Mission: San Jose II.
Here are more pictures from my Visit to San Antonio, Texas. This is one of many Missions that I visited on Thanksgiving 2006. I hope you enjoy the photos as I did. "Recordar, es volver a vivir". (2/16/2007)
You may need to read the first part before you continue. Click here to read the 1st part.
After visiting the convento, I went to the back of that building. There is not many things to see, but I do enjoy every detail of old places, each corner, each rock from the walls.
Crossing the door from the previous photo, I found two interesting stones. Do you have any idea what are those round stones?
Wheels? Stone wheels? No way!
Those stones were used (and some countries still using it) to crush grains. Those are grindstones or mill stones.
This is THE MILL. By means of acequias or ditches, this mill, [the oldest in Texas, it was built about 1794] was run by water from the San Antonio River.
It was part of the effort to add wheat to the traditional indian diet based on maize. [Maiz] The mill also produced flour for surrounding settlements, and therefore helped establish Mission San Jos� as an important part of the growing San Antonio community.
The lower part of the mill is original, however, a sign on the site indicates "The structure here today was built on the original site in the 1930". The upper room is restored. The mill wheel was restored on 2001.
After powering the mill, the water was conducted through the lower ditch to irrigate the fields. Water from the acequia flowed thru a wooden chute and turned the horizontal wheel of the mill in the lower vault. A drive shaft turned the grindstone in the room above.
I didn't went inside the mill, there was too many people, kinda crowded.
After visiting the mill, I went to the north corner, this is a nice and cozzy place to walk with your beloved one together.
This is another photo of the north corner entrance.
Crossing the north corner entrance, there is a small museum previous to reach the granary.
The museum shows some of the diet that people had at that time. Hot peppers, snakes and "iguanas" are part of the diet. By the way: Iguanas taste like chicken.
Here are three "cocinas" to make meals for the monks. At that time, those items are "top of the line appliances" on the kitchen.
At the exit of the "museum", there is the Granary; a huge building used to save grains. [duh!]
This is the west entrance at the south side of the Granary.
Here are two more wells. Those wells were used to get water. I guess the water from the river was not clean enough. Making wells at that time was not an easy task.
Do you wondering what is inside that wells? Ok... lets see:
There is nothing else than sand, some mexican coins, dimes, pennies, cigarrete butts and sticks.
Can you find the little iguana?
This is the entrance at the west side. Interesting how those cactus (know as "nopales") grow at any place.
Finally I'm back to the main entrance. I really enjoyed my visit to this place. Some areas of this place reminders me when I was a kid and... oh well, that is another story.
Source: Mission San Jose.
| < Mission: San Jose. | Homepage trips Index |
Nikon Coolpix L10 Software glitch> |