Most of the earlier history of the Alamo, is shrouded in obscurity. It was named in honor of St. Anthony of Padua and the Duke of Valero, a Spanish viceroy. Although the mission was founded in 1718, the cornerstone of the chapel was not laid until 1744. Founded for the purpose of Christianizing and educating the Indians, it later became a fortress and was the scene of many conflicts prior to the immortal siege of 1836. The ravages of time, of faulty construction, of war and fire have destroyed all the buildings except the chapel, and even this has been partially restored. According to some historians, the name “Alamo” came from a company of soldiers bearing the name who were once quartered there, and another claims it was derived from a grove of cottonwood trees nearby, “Alamo” being the Spanish word for cottonwood.] [Illustration: Mission Conception, _Nuestra Señora de la Purisima Conception de Acuna_, was established in 1731. It is probably the best preserved of the Texas missions, despite the fact that when it was secularized in 1794 its lands were distributed among the Indians, settlers and soldiers and it ceased to function as a church settlement. Conception and the other missions of the San Antonio area are built of adobe and porous gray rock called tufa. The walls of this mission are 45 inches thick. The topmost roofs of the twin towers are pyramidical and of stone, with smaller corner and center cap stones.] [Illustration: The interior plan of Conception is the cruciform. Original frescoes of vegetable and mineral dyes are still visible.] [Illustration: The niche within the triangle above the ornamental entrance of Conception once held a statue. The coat of arms and symbols of the Order of St. Francis are carved in the center of the arch. Here and there can still be seen spots of what were once vivid frescoes adorning the mission front.] [Illustration: Conception from the south side presents the Moorish dome with its wide stone serrations. The walls at the right are all that remain of the mission kitchen, destroyed during the battle of Conception in 1835.] [Illustration: A simple arcade runs south from the entrance of Conception, connecting at the right and far end with the former living quarters of the monks.] [Illustration: Mission San Jose (_San Jose y San Miguel de Aguayo_), acclaimed “Queen of the Missions”, was established in 1720 by Father Margil, one of the pioneer missionaries of New Spain. The first chapel was completed in 1731, and the entire mission plan, in all of its glory, by 1779. Time and neglect had caused many of the original mission buildings to crumble away.