The Spanish Missions in Texas comprise the many Catholic outposts established in New Spain by Dominican, Jesuit, and Franciscan orders to spread their doctrine among Native Americans and to give Spain a toehold in the frontier land. The missions introduced European livestock, fruits, vegetables, and industry into the Texas area. In addition to the presidio (fortified church) and pueblo (town), the misión was one of the three major agencies employed by the Spanish crown to extend its borders and consolidate its colonial territories. In all, twenty-six missions were maintained for different lengths of time within the future boundaries of the state of Texas.
Since 1493, Spain had maintained missions throughout New Spain (Mexico and portions of what today are the southwestern United States) to facilitate colonization. The eastern Tejas missions were a direct response to fear of French encroachment when the remains of La Salle's Fort Saint Louis were discovered near Matagorda Bay in 1689, and a response to the first permanent French outposts along the Gulf Coast ten years later.
Following government policy, Franciscan missionaries sought to make life within mission communities closely resemble that of Spanish villages and Spanish culture. To become Spanish citizens and "productive" inhabitants, Native Americans learned vocational skills, such as plows, farm implements, and gear for horses, oxen, and mules fell into disrepair, blacksmithing skills soon became indispensable. Weaving skills were needed to help clothe the inhabitants. As buildings became more elaborate, mission occupants learned masonry and carpentry under the direction of craftsmen contracted by the missionaries.
In the closely supervised setting of the mission the Native Americans were expected to mature in Christianity and Spanish political and economic practices until they would no longer require special mission status. Then their communities could be incorporated as such into ordinary colonial society. This transition from official mission status to ordinary Spanish society, when it occurred in an official manner, was called "secularization." In this official transaction, the mission's communal properties were privatized, the direction of civil life became a purely secular affair, and the direction of church life was transferred from the missionary religious orders to the Catholic diocesan church. Although colonial law specified no precise time for this transition to take effect, increasing pressure for the secularization of most missions developed in the last decades of the 18th century.
This mission system was developed in response to the often very detrimental results of leaving the Hispanic control of relations with Native Americans on the expanding frontier to overly enterprising civilians and soldiers. This had resulted too often in the abuse and even enslavement of the Indians and a heightening of antagonism.
In the end, the mission system was not politically strong enough to protect the Native Americans against the growing power of ranchers and other business interests that sought control over mission lands and the manpower represented by the Native Americans. In the first few years of the new Republic of Mexico—between 1824 and 1830—all the missions still operating in Texas were officially secularized, with the sole exception of those in the El Paso district, which were turned over to diocesan pastors only in 1852.
| Corpus Christi de (San Antonio de) la Isleta/Ysleta (Sur) | 31.69101, -106.32739 | 1682 | The first mission in Texas. Flooding destroyed the mission in both 1742 and 1829. The present church was constructed in 1851 on higher ground.In 1881, the Jesuits took control and renamed it Mission de Nuestra Señora del Monte Carmelo.In 1980, the name was changed to Mission San Antonio de los Tiguas. The church is still in use today. | [1] [2] [3] [4] | ||
| Nuestra Señora de la Limpia Concepción de Los Piros/del Pueblo de/del Socorro (del Sur) | 31.65933, -106.30347 | 1682 | The present mission church at Socorro was built after the 1829 flood, around 1840. | [5] [6] | ||
| San Antonio de Senecú/Senecú del Sur | 1682 | Established in the spring of 1682 after the Pueblo Revolt. In 1683 Senecú may have been moved. In 1949 a community called Senecú was located in Mexico. | [7] | |||
| (La) Navidad de las Cruces | December 29, 1683 | The Mendoza-Lopez expedition party camped at a village. They named it Navidad de las Cruces and founded a mission. | ||||
| El Apostle Santiago | Near Presidio | January 1, 1684 | The Mendoza-Lopez expedition, after establishing La Navidad de las Cruces, entered another village. They named it El Apostle Santiago and founded a mission. | [8] | ||
| San Clemente | On the San Saba River, west of Menard | March 16, 1684 | It was a temporary mission established by Juan Domínguez de Mendoza. It lasted until May 1, 1684. | [9] | ||
| San Francisco de los Tejas | Near Weches | 1690 | Abandoned in 1693 due to local resistance, disease, and resource challenges. It was re-established as the missions Nuestro Padre San Francisco de los Tejas, San Francisco de los Neches, and finally San Francisco de la Espada. | [10] | ||
| (El) Santísimo Nombre de María | Near Alto | September 1690 | The mission consisted of a straw chapel and a house for the priest. It was destroyed by a flood in 1692. | [11] [12] [13] | ||
| Señor San José | Near Presidio | 1715 | Driven out of the mission by natives in 1726. After this, the mission was only run occasionally. | |||
| San Antonio de Padua | Near Presidio | 1715 | Located southeast of Señor San José. It was renamed as San Antonio de Los Puliques and may have at one point been located near Redford. | [14] | ||
| San Cristóbal | Near Presidio | 1715 | Active until 1726. After this, the mission was only run occasionally. In operation until at least 1760 when Presidio del Norte de la Junta de Los Rios was founded. | |||
| Mission of the Cibolas | Shafter | 1715 | Located 24 miles northwest of Presidio. | |||
| Mission at Redford | Redford | |||||
| San Francisco de los Julimes | [15] | |||||
| Nuestro Padre San Francisco de los Tejas | Near the west bank of the Neches River | July 3, 1716 | Abandoned in 1719. Re-established and moved in 1721 as San Francisco de los Neches. | [16] | ||
| Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción de los Hainai | July 7, 1716 | This mission was originally established on the Angelina River in 1716. It served the Hainai tribe. It was closed because of the French threat and reopened in 1721. In 1730 it was moved to the Colorado River near Zilker Park with missions San Francisco de los Tejas and San José de los Nazonis. It moved to San Antonio in 1731, where it was renamed Mission Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción de Acuña. | [17] [18] [19] | |||
| Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de los Nacogdoches | Nacogdoches | July 9, 1716 | Established by the Domingo Ramón-St. Denis expedition to serve the Nacogdoche tribe. It closed several years later because of threats from French Louisiana but reopened in 1721. The mission continued until 1773, when the Spanish government ordered all of East Texas to be abandoned. In 1779, Antonio Gil Y'Barbo led a group of settlers who had been removed from Los Adaes to the area to settle in the empty mission buildings. This began the town of Nacogdoches, Texas. | [20] [21] [22] | ||
| Near Cushing | July 11, 1716 | Abandoned in 1719 after the French took the presidio at Los Adaes and reactivated in 1721. In 1730 it was moved to the Colorado River near Zilker Park with missions San Francisco de los Tejas and Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción de los Hainai. The mission is usually believed to have moved in 1731 to become Mission San Juan Capistrano and renamed so as not to cause confusion with Mission San José y San Miguel de Aguayo. | [23] | |||
| Nuestra Señora (de los) Dolores de los Ais | San Augustine | 1716 | Re-established in 1721 on Ayish Bayou. Missionaries continued their work until 1773 when the East Texas missions were once again closed. Archeologists confirmed the location of the mission in the late 1970s.Since July 1, 2016, the Texas Historical Commission has operated the site as Mission Dolores State Historic Site. | [24] | ||
| San Antonio de Valero | 29.42573, -98.48622 | May 1, 1718 | The mission was first located west of San Pedro Springs, moving several times before finally founding the mission above a bend in the San Antonio River for easier defense. The mission served the Coahuiltecan until 1793. It was the site of the Battle of the Alamo and later stored U.S. Army supplies in the Mexican–American War. | [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] | ||
| San José y San Miguel de Aguayo | 29.36238, -98.47985 | February 23, 1720 | Shortly after its founding, Mission San Antonio de Valero became overcrowded with refugees from the closed East Texas missions, so this mission was established. Nicknamed the "Queen of the Missions", it served the Coahuiltecan.A new church, which still stands, was constructed in 1768 from local limestone. Mission activities officially ended in 1824. | [31] [32] [33] [34] |
See main article: Mission San Francisco de la Espada.
The first mission established within the boundaries of Spanish Texas was San Francisco de la Espada. In 1689, Spanish authorities found the remnants of a French settlement, Fort Saint Louis.[35]
During their expedition, the Spanish met representatives of the Caddo people, who lived between the Trinity and the Red Rivers. The Caddo expressed interest in learning about Christianity,[36] and the following year Alonso De León led an expedition to establish a mission in East Texas. It was completed near the Hasinai village of Nabedaches in late May, and its first mass was conducted on June 1, 1690.[37] [38] In its first two years of existence, the mission faced much hardship, as floodwaters and then drought destroyed their crops. After an epidemic killed half of the local population, the Hasinai became convinced that the missionaries had caused the deaths.[39] Fearing an attack, on October 25, 1693, the missionaries buried the mission bell, set the building ablaze, and retreated to Mexico.[40]
The mission was reestablished on July 3, 1716, as Nuestro Padre San Francisco de los Tejas.[41] In 1721, it was renamed Mission San Francisco de los Neches. It was moved in 1731 to San Antonio where it was named Mission San Francisco de la Espada. The surviving structure is now part of San Antonio Missions National Historical Park operated by the National Park Service. A commemorative representation of Mission San Francisco de los Tejas, is located in Weches at Mission Tejas State Park.
See main article: Mission San Juan Capistrano (Texas).
Located 3miles south of Mission San José, San Juan Capistrano served Coahuiltecan natives. It was the most distant of the missions from the presidio at Bexar and was often raided by Apaches.
By 1762, the mission consisted of a stone chapel with stone rooms for the priests and the soldiers who lived at the mission. Rooms made of adobe were built along the walls to house the 200 resident Native American peoples. The mission was secularized in 1794, with the property divided among the remaining mission Indians. A priest continued to hold church services there, but other mission activities ended.[42] The church has been restored and is still an active parish.[42]
See main article: Mission Concepción. The name was changed because the mission no longer served the Ainais tribe, and its new name honored the current viceroy of Mexico.[43]
The mission inherited the lands of the closed Mission San Francisco Xavier de Najera 3miles south of San Antonio de Valero. Most of the Native Americans at the mission were Coahuiltecans who disliked the hard work of mission life. The Native Americans often ran away and were brought back forcibly by soldiers or priests.[43]
The current church building was completed in 1755 and is the oldest unrestored stone church in the United States. It is built in the shape of a cross, with walls that are 45inches thick. The mission was closed in 1794, with the property divided among the resident Native Americans, all of whom has left by 1800.[44] For a time, the buildings were used as a cattle barn, but in 1855 the land and church were given to the Brothers of Mary, who cleaned it and began conducting services again. It is now open to the public for prayer, and is part of the National Park Service.[45]
Mission Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe was established in 1756 in central Texas near present-day New Braunfels, Texas, to serve the local Waco and Tonkawa tribes congregating near the headwaters of the Comal river. It was closed in 1758 because of Comanche depredations and was never protected by a complementing presidio garrison.[46]
Mission Nuestra Señora de los Dolores de los Ais was originally established in 1717 in the area of Ayish Bayou (modern San Augustine, Texas) by Father Antonio Margil de Jesus. The mission was built to convert the local Ais Native Americans. Following the Chicken War in 1719, Spanish officials closed the East Texas missions and Father Margil and others were relocated to San Antonio. During the next year, Father Margil founded Mission San José (Texas). Mission Dolores was reestablished in 1721. Missionaries continued their work until 1773 when the East Texas missions were once again closed.
Archeologists confirmed the location of the mission in the late 1970s. It is one of three archeologically confirmed mission locations in East Texas and the only site open to the public. The City of San Augustine constructed a museum, campground and archeology lab in 2000. Since July 1, 2016, the Texas Historical Commission has operated the site as Mission Dolores State Historic Site.
See main article: Spanish missions in Louisiana.
Mission San Miguel de Linares de los Adaes was the fifth mission established in East Texas in 1716–1717. The mission was to serve the Native American village of Adaes just 20miles west of the French fort at Natchitoches, Louisiana. At that time, the Spanish claimed the Red River as the eastern boundary of Texas, so the mission was considered part of Spanish Texas, despite being in what is now considered Louisiana.[21]
The mission was attacked by French soldiers in 1719 and was closed. Three years later, the Marquis de San Miguel de Aguayo reopened the mission, but at a site closer to the Presidio of Los Adaes. The mission remained open until 1773.[21]
See main article: Mission Nuestra Señora del Espíritu Santo de Zúñiga.
Mission San Francisco Xavier de Nájera was established in 1722 in San Antonio, as a result of a promise made by the Marquis de San Miguel de Aguayo, the governor of Spanish Texas. The previous year, Aguayo had asked the El Cuilón (also known as Juan Rodriguez) the chief of the Ervipiame and influential among many of the other tribes of Rancheria Grande natives, such as the Yojuanes and the Mayeye to guide him to East Texas to reopen the missions there;[47] in return, Aguayo promised to open a mission along the San Antonio River for the chief's tribe. The new mission was established 3miles south of San Antonio de Valero and was initially populated by fifty families under the leadership of El Cuilón.[48] [49] The families did not stay long, and by 1726 the mission closed. Its lands were later given to Mission Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción de Acuña.
See main article: Mission Santa Cruz de San Sabá.
See main article: Mission Nuestra Señora del Rosario.
On Spanish Missions in neighboring regions:
On general missionary history:
On colonial Spanish American history: