A Native Texas Mission

Abundant resources from the Texas terrain made construction of the Mission possible, and in 1758 native people built it from local limestone. After the Franciscan priests left, it was largely abandoned, and the structure crumbled until only a few walls recalled a once-thriving community. The gray limestone walls are largely remains of the 1758 construction, while white plaster walls were reconstructed by the Works Progress Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps. By 1935 the Mission was in ruins, and the CCC, with the help of Texas architect Raiford Stripling, reconstructed the structure by cutting local limestone, rebuilding damaged walls, mixing plaster, and firing bricks from freshly dug clay in a kiln. The ruins serve as a memorial to those who lived and worked there.

Texas · United States