San Antonio's 1718 start came in three pieces

San Antonio has a two-part birthday. Fray Antonio de Olivares founded Mission San Antonio de Valero on May 1, 1718. Governor Martin de Alarcon's party set up the Villa and Presidio of San Antonio de Bexar on May 5. The mission, town, and fort stood near one another by San Pedro Creek. Their early sites later moved.

The story starts long before Spain. Many Native bands knew and used this river valley. Historians often group them under the broad name Coahuiltecan. Native families later made up most of the mission towns. They brought local skill, work, and knowledge into a system built to convert them and change daily life.

The Bexar name then spread far beyond the small town. When the Republic formed Bexar County in 1836, its claim covered much of western Texas. Later governments slowly cut 128 counties from that vast area. A mission, town, and fort had put their name on a huge piece of the map.