Spanish Missions in Texas 1650 1800 Race to

Spanish Missions in Texas 1650 -1800

Race to Claim Texas • Texas was between Spanish Mexico & French Louisiana • La Salle had established Fort Saint Louis for France. Spain Texas France La Salle

• In 1689 Spaniard Alonso de Leon finds the remains of Fort St. Louis • Alonso de Leon reported favorably on the land of East Texas and the Caddo Indians • Father Damian Massanet who was with de Leon requested help from Mexico City to convert the Caddo, or the Tejas as they called them, to Catholicism

Missions • The mission was Spain’s main tool for colonizing Texas. • Their purpose was to convert Native Texans to the Catholic faith, • In addition the mission workers attempted to convert the natives into Spanish subjects. • Missions in Texas were supported by the Catholic church, but they were designed to be self sufficient. • They also would help keep the French out of Texas

• Most missions in Texas consisted of a square compound enclosed by four walls. They also had a main chapel which was at the center of life in the mission. • Early missions were small and made of wood. While later missions were large and built with stone. • The land around the mission was also used for animals and growing crops for food.

Spain’s First East Texas Mission • In 1690 de Leon and Massanet , a few other priest and 100 soldiers set off to build a mission in east Texas. • They build the Mission San Francisco de los Tejas Reconstruction of San Francisco de los Tejas

• A year later the mission was in trouble. Drought had caused the crops to fail. • Disease caused the Native Texans to become hostile & they refused to work in the missions • The Mission could not survive so in 1693 it was abandoned.

The French Return • By 1700 the French return to Louisiana and developed trading relationship with Native Americans • In 1713 Spanish Priest Father Francisco Hidalgo asked French priests to provide churches to East Texas Natives • The French sent Louis de St. Denis to visit Father Hidalgo

• France and Spain were at war • But St. Denis and Hidalgo both wanted to convert the east Texas Indians. • Spanish government had St. Denis arrested • Spain decided to establish more missions to protect their territory

Spain Reclaims East Texas • In 1716 San Francisco de los Tejas was reopened • A mid-point for supply caravans was needed. • In modern day San Antonio the Mission San Antonio de Valero and the Mission San Antonio de Bexar was built. • Valero would become the Alamo

w Mission San Antonio de Valero

The Chicken War • East Texas missions were unsuccessful because of the same reasons as before. • The Indians didn’t want to live in them. • In 1719 French Lt. Philippe Blondel “invaded” Texas with 6 soldiers. They captured a mission near Nacogdoches.

• Blondel and his men looted the mission and Blondel took and tied a few chickens to his saddle. • The chickens made his horse buck (jump) and Blondel fell from his horse. The Spanish missionaries escaped when this happened.

• The Incident referred to as “The Chicken War” • The escaped Spanish exaggerated the news claiming that a huge French army was invading • The Spanish panicked and retreated back to San Antonio abandoning East Texas • The Spanish realized how weak they were in Texas