SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 644
	WHEREAS, The City of San Antonio and Bexar County are
	supporting the National Park Service in its application for World
	Heritage Site designation for the five Spanish Colonial missions
	established along the San Antonio River in the 18th century; and
	WHEREAS, Determined to expand its influence in the New
	World, Spain built missions to convert indigenous people to
	Catholicism, to acclimate them in some measure to Hispanic
	culture, and to make them subjects of the Spanish crown; these
	frontier institutions provided not only religious instruction,
	but also occupational training and education in the Spanish
	language and system of government; and
	WHEREAS, Vibrant communities grew up around these
	outposts, and the city of San Antonio owes its existence to its
	five missions, San José y San Miguel de Aguayo, Nuestra Señora de
	la Purísima Concepción de Acuña, San Francisco de la Espada, San
	Juan Capistrano, and San Antonio de Valero, better known as the
	Alamo; these represent the largest concentration of Catholic
	missions in North America; and
	WHEREAS, World Heritage Site designation is granted under
	the World Heritage Convention, which seeks to enhance
	understanding, appreciation, and international cooperation for
	heritage conservation, pursuing an ideal similar to that
	advanced by the American National Park system; in 1973, the
	United States became one of the nearly 200 nations to ratify the
	convention, an independent treaty administered under UNESCO;
	current sites include the Egyptian pyramids and Australia's
	Great Barrier Reef, as well as our nation's own Statue of Liberty
	and Grand Canyon; if accepted, the San Antonio missions would
	become the first World Heritage Site in the State of Texas; and
	WHEREAS, World Heritage designation confirms the
	extraordinary cultural significance of sites and contributes to
	their preservation, and this recognition typically leads to
	increased international tourism and greater access to historians
	and preservation specialists; by supporting the National Park
	Service in its endeavors in behalf of the Spanish Colonial
	missions, the City of San Antonio and Bexar County are taking an
	important step to heighten global awareness of these
	irreplaceable cultural treasures and the richness of Texas
	history; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 84th
	Legislature, hereby commend the City of San Antonio and Bexar
	County for their vision in joining the effort to gain World
	Heritage Site designation for San Antonio's five Spanish
	Colonial missions and extend sincere best wishes for success to
	all those associated with this important project; and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this Resolution be
	prepared for the city and county as an expression of high regard
	from the Texas Senate.
	Uresti, Menéndez, Zaffirini
	Bettencourt Hall Perry
	Birdwell Hancock Rodríguez
	Burton Hinojosa Schwertner
	Creighton Huffines Seliger
	Ellis Huffman Taylor of Galveston
	Eltife Kolkhorst Taylor of Collin
	Estes Lucio Watson
	Fraser Nelson West
	Garcia Nichols Whitmire
	Patrick, President of the Senate
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		President of the Senate
		I hereby certify that the
		above Resolution was adopted by
		the Senate on April 28, 2015.
		________________________________
		Secretary of the Senate
		________________________________
		Member, Texas Senate
		________________________________
		Member, Texas Senate
		________________________________
		Member, Texas Senate