Drawing of Mission Espada's compound as it may have looked in the 1780s, with modern buildings shown as gray shadows.

Several gateways provided entrance into the compounds of the walled communities. Bastions, or fortified towers, were located along the walls to provide defense. Living quarters were built inside, against the compound walls, for the Indian neophytes and Spanish soldiers, usually only one or two with their families. The Church was the focal point of the missions; the missionary lived in the convento. Workshops and storerooms dotted the grounds. Outside the walls were the croplands and ranches, and the danger of the Apache and Comanche.

The Church

The Native People

The Franciscans

The Spaniards - Peninsulares, Criollos, and Mestizos

Farming

Ranching

Caminos Reales