Last updated: May 20, 2025
Place
Rancho de las Cabras
NPS Photo
Quick Facts
Location:
Rancho de las Cabras is managed by the National Park Service as part of San Antonio Missions National Historical Park in San Antonio, Texas. You can visit Rancho de las Cabras as part of a guided tour with a park ranger from San Antonio Missions National Historical Park.
Significance:
Rancho de las Cabras served as a mission outpost for the San Francisco Mission Espada, which is about 30 miles north. Both missions were on the San Antonio River, which played a vital role in shaping Texas.
OPEN TO PUBLIC:
No
Amenities
2 listed
Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Picnic Table
Tucked away in a protected prairie are ruins belonging to one of the first ranches in Texas.
You can only visit Rancho de las Cabras as part of a guided tour with a park ranger from San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, this site is not accessible without a reservation.
What is Rancho de las Cabras?
In 1731 Mission Espada was one of three missions re-established on the San Antonio River from what is now East Texas. In addition to the land necessary for the mission's compound, each mission was granted land for farming and ranching. Espada's grazing lands became known as Rancho de las Cabras, the Goat Ranch.
A ranch stone compound was built on this land sometime after 1758. These structures housed the Native Texan vaqueros (cowboys) and their families who maintained the herds.
Las Cabras, located within 30 miles of Mission Espada, provided livestock for the inhabitants of the mission. With secularization in the late 1700s and early 1800s, the ranchlands passed into the hands of former mission inhabitants and settlers.
Archeology matters! Find out what the earth reveals about Rancho de las Cabras.
Read more about the forgotten outpost that helped make Texas the cowboy and cattle capital.
Site Information
Location: Floresville, Texas
From October to March, monthly tours are open for reservations.
Program length is approximately 2 hours. Reservations required with limited availability and first come first serve. To reserve your spot please saan_interpretation@nps.gov and include your name, email, phone number and # in party.