Missions

and

Settlements

Created by Mrs. Phillips

In the 1600’s Spain was a monarchy with one required religion: Catholicism. Once the explorers claimed the land for Spain, the government sent church officials to build settlements known as missions. Their main purpose was to control the surrounding

The First Missions are Built

land and to protect the people from invaders. At the center of the mission stood a church. The Spanish missionaries taught the Christian religion to the Native Americans that lived nearby, often whether they wanted to learn about Christianity or not.

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In 1682 Spanish friars founded the first permanent settlement of Europeans in Texas—the mission of Corpus Christi de la Ysleta. During the 1690’s Spain concentrated on building missions, presidios and towns in eastern Texas, near Louisiana.

Spain Looks to Texas

Corpus Christi de Ysleta

The La Salle expedition alerted Spain to France's interest in Texas. The Spanish decided that if they were to keep Texas, they must occupy it. In the next several decades, Spain built missions, military outposts called presidios, and towns in lands occupied by Native Americans.

Presidio: Military Outpost

Spanish officials learned of La Salle's Fort St. Louis in Texas soon after it was built. They immediately sent troops to destroy it. An expedition led by Alonso de León, the governor of Coahuila, reached the site on April 22, 1689, only to find the fort deserted and in ruins.

Fort St. Louis

Angelina

De Leon led his troops northeast and met a large group of Hasinai (Caddo) people. They called them the Tejas, a word meaning “friend”. Angelina, a Hasinai woman, served as a guide and interpreter. Father Damián Massanet, a Catholic church official on the expedition, promised he would come back and start a mission among the Tejas. When he returned the Tejas greeted the Spanish visitors with a feast.

Hasinai Guide & Interpreter

Mission San Francisco de las Tejas became the first mission in East Texas. It was a crude log building and contained only a few simple furnishings. The mission was

Reproduction of original mission

located a few miles west of the Neches River near the present-day town of Weches.

A Mission Abandoned

Despite the promising beginning, troubles soon struck San Francisco de los Tejas. Drought ruined the Tejas's crops, and disease killed many of the Native Americans and one of the friars. The Tejas rejected the Catholic religion and resented the Spaniards' attempts to change the way they lived. Meanwhile, officials in Mexico City decided that the mission must be abandoned. Realizing France was not a threat, there was no reason to spend money supporting missions so far from Spanish settlements. Although the failure of the mission was a disappointment, its mere presence had strengthened Spain's claim to Texas. The Spaniards now realized that a colony needed presidios and Spanish families who would settle on the land.

From 1693 to 1714, Spain made no effort to settle Texas, but settlements along the Rio Grande flourished. Mission San Juan Bautista was built west of the river near the present-day town of eagle Pass in 1699. Here the outpost eventually grew into a complex of 3 missions, a presidio, and a town.

“Mother of Texas Missions”

The mission earned the title of the "Mother of Texas Missions" because it was the base for many expeditions whose aims were to establish missions in East Texas. The mission at San Juan Bautista provided grain, cattle, and horses to the missionaries on these expeditions.

One of its missionaries was Father Francisco Hidalgo, a gentle friar who had known the Tejas of San Francisco de los Tejas. Father Hidalgo repeatedly asked permission to return there to start another mission. His requests were ignored.

Father Francisco Father Francisco HidalgoHidalgo

In 1699, several years after La Salle's venture,France made another attempt to claim the lands drained by the Mississippi and established a colony on the Gulf Coast at Biloxi in present-day Mississippi. The French were NOT interested in taking territory or converting the Native Americans to Catholicism. French traders won the friendship of many Native American groups, and the French made large profits exchanging blankets, guns, and wine for furs and skins. The French also hoped to trade with Spanish merchants in Mexico, but Spanish law prohibited foreigners from trading in the colonies of New Spain.

http://www.texasbeyondhistory.net/gilbert/

France Threatens France Threatens AgainAgain

Without the knowledge of Spanish officials, Father Hidalgo wrote a letter to the French governor in Louisiana, asking that the French establish a mission among the Tejas. The French governor listened to Hidalgo's proposal because it offered an opportunity to open trade.

Dear France,

Will you please open a mission for the Tejas people again?

The French governor appointed Louis de St. Denis to negotiate with the Spanish officials on the Rio Grande. St. Denis had traded successfully with Native Americans in Louisiana. On the way to the Rio Grande, he built a trading post, Natchitoches, on the Red River. Then St. Denis and a small party left for San Juan Bautista. The unexpected arrival of the French party alarmed Captain Diego Ramón, the presidio's commander. He arrested St. Denis and sent him to Mexico City to be examined by the viceroy. St. Denis insisted that France had no plans to occupy East Texas. The Spanish viceroy and his council, or advisers, did not believe St. Denis. They ordered new missions to be built in East Texas with Spanish soldiers to protect them. Trade between the Spanish and French was stopped. Curiously, the viceroy appointed St. Denis to guide the Spaniards into East Texas. The Spaniards could benefit from his knowledge of Texas trails and his good relations with Native Americans. St. Denis was also given permission to marry Manuela, the step-granddaughter of Captain Ramón.

Guided by St. Denis, with Angelina as interpreter, a large Spanish force arrived in June, 1716 at the site of San Francisco de los Tejas. For the first time, Spanish families came to live in the forests of East Texas. The Native Americans were friendly and did not resist the Spanish effort. Within a year, the Spanish had established six missions and a small fort, a presidio they named Nuestra Señora de los Dolores de los Tejas. The presidio was built to protect the missions from attacks by the Native Americans or the French.

Spanish Settlements

Photo courtesy Texas Beyond History

Spanish officials again saw the need for a settlement midway between New Spain and the new missions. The 500-mile journey from the Rio Grande to East Texas was dangerous. Supplies arrived slowly, if at all. At times the people of East Texas had no choice but to trade with the French in Louisiana or starve. Spanish officials chose a site on the San Antonio River as the best place for the new settlement.

Photo courtesy Texas Beyond History

Photo courtesy Texas Beyond History

Presidio San Antonio de Béxar, on one side of the San Antonio River, was built in 1718 under the leadership of Martín de Alarcón. Across the river Father Antonio de San Buenaventura y Olivares founded Mission San Antonio de Valero. The mission chapel, which was built a few years later, is now known as the Alamo. Throughout its history, San Fernando de Béxar (later called San Antonio) has been the site of many battles.

The ALAMO: Mission San Antonio de Valero

5-1 Chapter Summary

•Mission- a settlement started by a religious group.•Presidio- a Spanish fort.•Father Massanet- organized an expedition toEast Texas to found a mission, San Francisco de los Tejas, near the Neches River. The mission suffered drought, and the Tejas Indians rejected the Catholic faith, so the mission failed.•Mission San Juan Bautista- Built near Eagle Pass along the Rio Grande.•Father Francisco Hidalgo- A missionary at Mission San Juan Bautista who wrote a letter to the French Governor in Louisiana, asking that they set up a mission among the Tejas.•Louis de St. Denis- was appointed to negotiate with Spanish officials on the Rio Grande. Traveled to San Juan Bautista and the Spanish were alarmed by the French presence. St. Denis was appointed as a guide for Spaniards into East Texas.

5-2 Chapter Summary

•Guided by St. Denis, the Spanish established 6 missions.

•Because the missions were so spread out, there were problems getting supplies, so a new mission was needed. San Antonio de Bexar was built on the San Antonio River.

•Across the river, Father Olivares built mission San Antonio de Valero also known as The Alamo. The new settlement created by these two missions was named San Antonio.

•Marques de Aguayo- was ordered by the viceroy of New Spain to make sure the French were not invading East Texas. He and an army marched into Texas, re-establishing abandoned missions

•Los Adaes- Presidio built near Natchitoches, Louisiana. It eventually became the first capital of Texas when Texas was made a separate province from Coahuila.

5-3 Chapter Summary

La Bahia- This mission and presidio was moved from La Vaca Bay to present day Goliad.

Both Spain and France continued to occupy Texas, but France did not occupy any territory west of the Arroyo Hondo, a small stream between Los Adaes and Natchitoches.

Missions and the Plains People- these Native Americans resented the missionaries and raided San Antonio regularly. They often stole the Spanish horses.Other missions were set up near the San Gabriel River, but they were either moved or abandoned because of attacks, small pox, measles and drought.

San Saba- this mission was set up more than 100 miles away from the nearest Spanish settlement. It failed because of Comanche’s attacks, and Apaches only came around long enough to receive food and gifts.

5-4 Chapter SummaryMission Life:Sometimes Native Americans were forced to stay at missions. Those at missions worked very hard and attended religious classes. Some Native Americans accepted mission life. Food was usually plentiful there. However, most refused to stay there long because they liked their freedom, and did not want to give up their ways of life.Presidio Life:The life of a soldier at a presidio was hard and dangerous. They had to protect the mission and nearby settlements. Soldiers were often poorly equipped.Settlement Life:San Antonio was the largest settlement, and by 1772 served as the capital. Landowners elected a city council (ayuntamiento) and a mayor (alcalde). People farmed, and ranched and were tradesmen (barbers, tailors, merchants, blacksmith, etc.) No school system existed, and there were no real doctors.