Espada Acequia, Colonial irrigation canal in San Antonio, Texas, United States

The Espada Acequia is a gravity-flow irrigation system built by Franciscan friars between 1731 and 1740 near Mission San Francisco de la Espada in San Antonio. Its main ditch, the acequia madre, still carries water to the mission and surrounding farmlands. The system includes a dam on the San Antonio River, seven ditches, and an aqueduct over Piedras Creek with a reverse-curve arch.

Franciscan friars built this water management system in 1731 to supply the agricultural lands of Mission San Francisco de la Espada. The structure was designed to overcome the region's dry conditions.

The waterway displays Spanish engineering methods that drew from Roman and Moorish irrigation traditions, allowing agriculture to flourish in Texas's dry landscape. This water management system brings together multiple cultural building techniques in one place.

The aqueduct is reached by paved road leading to Mission Espada, about 8 km west of downtown San Antonio. The main ditch still carries water past the mission and former farmlands, so visitors can follow the channel's course. The stone aqueduct crosses Piedras Creek near the mission.

The structure features a reverse curve arch, an architectural detail that directs water through limestone channels and is rarely seen in Spanish Colonial works. This design demonstrates engineering innovation from the early 1700s.