The downtown La Villita Historic District (bound by Durango, Navarro, and Alamo streets and the San Antonio River, 210/207-7235, www.lavillita.com, most shops open daily 10 a.m.–6 p.m.) reflects the Spanish, European, and Anglo influences that helped shape San Antonio’s history.

Once the site of a Coahuiltecan Indian village, La Villita subsequently thrived as a residential area containing Mexican houses of caliche block or stucco-covered brick and German (and later Swiss and French) vernacular structures before the neighborhood deteriorated into a run-down barrio in the early 1900s.

In 1939, La Villita was restored by the city, and, following another major renovation in the early 1980s, the neighborhood now houses scores of tourist-friendly boutiques, art galleries, and restaurants. One of the most popular attractions is the historic “Little Church,” a 19th-century stone chapel that frequently hosts weddings and festival activities.