San Antonio Missions National Historical Park preserves four Spanish frontier missions along the San Antonio River—Concepción, San José, San Juan, and Espada—within a broader historic mission landscape that also includes the Espada Aqueduct. Founded as Catholic outposts within Spain’s colonization of the Southwest, several of these missions began in East Texas before being moved to San Antonio in 1731. Together with the Alamo, they form a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Authorized in 1978 and established in 1983, the park protects both mission buildings and related cultural and natural areas, while parts of the missions remain active parishes, preserving a living religious and community role.