The Most Comprehensive List of Texas Missions, Presidios, and Visitas Available Anywhere
Before Texas was a state, before it won its independence, even before it was a Mexican territory, it was the new Spanish frontier. As lush as it was dangerous, Texas was already home to several peoples before the Spaniards decided it was theirs. Colonizing this land meant dealing with the native population one way or another; this is where the missions came into play.
Spanish Missions served many purposes. They were used to convert local peoples to Christianity, establish trade, and protect Spain’s interests on the frontier. While many were unsuccessful, others left lasting legacies and helped shape the communities of modern Texas.
Today, remnants of this Spanish colonization can still be found scattered across the state. With this map and checklist, I hope to inspire others to research and explore our state’s often-forgotten history and origins.
—Christopher C. Castillo, Designer and Aspiring Amateur Historian
Begin your adventure into history today! Texas Missions: Map and Checklist is available in three formats: Miniature (8.5x11 in.) for printing on letter-sized paper; Full (11x17 in.) for printing on tabloid-sized paper; and a Digital edition for use on your devices. Download your desired size, print, and fold into quarters to begin your Texas Missions adventure!
Miniature Edition Full Size Edition Digital Edition
Texas Missions: Map and Checklist by Christopher C. Castillo is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Howdy! I hope you enjoyed the Texas Missions: Map and Checklist. Compiling a comprehensive list of Spanish missions and colonial efforts was more difficult than I originally anticipated. While looking for a complete list I was surprised that I was unable to find anything of the kind. This led me down a rabbit hole of books and articles, each with its own unique collection of sites. After a whole lot of double-checking and cross-referencing I whittled my list down to 53 sites within the bounds of present-day Texas.
With my focus being on exploration I decided to denote which sites still contained structures worth visiting today. While I am sure there will be revisions in the future, today I am confident that this is the most complete map and list of Texas missions available to the general public. My hope is that this will serve as a jumping-off point for others interested in this topic.
—Christopher C. Castillo, Designer and Aspiring Amateur Historian