Main/Military Plaza

Main Plaza serves as the original heart of San Antonio, identifiable by the towering stone spires of San Fernando Cathedral rising from its western edge. Founded by Canary Islanders in seventeen thirty-one, this square functioned as the primary center for civic and religious life during the Spanish colonial period. Here, the city government held its first meetings, and public executions drew crowds of onlookers. In eighteen thirty-six, Mexican soldiers raised a blood-red flag from the cathedral tower to signal that no mercy would be granted.