San Antonio's Historic Market Square (Images of America)

San Antonio was founded in 1718. By 1730, the viceroy of New Spain had issued orders to map plazas, squares, and parks for the Canary Islanders who would be arriving in 1731. The plazas with their markets became the centers for business and entertainment. The first square was Plaza de Armas (Military Plaza); when the islanders arrived, they marked off the Plaza de las Islas (Main Plaza). Before the Civil War, Alamo Plaza was the center of commerce. As San Antonio grew, the markets needed to relocate. The construction of Municipal Market began in 1899. This market house, built in Paschal Square, was demolished in the 1930s, but the Municipal Market Annex, constructed in the 1920s, survived. The annex buildings would become El Mercado and Centro de Artes. In the 1970s, a permanent building for the farmers market was built in Hay Market Plaza. Today, these buildings, along with the historic buildings in the area, are known as Market Square. Read more