A Powerful Image, both Near and Far

After visiting Mission Espada and experiencing its historical backgrounds and various meanings, I had decided to take a tour throughout the Espada Dam. The Espada Dam is located right around Mission Espada, which is on the southern side of San Antonio, or at times referred to as Bexar County. On Saturday September 15, 2007 my sister and I made our way to San Antonio to visit this area. The surrounding areas are very obvious, and I first noticed the green grasses along with several bushy trees. The grassland is very widespread and the trees are located on the outskirts of the grass. This area reminds me of where I am living today, because coming from a small town and living in the country I can now compare grasslands, trees, rocks, birds, and all the water from the rivers to the dams. This is an enormous area, which is very calm, immense, and would be a remarkable place for living. As the water flows down, it’s seems clear and flows very smoothly and softly. In other areas it’s not always the same because of the water in a couple of places doesn’t flow as quickly; therefore its browner and dirty looking.

Along the sides of the dam, I found beautiful rocks, in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. On the outskirts of the water, there is a brick wall, which of course allows the water to stay in place and then makes it into a dam. This cement wall is a couple of feet tall, and as the water continues to flow down the dam, the wall obviously becomes lower and lower along with the water. Next to the dam, is a road that many tourists use as a means of a walking trail in order to view Espada Dam as well as Mission Espada.

Espada Dam is the oldest functioning aqueduct in the United States, and I found it to be very enjoyable because the dam along with the mission itself is still being used today. A considerable amount of people are still viewing it, because it’s ancient and historical. Espada Dam plays a major impact on the missions because it was used as a means of their irrigation system. This dam has survived a remarkable amount of rains, floods, and other destruction throughout the past 200 years. I believe that the purpose of the dam today is that it can be used for the watering of farmer’s crops.

I have personally, never been concerned about visiting historic places like this because it has never alarmed me like it does today to know about history and the past. But after visiting an area like this, I now think about all the different lifestyles that had gone on, not only at Mission Espada but the hardships with the dam itself. My most important reason for visiting the dam was because I was extremely impressed by our visit to Mission Espada and I had learned a major amount of background information that had resulted with visiting the Indians and Native Americans that I had no clue about. As a result, I can now conclude after I have visited both areas, I am more aware, understanding and knowledgeable. Apparently, I will be making more of these visits, because I truly believe that we should appreciate everything that we have today, be more aware of what went on in the past and should be willing to learn more about it.