The city was named in honor of St. Anthony, whose memorial day is celebrated on June 13, the day when the Spanish expedition landed on the territory of modern San Antonio in 1691.
In the valley of the San Antonio River and near San Pedro Springs, the Payaya Indian tribe originally lived. They called their area Yanaguana, which means "refreshing water." In 1691, a group of Spanish explorers and missionaries went out to the river and stumbled upon an Indian settlement. It happened on June 13, the day of memory of St. Anthony of Padua, so the Spaniards called the new area and the river San Antonio.
The history of the Spanish settlement of San Antonio began with an expedition led by Martin de Alarcon, who founded the mission of San Antonio de Valero (today - Alamo). They intended to establish Spanish supremacy in Texas, fearing the military expansion of the French monarchy, which owned the nearby state of Louisiana. Encouraged by the priest Antonio de San Buenaventura y Olivares, the governor of the king sent his main forces to fight illegal trade from Louisiana. He also supported the Franciscan missions in Texas.
Back in 1709, Father Olivares visited the area near the San Antonio River. Since then, he had a firm intention to establish a mission and a civilian settlement in that place. At the end of 1716, the governor of the king gave official permission to create a mission and build a fortress that would be halfway between other Spanish settlements. Martin de Alarcon, Governor of Coahuila and Texas, was appointed in charge.
On February 14, 1719, the Marquis of San Miguel de Aguayo provided the Spanish king with a plan to resettle 400 families in the Canary Islands, in the province of Galicia and the Spanish colony of Havana, in Spanish Texas. His plan was approved and 200 families from the Canary Islands were ordered to prepare for relocation. On March 9, 1731, a group of immigrants led by Juan Leal Goraz reached Fort San Antonio de Bejar. During the trip, new families were created, and 15 families in the amount of 56 people arrived in the settlement. They joined the military garrison that had existed on this territory since 1719 and established the civilian settlement of San Fernando de Bejar, subsequently forming the first permanent civilian government in Texas.
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