San Antonio Missions World Heritage Site

All five missions in San Antonio, Texas, including Mission Valero (the Alamo) are a single UNESCO World Heritage Site, the San Antonio Missions World Heritage Site. Four of the five (Mission Concepción, Mission San José, Mission San Juan, and Mission Espada) comprise San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. Together they are the most complete and intact group of Spanish Colonial mission complexes in the world. Through these mission communities, the Spanish asserted political, religious, and cultural influence on its newly claimed territories. With labor recruited from Indigenous South Texans, the Spanish built these five missions on the northern frontier of New Spain. You can take the short drive between missions or walk or bike along the paved Mission Reach Hike and Bike Trail that connects these sites. All four missions within the park are active parishes and part of the San Antonio Archdiocese under the name of Las Misiones.

 

Mission San Antonio de Valero (the Alamo) is one of the five missions within San Antonio Missions World Heritage Site.

The Only UNESCO World Heritage Site in Texas

In 2015, a group of five Spanish colonial missions in the San Antonio area – including most of San Antonio Missions National Historical Park and the Alamo – were named a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The designation includes Mission Concepcion, Mission San Jose, Mission San Juan, Mission Espada, Mission San Antonio de Valero, Rancho de las Cabras, and their associated irrigation and agricultural features. This rare honor has been bestowed upon only 24 sites in the United States. The missions are the first and only World Heritage Site in Texas.

World Heritage Management Group

The World Heritage Management Group (WHMG) for the San Antonio Missions consists of the landowners for the missions, including the National Park Service, the Archdiocese of San Antonio, San Antonio River Authority, the City of San Antonio, Bexar County, and the Texas General Land Office. In addition to the agencies represented on the WHMG, there are three primary partners dedicated to helping achieve World Heritage goals: Mission Heritage Partners, Visit San Antonio, and the San Antonio Conservation Society. The World Heritage Management Group is an oversight body whose purpose is to continue the high level of coordination and partnering that was established as the World Heritage nomination was under preparation. This committee will assist management of the relevant authorities in reaching the goals stated in the next page and ensure that these cultural resources are protected in perpetuity. In 2023, the group, led by the National Park Service completed its first “periodic reporting” to UNESCO since the site’s inscription in 2015. The report reaffirms the integrity of the site’s globally significant resources and the dedication of this group. Learn more here.

 

The Native Quarters at Mission San Jose show a snapshot of daily life for the Indigenous and Mestizo people of the missions in the 18th Century.

NPS Photo.

Interweaving of Spanish and Indigenous Cultures

The cultural significance of San Antonio Missions National Historical Park reaches around the world. It is an extraordinary national and international treasure. San Antonio Missions National Historical Park is an example of the interweaving of Spanish and indigenous cultures that are a vital part of America’s heritage. The community that was formed here more than 300 years ago still is alive today, with rich traditions, and invalublae cultural resources these sites stand as a living memory of the immense change that was brought to the area.

Since its designation as a World Heritage Site, San Antonio Missions has seen an increase in international visitors to the site. The park draws visitors from around the world to San Antonio, providing an economic boost to the local community.

San Antonio Missions now joins a list that includes cultural and natural sites of universal importance such as the Grand Canyon, the Taj Mahal, and more.

 

San Antonio Missions World Heritage Site includes 5 missions, 1 Spanish colonial ranch site, 1 aqueduct (pictured here), and 13 miles of flowing historic acequias.

NPS Photo.

Learn more about this National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site on the City of San Antonio World Heritage Office webpage. You can also find our park audio tour on this site!

Inclusion of a site in the World Heritage List does not affect U.S. sovereignty or management of the sites, which remain subject only to U.S., state and local laws. Detailed information can be found on the UNESCO website.

 

San Antonio has received many awards for projects at the World Heritage Site. One example is the  Sister Cities International Award for Best Overall Program for a city with a population greater than 300,000.

NPS Photo.

Nominated in 2011, Designated in 2015

The site is the 23rd World Heritage Site in the United States out of more than a thousand inscribed worldwide.

The Department of the Interior undertook the nomination of the San Antonio Missions with the full cooperation and written support of all the property owners within the boundaries of the nominated area, including the National Park Service, the State of Texas, the Catholic Archdiocese of San Antonio, Bexar County, the City of San Antonio, the San Antonio River Authority, the Espada Ditch Company, the San Juan Ditch Water Supply Corporation, and Mission Heritage Partners.

Then-Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced the Department’s intention to nominate the missions as a World Heritage Site in June 2011.