Nuestra Señora de los Dolores de los Ais (Mission Dolores)

oia — Wed, 23 Jun 2021 23:23:46 +0000

Nuestra Señora de los Dolores de los Ais (Mission Dolores) oia Wed, 06/23/2021 - 16:23

Translated, mission’s full name “Our Lady of Sorrows, for the Ais,” evokes its sorrowful story, that of a small frontier mission built in the 1720s for the Ais Indians, the native group who lived along nearby Ayish Bayou. Located in what is today San Augustine, Texas, Mission Nuestra Señora de Dolores de los Ais was one of the easternmost missions of Spanish Texas, and a stop on the Camino Real de los Tejas. Like most of the Spanish missions in the eastern area of the province of Tejas, Mission Dolores failed to attract many Indian residents and was finally abandoned in 1773. No visible structures remain in the site, however archaeological excavations suggest that buildings were constructed from adobe and jacal.

FLOOR PLAN
TYPOLOGICAL ANALYSIS
HISTORICAL ANALYSIS

NPS-Dolores

Geolocation

31.526602, -94.116314

Historical Designation

National Historic Trail

Current Use

trail

Current Condition

archaeological site

Chronology of Preservation Treatments

the settlers were recalled to San Antonio

1859

Ais Indians were forced by the U.S. government out of the region

1976

archaeologists find the original mission site

early 20th century

the State Highway 147 was built direclty thru mission site

2004

El Camino Real de los Tejas is established as a National Historic Trail

including the Mission Dolores site

Jurisdiction/Ownership/Management

National Park Service

Site Access

private vehicle

Principal Building Materials

adobe

jacal

Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción de Quarai

oia — Wed, 23 Jun 2021 19:25:06 +0000

Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción de Quarai oia Wed, 06/23/2021 - 12:25

Construction of this mission began in 1627 by Fray Juan Gutiérrez de la Chica. At its peak, the Quarai pueblo had approximately 1,000 rooms and housed between 600 and 700 residents of both native and Spanish decent. The pueblo buildings were arranged around a number of small plazas. In addition to the Catholic religion and customs, the Franciscan friars introduced new agricultural and production methods. Extensive farming took place adjacent to the mission and on surrounding lands. The mission is preserved as ruins where a series of red sandstone walls can be seen. A round kiva within the monastery area was founded, which raises questions about how traditional tribal religion intermingled with the Catholic traditions.