Heritage and Identity in the Early Twentieth-Century Preservation of the San Antonio Missions

Early twentieth-century preservation efforts at San Antonio’s Spanish missions reveal how heritage memory and identity were constructed through architectural restoration. Led by figures like Adina De Zavala, the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, and the San Antonio Conservation Society, these initiatives transformed the missions from romanticized symbols of a colonial past into emblematic representations of San Antonio’s modern identity. The 1936 large-scale restoration of Mission San José marked a shift in understanding the historical and architectural significance of the city’s Spanish colonial heritage, reflecting broader national trends in colonial-era design revival.

Nau, A. (2017). Heritage and Identity in the Early Twentieth-Century Preservation of the San Antonio Missions. Arris, 28(1), 30–45. https://doi.org/10.1353/arr.2017.0002