San Antonio Missions

The San Antonio Missions are a World Heritage Site located in and near San Antonio, Texas, United States. The World Heritage Site consists of five mission sites, a historic ranch, and related properties. These outposts were established in the early 1700s by Catholic religious orders to spread Christianity among the local natives. These missions formed part of the colonization system of New Spain that stretched across the Mexican Northeast in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. With the independence of Texas and the Mexican-American war, they became part of the United States in 1848.