Spanish missions in Texas
The Spanish Missions in Texas comprise a series of religious outposts established by Spanish Catholic Dominicans, Jesuits, and Franciscans to spread the Christian doctrine among the local Native Americans, but with the added benefit of giving Spain a toehold in the frontier land. The missions introduced European livestock, fruits, vegetables, and industry into the Texas region. In addition to the presidio (fort) 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.
Since 1493, Spain had maintained a number of missions throughout New Spain (Mexico and portions of what today are the Southwestern United States) in order to facilitate colonization of these lands. The East Texas 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.
Following government policy, Franciscan missionaries sought to make life within mission communities closely resemble that of Spanish villages and Spanish culture. In order to become Spanish citizens and productive inhabitants, native americans learned vocational skills. 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. bla
Mission Corpus Christi de la Isleta del Sur
- Flooding destroyed the mission twice: once around 1742 and again around 1829.
- 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
- Still in use as a church
Mission San Antonio de Senecú
- Established 1682 at Ysleta. Settled by Piro people from New Mexico
- Site moved and now in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico
now in ruins
Mission Nuestra Señora de la Limpia Concepción de Los Piros de Socorro del Sur
- Established 1682 near Socorro among the Piros people
- First permanent mission, built in 1691, was swept away by flood in 1744
- Second church was washed away in 1829
- Present mission was completed in 1843
- Socorro became part of Texas in 1848
- This place was a training camp for Luke Skywalker in Episode 6 Return of Jedi in STAR WARS saga
Mission San Francisco de la Espada
- Established in 1690 as San Francisco de los Tejas near present-day Weches among the Nabedache people
- Renamed Mission San Francisco de los Neches in 1721
- Moved in 1731 to San Antonio where it was named Mission San Francisco de la Espada
- Currently part of San Antonio Missions National Historical Park operated by the National Park Service
Mission Santísimo Nombre de María
- Established in 1690 on the Neches River
- Abandoned in 1693
Mission San Juan Bautista
- Established in 1700-1702 Site now in Mexico.
Mission San Bernardo
- Established in 1700-1702 Site now in Mexico.
Mission San Juan Capistrano
- Established in 1716 in East Texas
- Moved in 1731 to San Antonio
- Currently a National Historical Park operated by the National Park Service
Mission Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción de Acuña
- Established in 1716 as Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción de los Hainais in East Texas
- Moved in 1731 to San Antonio
- Currently a National Historical Park operated by the National Park Service
Mission San José de los Nazonis
- Established in 1716-1717 in East Texas
- Abandoned in 1729
Mission Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de los Nacogdoches
- Established in 1716-1717 Nacogdoches, Texas
- Closed in 1773
Mission Nuestra Señora de los Dolores de los Ais
- Established in 1716-1717 Site now in the state of Louisiana
- Closed in 1773
Mission San Miguel de Linares de los Adaes
- Established in 1716-1717 site near Robeline, Louisiana
Mission San Antonio de Valero
- Established in 1718 San Antonio
- Currently a museum operated by the Daughters of the Republic of Texas
- Alamo
Mission San José y San Miguel de Aguayo
- Established 1720 San Antonio
- Currently a National Historical Park operated by the National Park Service
Mission Nuestro Señora del Espíritu Santo de Zúñiga
- Established in 1722 Matagorda Bay among the Karankawa Indians
- Moved in 1726 near Victoria
- Moved in 1749 to La Bahia (now Goliad, Texas)
- Restored from ruins by the Civilian Conservation Corps and Works Progress Administration in the 1930s
- Currently a state historical park operated by the State of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Mission San Franscico Xavier de Najera
- Established in 1722 in San Antonio
- Abandoned by 1726
- The site was used for Mission Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción de Acuña when that mission moved to San Antonio in 1731.
Mission Santa María de las Caldas
Mission San Francisco Xavier de Horcasitas
- Established in 1746
- Abandoned in 1755
Mission San Ildefonso
- Established in 1746
- Abandoned in 1755
Mission Santa Cruz de San Sabá
- Established circa 1750
- Destroyed by Indian attack in March, 1758
Mission Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria del Cañón
- Established circa 1750
Mission San Lorenzo de la Santa Cruz
- Established circa 1750
Mission San Sabá
- Established circa 1750
Mission Nuestra Señora del Rosario
- Established 1754 4 miles west of La Bahia.
- Closed in 1805
- Currently the ruins are an archeological site designated as a state historical park and controlled by the State of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Mission San Francisco Xavier de los Dolores
- Established in 1755 at San Marcos among the Apache people
- Assets transferred to Mission Santa Cruz de San Sabá in 1756
Mission Nuestra Señora de la Luz
- Established 1756 near the mouth of the Trinity River
- Destroyed by Karankawa Indians
Mission Nuestra Señora del Refugio
- Established February 4, 1793 in East Texas
- Moved in June, 1794 Mosquitos Creek
- Moved in January, 1795 to Refugio
- Materials from ruins probably used to build new structures in the early 1800s. The site is presently owned by Our Lady of Refuge Catholic Church.
See also
- Old San Antonio Road
- Reductions
- Jesuit Reductions
- Jesuit Asia missions
- Spanish missions in Arizona
- Spanish missions in California
- Spanish missions in New Mexico
- Spanish missions in Mexico
- Spanish Missions in the Sonoran Desert
- Spanish missions in Trinidad
External links
- The Alamo
- Mission Espada
- Mission San Juan
- Mission Concepción
- Mission San José
- Mission Espiritu Santo
- Mission Rosario
- Mission Refugio
- Images of Texas Missions from the Portal to Texas History
- The Handbook of Texas Online
- The Five Spanish Missions of Old San Antonio
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Categories
Archaeological sites in the United States | Colonial Mexico | Spanish colonization of the Americas | History of Catholicism in the United States | History of Texas