Yanaguana

Yanaguana was a Payaya village beside the springs and river at the site of San Antonio. The clear water and abundant trees and wildlife made the place an important stopping point in the country of the Payaya and neighboring peoples. Springs at the head of the river were also part of a wider landscape of sacred waters in central Texas.

In 1691 the Franciscan Damián Massanet visited the village and recorded its name. He named the place San Antonio de Padua, noting its water, trees and fishing. In 1718 Martín de Alarcón established a mission and presidio in the area. The mission of San Antonio de Valero moved more than once during its early years, and the settlement that grew around the presidio became a center of Spanish Texas.