The five San Antonio missions
The names, in full
Every one of these is a Spanish name and every one of them has an accent that matters. Getting them right is the least a site about them can do.
| Short name | Full formal name | Founded | In the national park? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mission Concepción | Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción de Acuña | 1716, in East Texas | Yes |
| Mission San José | Mission San José y San Miguel de Aguayo | 1720, here | Yes |
| Mission San Juan | Mission San Juan Capistrano | 1716, in East Texas | Yes |
| Mission Espada | Mission San Francisco de la Espada | 1690, in East Texas | Yes |
| The Alamo | Mission San Antonio de Valero | 1718, here | No |
One name to be careful with. Mission San Juan Capistrano here is not the California mission of the same name, and a great deal of what you will find online about “Mission San Juan Capistrano” is about the other one, roughly 1,300 miles west. If a page about it mentions swallows, you are reading about California.
The four in the park, north to south
They sit in a line along the San Antonio River, two to three miles apart, with about 15 minutes of driving between the northernmost and the southernmost on an average day. The Park Service puts the whole run at about 6.5 miles, though its own segment distances do not quite add to that figure, so treat it as the park’s number rather than a measurement. How far apart they really are takes that apart properly.
Mission Concepción
Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción de Acuña. Founded in 1716 in East Texas and transferred to the river in 1731, after what the Park Service calls “a tenuous existence and several moves”. Its stone church took about 15 years to build and was dedicated in 1755, and it is the one with surviving painted decoration: the roofs held, which is why the frescoes did too, though only four rooms clearly show them now. It is also the northernmost of the four and the closest to town — the Park Service measures it at about three miles south of downtown. It is one of the two missions VIA route 42 reaches, and it is the closest to the river trail: the Theo Parkway trailhead is 0.6 miles west of it, which the park calls a 12-minute walk or a 4-minute bike ride. There is a ranger programme daily at 10:00 am. The parish number is (210) 533-8955.
Mission San José
Mission San José y San Miguel de Aguayo. Founded in 1720, with its Writ of Possession signed on 23 February 1720 — the only one of the four founded where it stands. The Park Service calls it “the largest of the missions” and records its nickname, the Queen of the Missions; its limestone church began in 1768, and its Rose Window is described by the park as the premier example of Spanish Colonial ornamentation in the United States. There are also the granary, the grist mill, the convento arches and the reconstructed quarters. This is the one to see if you only see one, and the practical reasons stack up with the fabric. It holds the park’s only visitor centre, the Gente de Razón film, the bookshop and by far the most ranger programming — guided walks daily at 10:00 and 11:00 am, about 45 minutes each, entirely paved. It is the park’s pass-issuing station. It is on route 42. And its Sunday noon Mariachi Mass, in Spanish, is the one service at any of the four that this site will name a time for. The parish number is (210) 922-0543.
Mission San Juan
Mission San Juan Capistrano. Founded in 1716 in East Texas as Mission San José de los Nazonis, reestablished on the east bank of the river on 5 March 1731 and renamed then. Its distinctive feature is a demonstration farm, fed by a historic acequia and run with the San Antonio Food Bank, which the park says shows “what the labores surrounding Mission San Juan Capistrano would have looked like”. It is the first of the two that the bus does not reach, which is most of what you need to know about planning for it. Its Yanaguana Trail is paved and ADA accessible, one of only two accessibility specifics the Park Service publishes for any individual site here. There is a ranger programme daily at 10:00 am. The parish number is (210) 534-3161.
Mission Espada
Mission San Francisco de la Espada. The oldest foundation of the four by a long way: the Park Service states that it “was the first mission in Texas, founded in 1690 as San Francisco de los Tejas near present-day Weches, Texas”, and it reached the river on 5 March 1731 under its present name. The friary dates to 1745 and the church was completed in 1756. It is the far southern end of the park and the far southern end of the trail — roughly seven miles one way from the Blue Star area if you are riding down. Its ranger programme is the only afternoon one in the park: a looming demonstration, meaning weaving at a loom, daily at 3:00 pm inside the museum. That single time shapes more itineraries than anything else in the schedule. The parish number is (210) 627-2064.
All four churches are working parishes, and the park will not promise you a door
This is the most under-reported practical fact about the missions. The Park Service states that “all four churches within the boundaries of this park are active Catholic parishes”, each holding regular services, and then adds the sentence that matters: “Due to these churches being active parishes church hours vary.”
The park’s 9 to 5 covers facilities and grounds. It does not promise that any given church interior is open, and a wedding or a funeral can close one on any day of the week. Phone the parish if a specific interior is the reason you are going — the four numbers are above, and the etiquette page has the rest.
The fifth: the Alamo
Mission San Antonio de Valero was founded in 1718 — the Park Service writes that “beginning in 1718, five mission communities formed along the San Antonio River”, and this was the first of them. It is a mission by origin and a separate institution by every other measure. It is owned by the State of Texas through the Texas General Land Office and run day to day by Alamo Trust, Inc., a Texas non-profit. Both halves of that sentence are worth carrying; most pages give one and drop the other.
Practically, that means the park’s arrangements stop at its edge. Entry to the church is free but reservations are required, the Collections Center is $14 and $10, the hours are its own, and no ranger programme or park pass touches it. Why the Alamo sits outside the park is worth ten minutes before you plan a day that includes both.
Where the Alamo is counted with the others is UNESCO. The 2015 inscription names all five missions plus a ranch, which makes six components in total, of which the national park runs four. The World Heritage listing explains the arithmetic and the ranch.
Seeing them
The four park missions are free to enter, free to park at and free to be shown round by a ranger, which is covered on the tickets question. The difficulty is not money, it is that route 42 stops halfway down the line, so Mission San Juan and Mission Espada need a car, a bike or a tour — the transport page has the detail. If you have time for one or two rather than four, which mission to choose argues it out, and the order to take them in is decided more by the ranger timetable than by the map. And because three of these four began somewhere else entirely, which one is oldest has three answers rather than one.
The Park Service pages behind the fees, the hours and the church information all still carry a last-updated date of 5 May 2025. Nothing on them looks unstable, but they are the pages this site leans on hardest, so check nps.gov/saan before you travel rather than after.
Frequently asked questions
What are the five missions in San Antonio?
Mission Concepción, Mission San José, Mission San Juan and Mission Espada, which are the four inside San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, plus the Alamo, whose mission name is Mission San Antonio de Valero. The Park Service states that the Alamo is not part of the national park.
What are the full names of the San Antonio missions?
Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción de Acuña; Mission San José y San Miguel de Aguayo; Mission San Juan Capistrano; Mission San Francisco de la Espada; and Mission San Antonio de Valero, which is the Alamo.
Is the Alamo one of the San Antonio missions?
Yes and no, which is why it causes so much confusion. It is the fifth mission by origin and it is included in the 2015 World Heritage inscription, but it is not part of the national park. The State of Texas owns it through the General Land Office and Alamo Trust, Inc. operates it, so its hours, its reservations and its prices are its own.
How far apart are the San Antonio missions?
Between two and three miles apart, in a line running north to south along the river. The Park Service puts the whole run at about 6.5 miles and about 15 minutes of driving from the northernmost to the southernmost on an average day. Mission Concepción is about three miles south of downtown.
When were the San Antonio missions founded?
Mission Espada in 1690, Mission Concepción and Mission San Juan both in 1716, the Alamo in 1718 and Mission San José in 1720. Only the Alamo and Mission San José were founded on the San Antonio River. The other three began in East Texas and were transferred here in 1731, two of them on 5 March.
Which San Antonio missions are still active churches?
All four in the national park. The Park Service states that all four churches within the park boundaries are active Catholic parishes holding regular services, and that church hours vary because of it. The park’s 9 to 5 covers grounds and facilities, not the church interiors.