The first stop was Mission Espada at the bottom of the map.
This one had one of the most intact grounds and building foundations. There was a funeral going on in the church building so no pictures. This tree was kind of interesting though I'm not sure what kind of tree it was.
This is right near the entrance looking down through the Indian quarters which were built along the walls of the mission.
The next one north was Mission San Juan. This one looked a lot more finished with the white finish over the rock walls. The rocks used on this building were a lot larger. I didn't look at the dates for original construction and rebuilding. All of these were operated by the National Park Service so I did pick up stamps for each location.
The next one was Mission San Jose. The church doors were open. They had several museum displays showing what life was like in the 18th century. I particularly liked the wooden downspouts attached to the flat roofed buildings to direct water away from the walls.
The inside of the Mission San Jose church. This location also had an open visitor center and had National Park Passport stamps for the four locations we visited today.
That tree? It's a mesquite. There are a half dozen or so native to the region. We asked a ranger about them when we were there earlier this year.
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