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Mission San José Then and Now

Since its founding in 1720, secularization in 1790, government changes, and the extensive reconstruction and preservation efforts that began in the 1930s, Mission San José has stood as a testament to both change and endurance. Across more than three centuries, its evolving structures reveal not only the stories of the past, but the remarkable resilience that has kept this historic mission standing for generations.

Explore these photo comparisons to see how much has changed, and what has endured through time.

Mission San José's Church Facade

black and white photo of a church black and white photo of a church

Left image
Mission San José church in 1870.
Credit: Figure X. Photograph of painting by Theodore Gentilz, Mission San Jose y San Miguel de Aguayo, San Antonio, Texas. Courtesy of St. Mary's University Collection, General Photographs Collection, UTSA Special Collections. Identifier 068-0447.

Right image
Mission San José church today.
Credit: NPS Photo

View from the front of the Mission San José church in 1870 vs today. 

Mission San José's Convento

black and white photo of a the convento black and white photo of a the convento

Left image
Mission San José convento in 1917
Credit: llen Schulz Quillin, Mission San José, San Antonio, Texas, 1917, Photograph, Roy W. Quillin Collection, General Photographs Collection, UTSA Special Collections, San Antonio, TX, Identifier 074-0180.

Right image
Mission San José convento in 1994
Credit: NPS Photo

View of Mission San José's Convento from 1917 and 1994

San José Amphitheater

black and white photo of stone stuctures outside black and white photo of stone stuctures outside

Left image
Amphitheater in 1938
Credit: stage, San Antonio Light on March 16, 1938. Institute of Texan Cultures

Right image
Amphitheater in 2025
Credit: NPS Photo

Camposanto/Burial Grounds

black and white image of grass and a stone wall black and white image of grass and a stone wall

Left image
Camposanto in 1953
Credit: Snow, Werner Vera. "North indian Quarters." Photograph, 1953.  Werner Vera Snow Slides. In San Antonio Missions National Historical Park Digital Drives.

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Camposanto 2025
Credit: NPS Photo

Convento Garden

black and white photo of stone arches black and white photo of stone arches

Left image
Convento Garden in 1935
Credit: James and Juarez, Architects. Mission San José Cultural Landscape Report. San Antonio, TX: Prepared for the National Park Service, Southwest Regional Office, 1995. 

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Convento Garden in 2025
Credit: NPS Photo

Central Mission San Jose Compound

black and white photo of a stone church arches with trees around black and white photo of a stone church arches with trees around

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Mission San Jose in 1887
Credit: Mission San José, 1887, Photograph, San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, Orphaned work on SDrive.

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Mission San Jose today
Credit: NPS Photo

Exterior of Granary at Mission San Jose

black and white old image of a stone granary with buttresses black and white old image of a stone granary with buttresses

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Exterior of Mission San Jose Granary from 1936
Credit: Historic American Buildings Survey, Arthur W. Stewart, Photographer, September 23, 1936 WEST ELEVATION OF GRANARY. - Mission San Jose y San Miguel de Aguayo, Mission Road, San Antonio, Bexar County, TX Photos from Survey HABS TX-333. https://www.loc.gov/i

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Exterior of the granary today
Credit: NPS Photo

Tags: san antonio missions national historical park, mission san jose, photos, preservation, cultural landscape

San Antonio Missions National Historical Park

Last updated: May 6, 2026