MISSIONS

West Texas Mission• Friars in 1682 founded the first permanent settlement of

Europeans in Texas.• Mission Corpus Christi de la Ysleta• El Paso• Jumanos

• Presidios• Forts built to protect the missions

East Texas Mission• Tejas

• Group of Native Americans, also called the Hasinai• “Friend”

• First Spanish mission in East Texas• June 1, 1960• Crude log building• San Frncisco de los Tejas• Located near present day Weches

Mission Abandoned• Drought ruined the Tejas’s crops• Disease• Tejas rejected the Catholic religion• Spain saw no reason to keep building missions in East

Texas now that France was no longer a threat.

France Threatens Again• 1699, French expedition established a colony on the Gulf

Coast at Biloxi in present day Mississippi.• French were not interested in converting the Native

Americans to Catholicism.• Trade

• Blankets, guns, wine for fur and skins

Father Hidalgo• Father Hidalgo

• Wrote to the French govoner in Louisiana, asking the French to establish a mission among the Tejas.• Broke Spanish law by contacting foreigner without permission• France wanted to trade with the Spanish• French Captain Louis de St. Denis appointed to negotiate with Spanish• Denis arrived unexpected at San Juan Bautista• Spanish Captain Diego Ramon arrested Denis and took him back to

Mexico City• The Spanish did not believe that the French simply wanted to trade with

Spain• The Spanish release Denis, but order more missions to be built in East

Texas with Soldiers to protect them

East Texas Missions• East Texas Native Americans were friendly• 1716-1717, Spain had build six missions and a small

presidio.

San Antonio• Spanish officials saw the need for a settlement midway

between New Spain and the East Texas missions.• At times, people in East Texas had no choice but to trade

with France or starve.• “The best site in the world, with good and abundant

irrigation water, rich lands for pasture, plentiful building stone, and excellent timber.

• Presidio San Antonio de Bexar• 1718

• Mission San Antonio de Valero• Alamo

War with France• 1719, A small unit of French soldiers from Luisiana seized

the Spanish mission near present day Nacogdoches.• Marques de San Miguel de Aguayo, governor of provinces

Coahuila and Texas.• Reestablished the abandoned missions in East Texas

• France continued to trade with the Natives but did not occupy any more territory in East Texas.

Plains People• Resented the Spanish for intruding on their hunting

grounds• Apaches regularly raided San Antonio, making life

dangerous• Comanches greatly valued Spanish guns and horses• Friars, despite the danger, continued to establish missions

in Central and West Texas.