La Villita began in the mid- to late 18th century as a settlement on the banks of the San Antonio River, adjacent to Mission San Antonio de Valero (better known as the Alamo), inhabited by the Indians whom the missionaries sought to Christianize. When the mission was eventually abandoned around 1792, it became a military outpost for Spain, and Spanish soldiers and their families settled into the "Little Village," intermarrying with the Indians.

Eighteenth-century life was rough -- cholera and smallpox epidemics and raids by hostile Indians -- and the disastrous flood of 1819 practically annihilated the town. Those calamities resulted in the Canary Islanders, who originally settled the area around San Fernando Cathedral under a Spanish grant, moving to the higher ground of La Villita, changing the mix of residents and home styles.

Homes for the earliest San Antonians were "palisado" jacales (shacks), constructed of mesquite or cedar pole walls tied together with rawhide and filled in with clay. Flooring was tamped mud and roofs were of thatch. None of these original La Villita houses remain, but the Cirilus Guissi House in this style (now home of Art Inc. Gallery) was relocated here during construction of nearby HemisFair '68. Another popular style represented in the several blocks preserved today includes "adobe" houses, made of dried bricks of mud plastered with lime. Examples of this style include the historic Cos house, site of the capitulation of the Mexican Army after the storming of Bexar by the Texas Army in 1835. (Later, La Villita became the site of operations for Santa Anna during the siege of the Alamo.)

It was not until Texas statehood in 1846 that the character of La Villita was changed further by the influx of Anglo and European immigrants, most notably the Germans, and dwellings of cut limestone became popular, adding a Victorian element. Stores and commercial enterprises sprang up, and the tiny German Methodist Episcopal Church, known today as the "Little Church of La Villita," was built in 1879. (Today it continues as a non-denominational house of worship.)

Following the turn of the century, the area gradually evolved into rooming houses and commercial and industrial developments, degenerating into a terrible slum district by the 1930s. Then, in 1939, things turned around for the "Little Village" when the National Youth Administration (NYA) partnered with the city to restore the area. Under the leadership of architect O'Neil Ford, coordinating with a NYA crafts program, the little dwellings of La Villita became the site of craft shops producing copper light fixtures, wrought-iron hinges, carved wood furniture and shutters and other accoutrements. A special building was constructed for weaving -- today it houses Village Weavers -- and noted ceramicist Harding Black oversaw construction of a kiln in the same building, where decorative pavers and tiles were produced.

The handiwork of the artisans involved featured prominently in the restoration of six La Villita dwellings and construction of three new ones, including Bolivar Hall, dedicated to Pan American harmony. It originally served as a library, museum and community center and today houses La Villita Café on the first floor and a museum exhibit on La Villita's history, a post office and administrative offices on the second. In time, more dwellings were relocated and refurbished and the area expanded to include several blocks bounded by South Alamo, Nueva and South Presa.

Today, La Villita is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., offering visitors the opportunity to purchase from a diverse range of crafts, including original oils and prints, stained glass, jewelry, pottery and clothing. One of the few remaining glass blowers in the country works here, selling and demonstrating his art, as do many of the craftsmen. The cobblestone streets and plazas of the "Little Village" are also the site of frequent celebrations, including "Night in Old San Antonio" during the city's famous Fiesta. Also on the premises is the unique Arneson River Theater, home to a variety of performances -- but that's another story.