Voices from the San Antonio Missions

Not everyone views preservation of historic buildings in the same way. When the National Park Service agreed to take four Spanish colonial missions of San Antonio under its wing in a collaborative effort to preserve them as monuments, it was with the agreement that the Catholic Church would maintain living parishes at San José, Concepción, Espada, and San Juan. But the parishioners, who were tied to the future of the threatened missions with their own lengthy history and lively traditions, had needs of their own—needs that not even the Church understood. From among community members and parishioners who are still vitally concerned with the missions, Luis Torres has found an array of voices who provide an oral history rich with the passion of people attempting to keep alive a cherished past in the face of complex modern forces. The issue of conservation has never seemed more vital.