Béxar

Béxar is a historical region and a former Spanish province in what is now south-central Texas. The name Béxar is derived from Bexar, a town in the province of Guipúzcoa, Spain, which was the birthplace of the Marquis of San Miguel de Aguayo, a prominent Spanish governor in Texas. The mission and presidio established in 1718 by Father Antonio Margil de Jesús and Captain Martín de Alarcón near the San Antonio River became the nucleus of the settlement that would eventually be known as San Antonio de Béxar.

Throughout the Spanish colonial period, Béxar served as the primary administrative and military center for Spanish Texas. The province encompassed a vast territory, though its population remained sparse. Its strategic importance lay in its role as a buffer against French expansion from Louisiana and as a base for further Spanish exploration and settlement. The economy was largely based on ranching and agriculture, supported by the labor of indigenous peoples and Spanish settlers.

Following Mexican independence from Spain in 1821, Béxar became part of the Mexican state of Coahuila y Tejas. The region continued to be a focal point of settlement and conflict, culminating in the Texas Revolution. The Battle of the Alamo, a pivotal event in the revolution, took place in the former presidio of San Antonio de Béxar. After Texas gained independence, the legacy of Béxar persisted in the naming of Bexar County and the city of San Antonio, which continues to be a major cultural and economic center in Texas.