Created By: St. Mary's University Public History program
Contributed by Mariah Cavanaugh, Genesis Hernandez and Grayson Ginder
Originally, La Villita was the location of a Coahuiltecean village. La Villita means “little village,” and that is precisely what it was when it became the first neighborhood in San Antonio. Officially titled the Villa de San Fernando, La Villita began as a residential neighborhood (barrio) for the first families of European origin to settle in San Antonio. Its inhabitants lived in jacales (thatched-roof huts) until 1819 when a flood hit, destroying all of the jacales. The neighborhood rebuilt, this time with stronger adobe houses.
La Villita, the Presidio, and the surrounding missions formed the core of Spanish colonial San Antonio de Bejar, now known as San Antonio. La Villita was also part of “the missions lower farmlands” and was sought out by farmers because of its highly-fertile soil, though flood risk remained high in this area until the construction of the dam upriver in the 1920s.
From the 1880s to the 1890s the area was mostly a mixed-race residential neighborhood. La Villita had no shortage of boarding houses or saloons, and because of that, it was a popular drinking spot for those in nearby communities.
One of La Villita’s more famous residents was General Martín Perfecto de Cos, the brother-in-law of Antonio López de Santa Anna. In 1835 he was living at 513 Villita street, and it is there that he signed his Articles of Capitulation on December 11, 1835. This means that the house is one of the most important buildings in Texas history because it is the first document recognizing Texas' defeat of Mexican army and government officials. A year later in 1836, La Villita was used by General Santa Anna for his cannon line during the battle of the Alamo.
La Villita fell into disrepair, but was restored in 1939 by a city ordinance on October 12th. The project was started by Mayor Maury Maverick who sought to preserve San Antonio’s oldest dwellings. Numerous buildings in La Villita were restored by the National Youth Administration during the 1939 city ordinance. During World War II, La Villita was converted into a Red Cross Center. For the last 75 years, La Villita has served as a community hub where New Year's celebrations, multiethnic holidays are celebrated. The boutiques and restaurants in the restored buildings attract visitors from around the world.
https://www.lavillitasanantonio.com/About
This point of interest is part of the tour: Mission to Market: San Antonio Hispanic Walking Tour
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