The area surrounding these springs was occupied long before Europeans arrived. When Spanish explorers visited the springs in the late 1600s, the area was occupied by the Payayas Indians, who lived in the village of Yanaguana. The area around the springs (at the Presidio San Antonio de Bexar, 1st site) was the original site of San Antonio, and in 1729 it was dedicated as a public space by the Spanish government.