1. Spanish Missions

2. SPANISH CONTROL OF THE TEXAS BORDERLANDS
To control the Texas borderlands the Spanish built 4 types of settlements:
missions – religious communities
presidios – military bases
towns – small villages with farmers and merchants
ranchos – or ranches

3. Missions
Developed in response to other countries beginning to settle in the United States.
The Spanish established these missions to protect its borders, and to spread Christianity.
The Spanish built missions near rivers to ensure a good water supply.
Missions included churches, dormitories, workrooms, barns, fields, and gardens.
Missionaries taught the Indians about Catholicism, and taught them how to farm.

4. Missions
To protect these missions, presidios were established. A presidio is a military base. Soldiers in these bases were generally responsible for protecting several missions.
Settlers homes were built near missions, so that they would be well protected. This led to the formation of towns, for example, San Antonio and El Paso.
Spaniards lived near missions on ranchos, and raised cattle.

5. Missions

6. Missions

7. New Missions along the Rio Grande
In the late 1600’s, the Spanish began building missions just south of the Rio Grande.
They also built missions among the Pueblo Indians of New Mexico.
In 1680, a Pueblo leader named Pope led a revolt, or revolution, against the Spanish. This Pueblo Revolt, drove the Spanish out of New Mexico.

8. THE SPANISH ESTABLISHED MISSIONS ALONG THE WESTERN RIO GRANDE
To provide a place to live for settlers fleeing the Pueblo Revolt
To use missions as a base to retake New Mexico
Pueblo Revolt – revolution led by Pueblo leader Popé against the Spanish in New Mexico

9. Missions
In 1682, the Spanish built the first mission in Texas, just east of present-day El Paso. This mission was called Corpus Christi de la Ysleta.

10. Spanish Settlements on the Frontier
To control the borderlands
Mission System
Goal
Four types of Spanish settlements
Represent
Spanish govern- ment there
Convert American Indians there to Catholicism
Develop settlements
there
missions, presidios, towns, ranchos

11. THE FRENCH Wanted to gain a port for the fur trade
Establish trade with the Spanish colonies
To gain a claim to Texas and challenge Spain’s empire
Expedition ended in disaster

12. La Salle
1682 La Salle claimed the area around the Mississippi River for France
Led an expedition in 1684 to establish a settlement near the Mississippi River

13. La Salle Difficult journey to Louisiana
Pirates captured one ship
Miss the mouth of the Mississippi River
Landed in Matagorda Bay in Texas
Move inland and built Ft. St. Louis
La Salle started looking around for supplies and found the Rio Grande

14. Ft. St. Louis La Salle Moved inland & built settlement
Struggled to Survive
Many died
Burned by the Karankawas
Realized he missed the Mississippi when he found the Rio Grande
When heading back to Canada was murdered by his own soldiers.
Blamed for the failure of the settlement

15. EFFECT OF THE LA SALLE EXPEDITION
Gave France a strong claim to Texas
2nd Flag to fly over Texas (French)
Spain sent expeditions to find Ft. St. Louis
Spain built missions in East Texas to protect their claim to the land

16. Spanish in East Texas
Between the years of 1686 and 1687, the Spanish sent six expeditions by land, and five by sea, in an attempt to locate Fort St. Louis.
In 1689, a Spanish governor named Alonso De Leon led another expedition.
A Spanish priest named Father Damian Massanet, accompanied him.
In early 1690, these two men, along with about 100 soldiers, built the first mission in East Texas. It was called San Francisco de los Tejas.
In 1693, after three years of hardships, including drought, disease, and the Indians unwillingness to learn Christianity, the Spaniards burned the mission to the ground and fled to back to Mexico.

17. Spanish in East Texas
One of the priests of San Francisco de los Tejas, Father Francisco Hidalgo, wanted to return to East Texas.
However, the Spanish refused to build another mission there.
Hidalgo decided to ask the French to build a mission first.
In 1713, the French sent Louis St. Denis to help Father Hidalgo.
Both men returned to Spanish settlements on the Rio Grande with many goods they had received from the Indians for trade.
The Spanish arrested them and sent them to Mexico City.
Because St. Denis told the Spanish that he was sent to help Father Hidalgo, the Spanish became nervous and began to make plans to return to East Texas.

18. FAILURE OF SPANISH MISSIONS IN EAST TEXAS
Location too remote
Floods, droughts, disease
Internal conflicts
Indians not interested in religious instruction

19. Group Discussion
Directions: Discuss the following: given the hardships endured on La Salle’s journey,
Do you think it was worth it?
Would you do it if you could? Why or why not?

20. SAN ANTONIO RIVER AREA
Midpoint between the East Texas missions and the Rio Grande settlement
Mild climate and location by a river
Became the site of the most successful Texas missions and settlements

21. WAR BETWEEN FRANCE AND SPAIN AFFECTS TEXAS
Led to the Chicken War, which caused Spain to abandon East Texas
Re-established Spanish control of the region
Separated control of French Louisiana and Spanish Texas

22. WAR BETWEEN FRANCE AND SPAIN AFFECTS TEXAS (continued)
Chicken War – conflict between French and Spanish in Texas where the French attacked Mission San Miguel de Linares de los Adaes

23. Spanish Return to Texas
France and Spain decide to work together for the missions in East Texas
Spain wants to spread Christianity
France wants to trade with the Indians
Spain builds 6 new missions

24. Problems with Spanish Missions
Missions were over 500 miles away from Spanish settlements
Apaches and Comanches raided the supplies wagons
Difficult to get supplies to

25. How to solve the problems
Built missions on the San Antonio River as a mid way point
Missions included: De Bexar and Alamo
Built El Camino Reel- only road going from the East missions to Mexico

26. Other missions failed because:
Successful missions:
1. San Antonio
2. Nacogdoches
3. Los Adaes
4. Goliad
Other missions failed because:
1. disease
2. Indian attacks
3. crop failure- hunger

27. Spanish abandon East Texas
War and Expansion
France and Spain at War
Spanish abandon East Texas
Effect
Chicken War (June 1719)
Aguayo Expedition
Spanish
re-occupation of
East Texas
Agreement to
separate control of
French Louisiana
and Spanish Texas
Expansion of
Spanish settlement
(Los Adaes,
La Bahía)

28. Life in Missions

29. MISSIONS AND PRESIDIOS
Centered around work and worship
Life was harsh, uncomfortable dwellings, little food
Life for soldiers was dangerous and difficult

30. Life in a Missions The day started at dawn with religious services.
Indians’ workday began under the direction of the priests
The day ended with prayers and dinner
This process hardly ever worked, because the Indians refused to let go of their old traditions

31. Life in a Mission
Men tended crops, while the women made pottery, cared for the livestock, wove cloth, and cooked.
The dwellings were uncomfortable.
People sometimes went hungry.

32. Life in a Presidios
Missions were most likely to succeed, if they had a presidio nearby.
These military outposts were generally made of adobe, stone, and timber.
They had a chapel, barracks for soldiers, storage rooms, and a headquarters building.
The soldiers were not paid very much, and their uniforms were often dirty and ragged.

33. LIFE IN SPANISH SETTLEMENTS
Diverse populations
Consisted of homes, government buildings and stores
Economy based on farming and ranching
Social activities centered around church and family

34. The economy of the settlements was mostly based on farming and ranching.
The cattle business helped San Antonio and other towns grow.
Vaqueros, or cowboys, worked on ranches near the settlements. They were well known for their skills at horse riding and cattle handling.

35. Mission Government.
The ayuntamiento, governing council, enforced royal and local laws.
The alcalde, served as mayor, sheriff, and judge of small cases.

36. SPANISH CULTURE AND TEXAS TODAY
Spanish heritage present in Texas architecture and celebrations
Apparent in music and food
Spanish influence seen in place-names, towns, or rivers
Some Spanish missions are still active churches.
They laid out the first Texas roads.

37. Life in Spanish Texas Examples of Spanish Influence in Texas routes of
first Texas
roads
Catholic
heritage and
missions
many
Spanish
place-names
Examples of Spanish
Influence in Texas
culture
(architecture,
art, food,
language,
music)
cattle
ranching
traditions and
terms
legal
traditions