Indigenous Blacksmiths of the Missions
J. Alex Ruiz, is the blacksmith for the Alamo, a position that his 9th great grandfather, Juan Banul, once held as the original master blacksmith for San Antonio from 1725 until the 1750s. As a blacksmith/bladesmith he has been featured on the History Channel show Forged in Fire (season 5 episode 13 "The Horseman's axe"