San Antonio History Matrix

A searchable bibliography of sources on the history of San Antonio from the early eighteenth century to the late twentieth century.

How to Use the San Antonio History Matrix

The San Antonio History Matrix is a selected bibliography of sources on San Antonio history. Annotations are provided for each citation. There are two ways to use this guide:

  • Browse by Time Period
  • Keyword Search

Browse by Time Period

Sources are organized by time periods in the left hand navigation. Each time period is further subdivided by tabs into overviews, social, economic, political, cultural, and military history. 

Keyword Search

Search this guide by keyword using the search box found on any page within this guide.

Find Full Text

This guide provides citations only. To find full text, copy and paste an item's title from the citation into Library Quick Search on UTSA Libraries' homepage.

About This Guide

This annotated bibliography of English language books and articles on San Antonio history was compiled by Professor John F. Reynolds. 

The historical time frame spans the first European settlement around 1718 to Hemisfair in 1968. Only a handful of references to the battle of the Alamo are included, since bibliographies on this topic are readily available. During the era of Spanish rule, the bibliography is divided between works focused on the missions versus those dealing with the villa of San Fernando and the Presidio. Thereafter, the entries are organized by time period.

Social history encompasses such topics as race, ethnicity, customs, health, and medicine.  Religion, the arts, popular entertainment, education, and communication can be found under cultural history. Environmental history is incorporated into economic history.

A citation may be found under more than one sub-category if the article covers more than one aspect of history.

Most, if not all of the items cited here should be available from the UTSA Libraries.

Last updated: January 2024