San Antonio Missions Website Analysis

This source was a website on the history of the San Antonio Missions, a National Park. There are pictures, text, and even links to diaries of the first hand experience on the website. The website made was a great introduction into the beginnings and everyday life of the Missions. There was a lot of information on the people that lived and worked to build the foundation for the city that would become San Antonio. Another intriguing topic found on the website was the reason for settling. Settlers did not just come to spread their religion and did not just land anywhere. This area had the resources to support a growing culture. A culture that would blend to create the diverse nation that would become San Antonio
The San Antonio Missions started

The farming and ranching is how they made a living and provided themselves. The lush area and river provided by what would be San Antonio were great foundations for living and working. The San Antonio Missions was now a progressing society. In order to protect their community they needed workers to protect and build their wall of protection. “Along with the missions, a system of frontier military outposts, or presidios, was built as a means of protecting Spain's expanding territory. Generally these presidios were manned by a small force of soldiers. Wherever missions were built, a presidio was sure to be established nearby.” (nps) The people that lived in this community were required to contribute and work these jobs. The community needed workers to grow crops and carry out day to day operations. Besides working they also had the Church. The church was the center of their lives and was a major part of why they had settled similar to the Franciscans. “Daily life was centered around the church with its summons to worship and prayer, the fields, the workshops, and the classrooms. Conversion was encouraged when living in the missions, and required in order to become Spanish citizens.”(https://www.nps.gov/saan/learn/historyculture/history2.htm ) One of the main reasons for settleing was to convert the natives who were the when converted became part of the

The relationship between the Natives and settlers was hostile and a misunderstanding. Of the many settlers there were the Franciscans who were responsible for protecting the Natives and converting them to the Catholic church. The Natives were a big part of the missions they were there before the missions were built, they were introduced to the language and religion of the settlers. Some of the Natives worked with the settlers, built alliances and joined the community, getting jobs and practicing the religion. Outside Indians tribes did not feel the same way they attacked the missions and threatened the settlers. The local natives were not on the same side as the Indians and too felt the intimidation of the the several Indian tribes. This intimidation was one of the reason the local natives were so willing to acclimate to the settlers. Through the conforming of the local natives, they married and had started populating the area with Mestizos.The Mestizos were the growing population of Indians and Spanish. The Mestizos would be the majority and become the leaders and foundation of the new