Chapter 5
Missions and Settlements in Texas
SPAIN EXPANDED EFFORTS TO COLONIZE “TEXAS”
TIME PERIOD: LATE 1600’S TO EARLY 1700’S
REASON:
TO STRENGTHEN SPAIN'S CLAIM TO
THE LAND
1691: SPAIN CREATES PROVINCE
OF TEXAS, APPOINTS A GOVERNOR
Missions in
Texas
Why missions?
 1. to convert Natives to
Christian faith
 2. to change Native culture
to Spanish ways
 3. to provide Native workers
to grow crops, build shelters
and provide labor
 4. to subdue Natives and
prevent hostile attacks
West Texas
First Mission in
Texas
1682: Corpus
Christi de la Ysleta
(Body of Christ of
Ysleta)
Near El Paso
Spain had settlement
in New Mexico: Santa
Fe 1609
Close to other
missions
No French Threat
yet!
French claims to land
 France claimed all the land drained by the
Mississippi River
 France focused on the fur trade
 French trappers and traders lived in the land that is
now the state of Louisiana, and worked with the
Caddo in East Texas

La Salle’s settlement called Fort St. Louis:
weak claim
French Territory
Louisiana Map from Lewis
and Clark Expedition
Later Map of Louisiana
Purchase
A. Spain learned of La Salle &
Fort St. Louis
1. Alonso de Leon expedition to destroy fort
2. Find no one alive at fort on April 22, 1689
3. Fort in ruins
4. De Leon travelled deeper into
East Texas from there with
Angelina, a Native guide
and interpreter
B. Spanish meet Hasinai
They called them the “Tejas Indians” meaning
friend
2. Hasanai: tribe of the Caddo
3. Father Damian Massanet, Catholic Church
official who was on the De Leon expedition
promised to return to the Tejas.
1.
C. First East Texas Mission
1. Father Massanet got permission from the
Viceroy to return and found a mission
among the Tejas.
2. 1690: Father Massanet, 4 friars and 100 soldiers;
was left to Father Francisco Hidalgo
3. Crude log buildings made up the Mission San
Francisco de los Texas
San Francisco de los Tejas
Location not far from Caddo Mounds--- near Alto and
Weches
Replica of original mission
in historical park today.
Area in brown is
location of the East
Texas Missions
Roads to East Texas
Roads
 Most well known road:) El Camino Real, (The
King’s Highway: highway markers today call it the
Old San Antonio Road. Highway 19 to College
Station: OSR
 El Camino Real de los Tejas: road to San
Francisco de los Tejas
First Tejas Mission Failed
 1. Drought ruined crops
 2. Disease killed many Indians and one friar
 3. Tejas rejected Catholic religion
 4. Tejas resented Spanish attempts to change
their way of life.
D. Spanish settlements along Rio Grande
River
1. Mission San Juan Bautista (St. John the
Baptist) built on west side of Rio Grande in 1699.
2. Known as the “Gateway to Texas” and the
“Mother of Texas Missions”
3. Located at crossroads, grew into 3 missions,
a presidio and a town.
Mission located near present-day Eagle Pass
Father Francisco Hidalgo
 Spanish missionary had been at San Francisco de los
Tejas. (Failed E. TX. Mission)
 Wanted to return to the
Hasanai.
 Viceroy ignored his requests.
 Devised a plan.
E. France Threatens Again
1. French traders in the Gulf Coast area
wanted to trade with Spanish merchants.
2. Spanish law prohibited foreigners from
trading with the colonies in New Spain.
(Why?)
3. French had no interest in taking territory or
converting the Indians
E. France Threatens Again
4. Francisco Hidalgo asked French to set up a mission in
East Texas
5. French governor appointed Louis de St. Denis (Denee)
to negotiate about this with Spanish officials on the Rio
Grande.
5. Sets up a trading post named Natchitoches on the Red
River in present-day Louisiana.
6. Captain Diego Ramon was alarmed when the French St.
Denis arrived at Mission San Juan Bautista (on the Rio
Grande). Why?
7. Ramon arrested St. Denis and sent him to Mexico City
to be examined by viceroy to check his motives.
Viceroy thinks French are a Threat!
Although St. Denis insisted France did not want
to occupy East Texas, Spanish officials did not
believe him.
Viceroy ordered new Spanish missions to be
built in East Texas along with soldiers to
protect them.
Bust of St. Denis
Ironically, St. Denis was sent to guide the
Spanish into East Texas, and was allowed to
marry Ramon’s step-granddaughter!!!
St. Denis himself must have been very likeable!
F. Many attempts to colonize
1700 - 1750.
1. 1716: Spanish came back to San Francisco
de los Tejas with soldiers and Spanish
families. (St. Francis of the Tejas) and built
6 missions in E. TX
2. Nuestra Senora de los Dolores de los Tejas –
presidio to protect the mission
STOP
G. San Antonio is Founded
1. Spanish needed a midway settlement from
the Rio Grande settlements to the East Texas
missions.
2. Site on San Antonio River chosen: 1718
3. Known as San Antonio de Bexar---today, San
Antonio is in Bexar County---the name is used
today!
San Antonio de Bexar: Location
Location of San Antonio
Map of all Texas Missions
San Antonio Missions:
most missions in one location
Design of Spanish missions
Coahuiltecan Indians adapted well to mission life. Why?
San Antonio was a series of missions along river.
Missions provided a church for the people.
The church was the focal point of
community life. The structure was
prominent within the compound. The
convento, or living quarters of the
missionaries and several lay assistants, was
in close proximity to the church building.
The cemetery, well used as the result of
European diseases, lay adjacent.
Daily life was centered around the
church with its summons to worship and
prayer, the fields, the workshops, and the
classrooms. Conversion was encouraged
when living in the missions, and required in
order to become Spanish citizens.
Presidio San Antonio de Bexar
Fort: housed the soldiers
1718, built by Martin de Alarcon
Soldiers brought their families
and settled permanently.
Why was this presidio a good idea?
What threats do you think the
Spanish faced?
San Antonio
de Bexar
Building plans of
the Fort
H. San Antonio de Valero
1. San Antonio de
Valero was a
mission.
2. Built in 1718.
3. The mission church
became known as
the Alamo, and was
the site of the fateful
battle of the Texas
Revolution.
San Antonio Today
M
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SAN ANTONIO RIVER:
RIVER WALK
War of Quadruple Alliance
 The War of the
Quadruple Alliance
(1718–1720) was a result of
the ambitions of King
Philip V of Spain to retake
territories in Italy and to
claim the French throne. It
saw the defeat of Spain
by an alliance of
Britain, France, Austria
(then a State of the
Holy Roman Empire),
and the Dutch
Republic.
I. The Chicken War 1719
1. French attacked
Mission San Miguel de
Linares de los Adaes
2. Captured a Spanish
soldier and looted hen
house
3. Hens spooked horse
and Frenchman fell;
Spanish soldier escaped
4.The result: Viceroy
sends Aguayo and
500 soldiers to
reestablish
abandoned missions
and moved Presidio
Nuestra Senora de la
Dolores further east,
closer to the French.
J. Los Adaes
Los Adaes: Gov. Aguayo built a large presidio, Nuestra
Senora del Pilar de los Adaes, near Natchitoches
1. Built with Franciscan Priest, Antonio Margil de
Jesus
2. 100 soldiers and their families started a village near
the fort.
3. French did not like it, but did not protest or
attack.
Los Adaes
Location of Spanish fort
Louisiana Marker today
Los Adaes
Diagram of the fort
Diagram of Historic Park
K. La Bahia 1722
1.
Presidio established on top of Ft. St. Louis by
Domingo Ramon in 1721
2. Also founded a mission across a creek by Governor
Aguayo
3. Was moved inland to present day Goliad by Jose de
Escandon in 1749
La Bahia: 2nd fort Aguayo built
Aguayo moves on to site of
Fort St. Louis: design of
original fort
Builds a presidio on the
site named La Bahia-later
moved and this is the 2nd
one.
La Bahia moved from Fort St. Louis site to present
day Goliad due to Karankawa problems
La Bahia in the distance
Chapel at La Bahia near
Goliad today.
Presidio La Bahia
Spanish Cannon Barrel
Location of Goliad, Texas
Plains Indians Resent Missions
Intruders on their hunting
grounds
Priest and Friars try to
convert them anyway!
 Apaches raided San
 1748-1751: 3 missions
Antonio de Bexar often.
 Comanche fought
fiercely, valued
captured horses!
founded along San
Gabriel River in
Central Texas, near
present day Rockdale
to serve Tonkawa.
 Failed: Apache raids,
smallpox, drought,
Tonkawas left
1757: San Saba Mission—bold step
 Far from nearest San
Antonio
 Wanted to convert
Apache, who wanted
protection from the
Comanche.
 Apache didn’t take to
mission life.
 Comanches attacked,
moved mission to
Nueces River.
Ruins of San Saba Mission
Missions unsuccessful with Plains Indian
 Spanish problems:
 Plains people too fiercely
 1. Remote location made
independent to settle
down to mission ways.
 Remember: Plains
Indians hunted the
buffalo and were
nomadic!
it hard to supply and
administer the missions.