Acequia Madre de Valero is an 18th-century agricultural irrigation canal built by the Spanish and located in the
Bexar County
Bexar County ( or ; es, Béxar ) is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. It is in South Texas and its county seat is San Antonio.
As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,009,324. Bexar County is included in the San Antonio–New Brau ...
city of
San Antonio
("Cradle of Freedom")
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, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, subdivision_ ...
in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
. When
Martín de Alarcón founded San Antonio for
Spain
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, national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, ...
by establishing
San Antonio de Valero Mission
The Alamo is a historic Spanish mission and fortress compound founded in the 18th century by Roman Catholic missionaries in what is now San Antonio, Texas, United States. It was the site of the Battle of the Alamo in 1836, a pivotal event of ...
in 1718, Franciscan priest
Antonio de Olivares and the
Payaya
The Payaya people were Indigenous people whose territory encompassed the area of present-day San Antonio, Texas. The Payaya were a Coahuiltecan band and are the earliest recorded inhabitants of San Pedro Springs Park, the geographical area tha ...
and
Pastia people
The Pastia people (also Pastias, Paxti; Spanish: "''chamuscados''")Text quote: ''Apparently, because of editorial oversight, no formal entry for the Pastia Indians was included in F ederickW. Hodge's Handbook of American Indians (1910), and thi ...
s, dug Acequia Madre de Valero by hand. It was vital to the missions to be able to divert and control water from the
San Antonio River
The San Antonio River is a major waterway that originates in central Texas in a cluster of springs in midtown San Antonio, about 4 miles north of downtown, and follows a roughly southeastern path through the state. It eventually feeds into the ...
, in order to grow crops and to supply water to the people in the area. This particular acequia was the beginning of a much wider irrigation system. Acequia Madre de Valero ran from the area currently known as
Brackenridge Park
Brackenridge Park is a 343-acre public park in San Antonio, Texas, USA, on the city's Broadway Corridor just north of downtown San Antonio.
Brackenridge Park also refers to the district of the city where the park is located.
History
It was c ...
southward to what is now Hemisfair Plaza and South Alamo Street. Part of it that is not viewable by the public runs beneath the
Menger Hotel. The acequia was restored in 1968 and that same year was designated a
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark (RTHL) is a designation awarded by the Texas Historical Commission for historically and architecturally significant properties in the U.S. state of Texas. RTHL is a legal designation and the highest honor the st ...
.
Acequia Madre de Valero was the initial phase of what became a 45-mile network put in place by the Franciscan priests to provide water for the missions and their agricultural endeavors. Part of this system is adjacent to the
Johann and Anna Heidgen House at 121 Star Street, and was a contributing factor in placing the house on the
in 2004. The acequia is lined with native limestone, a facet of Spanish engineering techniques. Some later stonework in the overall network was added by German immigrants. The full system involved placement of dams, canals and sluice gates. The complete network served residents of San Antonio until late in the 19th century. The Texas Historical Commission placed the historic landmark plaque on a limestone block at the Hemisfair Plaza section of Acequia Madre de Valero.
See also
*
Antonio de Olivares
*
Presidio San Antonio de Bexar
A presidio ( en, jail, fortification) was a fortified base established by the Spanish Empire around between 16th and 18th centuries in areas in condition of their control or influence. The presidios of Spanish Philippines in particular, were ce ...
*
*
Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Bexar County
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Acequia Madre de Valero
Geography of Bexar County, Texas
Historic American Engineering Record in Texas
Irrigation canals
National Register of Historic Places in San Antonio
Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks
History of San Antonio