Presidio de San Saba
by Ben Prepelka
Title
Presidio de San Saba
Artist
Ben Prepelka
Medium
Photograph
Description
Out on the frontier during the mid 1700s, in modern day Texas, Spanish Colonials struggled to retain their foothold in the New World. While these new establishments met a number of obstacles and hardships, Spanish authorities supported still another new outpost on the San Saba River. Hoping to minimize Indian raids in and around San Antonio, the Presidio San Luis de las Amarillas (Presidio de San Saba) and mission were established in 1757. Located about 125 miles northwest of present day San Antonio, a fort (presidio) was built on the north side of the San Saba River. Four miles away one of the largest missions in western Texas was established on the south side of the river. Mission founders soon discovered while befriending the Apache Indians, they had made enemies of the northern tribes. Comanche raids and constant harassment eventually lead to the abandonment of the San Saba Mission.
Today a string of missions near San Antonio offer some of the finest examples of Spanish Colonial Period architecture, ranging in all stages of preservation. Unfortunately, only minute traces of the mission and presidio at San Saba exist today. This ghostly San Saba Presidio ruin is only a replica, recreated in 1936. Ambitious Texas Centennial efforts to duplicate the presidio were abandoned and lay incomplete, adding another chapter to Texas history.
Uploaded
May 16th, 2021
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