Acequias of San Antonio, Hildebrand Avenue & Minita Creek, San Antonio, Bexar County, TX

Significance: The Acequias of San Antonio were the Spanish colonial water supply and irrigation systems used to support the region's earliest settlements. Five of the nine acequias were built to supply water to the Franciscan missions at San Antonio, while the remaining four were built for general use by the community. The irrigation and water supply systems were essential to the life of Spanish colonial San Antonio because they provided the only dependable supply of water for crops and domestic use in the arid environment. The earliest acequia in San Antonio was the Alamo Madre which was begun shortly after the establishment of the town in 1718. It was followed by four other acequias dug in the 1720s and 1730s to supply water to Missions San Jose, Concepcion, San Juan, and Espada. Four subsequent community acequias were dug in San Antonio: the San Pedro, Upper Labor, Alazan and Valley systems. Two acequias, the Espada and the San Juan, remain in operation at the present time. The Espada acequia retains its original rubble diversion and original masonry aqueduct. Remains of other acequias are scattered over the city of San Antonio. One of the most interesting structures associated with the acequias is the restored grist mill at the San Jose Mission.
Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: FN-1
Survey number: HAER TX-1
Building/structure dates: 1718 Initial Construction
Building/structure dates: 1777 Subsequent Work