Mission Concepción

Mission Concepción was more than a church; it also functioned as a village, fort, school, farm, and ranch. At the missions, the Franciscans gathered native peoples together, converted them to Catholicism, taught them Spanish culture, and sought to establish Spanish control of the Texas frontier. Indian families lived in rooms along the interior of the compound walls, thick limestone walls defended the mission community from attacks by Indians, the church stood at the center of religious activity and mission life, and Indians of the mission raised crops and livestock in nearby fields and outlying ranches.

San Antonio, Texas · United States