Brandenburg Ink: Visiting the Spanish Empire in America

Friday, February 12, 2010

Visiting the Spanish Empire in America

Mark Twain liked San Antonio. The author famously rated it as one of only four unique cities in the United States -- the others being Boston, New Orleans and San Francisco. He touched on a complaint about many American cities that apparently was valid even a century ago: one place was not much different from another.

San Antonio's rare unique factor lies in its historical roots. As a place where Spanish and English are heard on the street, it is a true cross cultural center. Often forgotten is the fact that the city belonged to the vast Spanish Empire in the American southwest, one that most American's seem to forget, especially since Boston and Philadelphia gobble up most of the attention we give to our country’s origins.

But if you look past the Alamo and the famous Riverwalk, there are still remnants of that old world. In the city limits rest a series of rarely visited ruins that look remarkably similar to those of ancient Rome or perhaps a rundown Tuscan village. There you’ll find the remains of old Spanish missions. These brilliantly flawed but also idealistic Spanish conceptions of "community”, are worth a visit and remembering.