Technical Considerations of the Growth and Evolution of the Spanish Colonial Irrigation System in San Antonio, Texas

Summary

San Pedro Springs and the San Antonio River provided an ample water supply which enticed the Spanish to establish missions, a presidio, and villas in the vicinity.  Harnessing and diverting the flow of water became one of the important challenges the Spanish faced in developing successful agricultural fields.  Construction of the first irrigation ditch began shortly after the founding of Mission San Antonio de Valero.  Throughout the Spanish Colonial period and into the very early 1900s, the irrigation system was constructed and modified as the population grew.  The irrigation system helped to shape the current layout of the City, acting as property boundaries as well as street routes.  This paper examines the construction and evolution of the irrigation system over 300 years using archival and archaeological evidence.   

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2018   •
• Celebrating 300 Years: San Antonio's Origins: Missions, Presidio, Villa, and Camino and How They Shaped the Landscape and Culture

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 552