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Along the San Antonio River, five centuries of history are woven into the city’s landscape through its Spanish-era missions.
Downtown, there’s the Alamo, formally known as Mission San Antonio de Valero. Four more Spanish-era missions — Concepción, San José, San Juan and Espada — stand along the San Antonio River on the South Side.
The missions have been put on the same global pedestal as the Great Wall of China, the Pyramids of Egypt, and the Colosseum in Rome — all UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
And to become such a site, UNESCO has set the bar very high, requiring them to be a "masterpiece of human creative genius, bearing exceptional testimony to a civilization, or being associated with events or traditions of outstanding universal significance."
The missions are the only site of their kind in Texas, and San Antonians have good reason to take pride in them — as do the out-of-town guests who come to see them.
John Quiroz, of the City of San Antonio's World Heritage Office, said local residents can celebrate their missions during the World Heritage Festival that is underway through Sunday.
"The whole goal of the World Heritage Festival and Tour de Las Misiones is to have our locals reengage with the San Antonio missions and what makes them so special."
Events begin on Friday, but the biggest of all is Saturday's Tour de Las Misiones, featuring a leisurely bike ride of 7 - 22 miles or an enjoyable 5K or 10K walk and run through the Mission River Reach and Mission San José. The bike ride and walk come with knowledgeable tour guides who can tell you all about the missions as you get in some fun exercise.
Quiroz said participants can register right up to race time at their website.
"We are taking registrants up to the time of the event, so up until 7 a.m. on Saturday morning, September the 12th, they can register for the event," he said.
He said late registrants, however, could miss out on swag, like a t-shirt, finisher medal, and a special passport to visit the missions.
The event at Mission Park Pavilion is where the bike ride, walk, and runs will feature festival celebrations before they start and after they end through 2 p.m. on Saturday. The celebrations include local artisans, food, vendors, and music.
Read about all the festival events at their website.
