5.1 Missions

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

Spain Looks to Texas In 1682 Spanish friars founded the mission of Corpus Christi de la Ysleta near present-day El Paso. During the 1690s Spain concentrated on building missions, presidios, and towns in eastern Texas, near Louisiana.

Missions always built close to a river if possible - Large common area Native American Garden Where food is stored

Missions Bastion is a structure projecting outward from the main enclosure of a fortification, situated in both corners of a straight wall, with the shape of a sharp point, facilitating active defense against assaulting troops.

A Tejas Mission De León led his troops northeast and met a large group of Hasinai People. They called them the Tejas, a word meaning “friend.” In 1690 Father Damian Massanet established the mission San Francisco de las Tejas near the present-day town of Weches.

Missions Introduced: Livestock, Fruits, Vegetables, Industry into the Texas region.

A Mission Abandoned The mission failed because crops failed, disease killed many Native Americans, and the Tejas rejected the Catholic religion. The experiment strengthened Spain’s claim to Texas.

San Francisco de los Tejas: Bad Times Drought ruined the Tejas's crops 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.

A Mission Abandoned From 1693 to 1714, Spanish settlements along the Rio Grande flourished. Mission San Juan Bautista was located five miles from the Rio Grande. It eventually grew into a complex of three missions, a presidio, and a town and was called “Mother of Texas

Father Damián Massanet The viceroy agreed, and in the spring of 1690 Father Massanet, three other friars, and about 100 soldiers set out for East Texas. The first Spanish mission in East Texas 1690. It was a crude log building and contained only a few simple furnishings. Named San Francisco de los Tejas

Mission San Juan Bautista built west of the river near the present-day town of Eagle Pass in 1699. 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.

Native American Policy French- 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. Spanish- God, Gold, Glory

France Threatens Again Without the approval of Spanish officials, Father Hidalgo asked the French to build a mission in East Texas to replace San Francisco de las Tejas. French traders won Native Americans’s friendship and made large profits trading. The French governor appointed Louis de St. Denis, who had traded successfully with Native Americans in Louisiana, to negotiate with the Spanish officials on the Rio Grande.

French/ Spanish Meeting The unexpected arrival of the French party led by St. Denis in San Juan Baustista 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.

France Threatens Again The Spanish became alarmed, thinking that the French were trying to occupy East Texas. Although St. Denis insisted that France had no plans to occupy East Texas, the Spanish viceroy ordered new missions to be built in East Texas, and trade between the Spanish and French was stopped.