Comal Springs in New Braunfels, Texas, are the state’s largest concentration of naturally occurring freshwater springs, fed by water moving through the porous limestone of the Edwards Aquifer. For centuries, the springs attracted people and served as an important gathering place for indigenous groups of the region, often the Tonkawa. The first recorded Spanish visitor, Damián Massanet, came in 1691, and a Spanish mission was later established there, where settlers called the place Las Fontanas. The springs also support distinctive plant and animal life, including the fountain darter, and their setting along the Balcones Fault adds ecological importance to their long cultural and recreational role in central Texas.