{"nrhp_refnum":"66000809","name":"Espada Aqueduct","other_names":["Espada Aqueduct and Acequia"],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Espada Rd., E of U.S. 281S","address_restricted":false,"city":"San Antonio","county":"Bexar County","state":"TX","lat":29.32460672950006,"lon":-98.4551934719579,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1966-10-15","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1964-07-19","areas_of_significance":["Agriculture","Engineering","Exploration/Settlement"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Spanish colonial irrigation system near San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas, made up of the Espada Dam, the Espada Aqueduct and about four miles of the Espada Acequia. It was built between 1731 and 1745 to serve Mission San Francisco de la Espada.","why_significant":"The acequias of San Antonio were the most extensive Spanish water-supply effort in Texas, and the Espada Acequia is one of the best preserved examples. The aqueduct is described as the only Spanish structure of its type remaining in the United States. Together with the dam and canal, it shows the role of the missions in the agricultural history of the Southwest.","narrative":"Espada Aqueduct and Acequia form part of an irrigation system built between 1731 and 1745 to supply Mission San Francisco de la Espada, south of downtown San Antonio. A flagstone diversion dam on the San Antonio River feeds a canal that runs about four miles. A masonry aqueduct with two cut-stone arches, 195 feet long and 15.5 feet high, carries the water across Piedras Creek. Lime salts in the water have cemented the stonework, and the aqueduct has survived severe floods even after erosion detached part of its lower section. The canal fell idle in the 1880s, and a private company revived it in 1895. Farmers used it to grow cotton and vegetables, and it still operates. The aqueduct is described as the only Spanish structure of its type left in the United States. The site is recognized as an example of Spanish engineering and of the missions' role in agriculture. Flooding from a nearby flood control project now threatens the aqueduct.","period_of_significance":"1731-1745","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Still in use: the acequia, dam and aqueduct continue to operate. The aqueduct is described as severely threatened by increased flooding after a flood control project.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:19.344689-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/91/9708/40970891/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/66000809_NHL.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/66000809/c72d3660f0-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/66000809/c72d3660f0-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Liveon001 ©Travis Witt","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Espada_Acequia.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Liveon001 ©Travis Witt</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Espada_Acequia.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"75001953","name":"Mission Parkway","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/texas/mission-parkway-75001953/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40970891","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Espada_Acequia","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5398692"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/bexar-county/espada-aqueduct-66000809/"}