses, and sheep roaming the open range and reflected the missions’ expanding economic presence throughout South Texas. In many ways, these brands acted like early visual signatures—straightforward designs that represented an entire community and its values.

Today, (on World Marketing Day) these historic livestock brands remind us that the power of visual identity and storytelling is nothing new. Whether burned onto livestock centuries ago or displayed on signs and screens today, symbols continue to help people express who they are and what they stand for.

05/25/2026

Today we pause in reverence and remembrance for the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country.

Sacred spaces and our history remind us that freedom is not free and that the stories of sacrifice stretch across generations and landscapes.

On this Memorial Day, we honor the memory of those who gave their lives defending the ideals of liberty and justice. We invite you to reflect, remember, and carry forward their legacy of service.

Image Credit: NPS Photo/Andrew Shirey

05/22/2026

It's already Flora Friday!
This vibrant plant brings bold color to the Texas landscape! The Red Yucca.
Despite its name, red yucca isn’t a true yucca, but it shares the same tough, drought-tolerant nature that helps it thrive in hot, dry environments. Its long, narrow leaves form a dense base, while tall stalks rise up with clusters of tubular red/coral-colored flowers.

These blooms are a favorite for hummingbirds, which are perfectly adapted to feed from the plant’s tube-shaped flowers. Bees and other pollinators also stop by, making red yucca an important contributor to the local ecosystem.

Because it requires very little water once established, red yucca is often used in landscaping throughout Texas. Helping to show that native plants can be both beautiful and resilient.

Next time you’re out on the trail, look for those bright flower spikes you might just catch a hummingbird in action!

Image: NPS Photo/ Andrew Shirey

Address

6701 San Jose Drive
San Antonio, TX
78214

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm
Saturday	9am - 5pm
Sunday	9am - 5pm

Telephone

+12109321001

Website

http://www.nps.gov/saan

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