Acequia Madre de Valero (Main Irrigation Ditch of Valero Mission)
N 29° 25.178 W 098° 29.207
14R E 549784 N 3254588
The irrigation ditch built to water crops for the famous Alamo is visible on the grounds of the HemisFair Plaza in San Antonio, TX.
Waymark Code: WMC352
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 07/19/2011
Views: 11
The San Antonio de Valero Mission is more commonly known as the Alamo. In the 1700s, the Spanish missions used the indiginous Pajalache Indian tribe members to hand dig irrigation ditches to carry water from the San Antonio River into the surrounding fields to water crops for the nearby mission. There is a restored portion of this ancient acequia in the HemisFair Plaza, between the former clock tower and the childrens playground area. It is accessible from a parking lot or from the Plaza walkway. The marker is a large metal plaque mounted on a large block of limestone near the irrigation ditch.
Marker Number: 78
Marker Text:
One in a network of ditches begun by the Spanish and their Indian charges at the founding of San Antonio in 1718. Hand-dug and made of dressed limestone, the acequia diverted water from San Antonio River through fields belonging to San Antonio de Valero Mission. Irrigation was the key to the growth of mission and town. The ditch paralleled present Broadway by Brackenridge Park and Alamo Street, then fed back into the river southwest of this section. It became part of modern waterworks after 1877. This section was restored, 1968.
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1968
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