Life in the Missions and Presidios

1 Life in the Missions and Presidios

142 ✯ Chapter 7

Why It Matters NowThe Spanish missions establishedpermanent Texas settlements thateventually grew into major cities.

TERMS & NAMES OBJECTIVES MAIN IDEAhacienda, oppressive,subject, El Patronato Real,compound, commissary

1. Analyze why Spanish colonists came to Texas.

2. Examine important issues related to the establishment of Catholic missionsin Texas.

3. Identify important issues affectingSpanish colonists in Texas.

To secure its hold on Texas, Spainsent colonists to the northern fron-tier of its colonial empire. Manysettled in missions and presidios,where they experienced a whole new way of life.

hacienda a large estate or ranchin Spanish territoryoppressive unjust or cruel due to an abuse of power

Born in 1905 near Sherman, Texas, O’Neil Ford becamea gifted architect, recognized throughout the UnitedStates. O’Neil Ford believed the San Antonio missionswere irreplaceable snapshots of life in colonial Texas.

The Missions are the most important and mostbeautiful examples of Spanish Colonial architecture

in the United States and though once they were lovedand admired and understood by a few thousand persons,now it is probably safe to say that millions of personsfrom all over the world have come to San Antonio to

wonder at them, to study their history and their great significance.Now we know that they are the jewels of our river valley and thegreatest documentation of our Eighteenth Century beginning.

O’Neil Ford

The Spanish TexansIn the late 1700s about 3,500 colonists were living in what is now

Texas. This population was concentrated in three main areas: the missionsin San Antonio (about 2,000), La Bahía (about 1,000), and Nacogdoches(about 500). About 700 more colonists lived in the Spanish province ofNuevo Santander, which included part of what is today South Texas.

Many of the Spanish colonists came to Texas to escape cruel condi-tions on the haciendas in New Spain. Others were driven to the area bydroughts and other natural disasters or by an oppressive tax system. Afew colonists hoped to become wealthy by trading with the French—anactivity that was illegal in New Spain. Still others hoped to get betterjobs on northern ranches.

O’Neil Ford

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Life in Spanish Texas ✯ 143

Four Types of Frontier SettlementsGiven the size of Spanish Texas and Nuevo Santander, the colonial

population was small—with good reason. Conditions in the northernprovinces of New Spain were difficult. Settlers lived in fear of attack byhostile natives. They also faced deadly diseases such as cholera andsmallpox. In addition, many hacienda owners would not allow theirlaborers to leave. The owners sometimes used force to keep their work-ers from escaping.

Despite the obstacles, a number of brave colonists did build new livesin Texas. Because of the dangers of life on the frontier, the coloniststended to stick together as much as possible. Spanish colonists in Texasestablished four kinds of frontier settlements: missions, presidios, pueb-los, and ranchos. All of these settlements—especially the missions andpresidios—strengthened Spain’s claim on Texas.

MissionsThe mission was Spain’s main tool for colonizing Texas. One purpose

of the mission was to convert Native Texans to the Catholic faith. TheSpaniards in the mission also taught the native peoples to be good citi-zens and loyal subjects of the Spanish crown. Spaniards hoped theywould become skilled laborers who could be productive for Spain. If allthese goals were met, Spain promised to give control of the missions tolocal government. Spain also promised to give the native peoples landfor farming.

Under the terms of a special agreement known as El Patronato Real(ray•AHL), a group of Franciscan priests was given the task of runningthe Texas missions. Under this agreement the Catholic Church providedpriests for the missions, and the Spanish government provided the fund-ing. The government also owned the mission lands, even though thechurch owned the buildings, gardens, livestock, and cemetery that wereon the lands. In this way Spain secured its northern frontier and thechurch carried its message to people in a new area.

Spanish missions in Texas were expected to support themselves.That is, they had to provide everything the mission residents needed tosurvive. Spain hoped that the missions would soon startmaking money for the crown. This would make them aproductive part of New Spain rather than a constantfinancial drain.

Inside the MissionsMost Texas missions consisted of a square compound

enclosed by four walls. Towers often were built on thecorners of the walls to serve as lookout points. Inside thecompound, most missions had offices for the priests andworkshops for spinning or weaving cotton and woolencloth. Most also had shops for carpentry, ironworking,

subject one who is under theauthority of a king or queen

compound a fenced or walled-in area containing several residences or other buildings

In workshops, mission residentsmade iron tools and hinges andbuilt wooden furniture and doors.● What else did they have to make by hand?

▲In 1783 a census was taken of the

missions, presidios, and towns withinSpanish Texas. ● What was the totalpopulation of Spanish Texas? Why do youthink there were more men than women?

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POPULATION OF SPANISHTEXAS, 1783

MEN WOMEN BOYS GIRLS

Spanish 488 373 376 340

Native 290 241 70 76Texan(in towns)

Mixed 43 38 32 12Spanish/Native

Mixed 114 125 119 46Spanish/African

African 17 19American(enslaved)

Total 952 796 597 474

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Spain built missions not onlyin Texas but throughout thenorthern frontier. Franciscanpriests founded 21 missionsin California, lending theirnames to places such as SanFrancisco, San Diego, andSan Jose. In Arizona, JesuitPadre Kino established Mis-sion San Xavier del Bac, southof present-day Tucson. ● Whydo you think Spain was sointerested in establishingthese missions along itsnorthern frontier?

REGION

Mission San José is one of the five missions that make up the San Antonio Missions NationalHistorical Park. ● Why was thismission so large, with so much landwithin its walls?

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TEXAS VOICES

and tailoring. The lands surrounding the mission were used for grazinglivestock and for planting crops. Father Gaspar José de Solís describedMission San José as it looked when he visited it.

This mission is so pretty and in such a flourishing condition, both materiallyand spiritually, that I cannot find words or figures with which to express itsbeauty. It forms a perfect square, is built of stone, and on each of the four sides,660 feet in length, there is an entrance. On diagonal corners there are twotowers, each of which protects two sides of the building. The living-quarters forthe Indians, which form a part of the outer wall, are from fifteen to eighteenfeet in length and twelve in width. The mission is provided with a smallkitchen twelve feet in length, a fireplace, embrasures for the cannons, a vaultedsilo made of stone, and a workshop in which are woven blankets, gunny sacksand some excellent cotton goods. . . . Here the Indians have their carpentershop, forge and tailor shop, their lime and brick kilns and a well runs into acanal, which contains a great quantity of fish and irrigates many fertile fields.In these fields, that cover more than a league and are fenced in, there are abun-dant crops of corn, beans, lentils, melons, peaches, potatoes and sugar-cane.

Father Gaspar José de Solís, diary

The mission chapel was important for both the mission residents andthe surrounding community. Colonists had their children baptized there,and marriage and funeral services were held in the chapel. Althoughformal Sunday services were not common, they also were held in themission chapel.

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The Spanish missions wereexpected to support them-selves by growing their owncrops and raising livestock.One of the first crops grown inthe missions was cotton. Infact, the Spanish missionariesare credited with introducingcotton to Texas. By 1745 themissionaries wereproducing thou-sands of poundsof cotton eachyear. After har-vesting the cotton,mission workerswove it into cloth.

INTRODUCINGCOTTON TO TEXAS

Daily Life in the MissionsThe daily routine in the missions began with morning prayers

followed by 30 minutes to an hour of instruction in the Catholic faith.The mission residents also recited the rosary, a series of Catholic prayerscounted on a string of beads. After breakfast the natives worked all dayin the fields or workshops. Most of the time women worked in thekitchen or operated spinning wheels while children attended school.After the evening meal, everyone in the mission gathered for more reli-gious instruction and prayers before going to sleep.

Daily life in the missions was not like anything the Native Texanshad experienced. Most had routine jobs to perform every day, and themission priests introduced them to new ways of life and ideas.

The priests supervised all activities in the mission. They would oftenphysically punish uncooperative natives. For the most part, Native Texansdid not care for mission life. In fact, few were ever converted to theCatholic faith. Those who came into the mission often stayed for only afew months. Many ran away only to be captured again by presidio soldiersand punished by the priests. Some returned on their own to escapehunger and the cold winters. Those Native Texans who did adopt theSpanish way of life usually remained at the mission. Most married andraised families on small plots of land near the mission.

Hard Times in the MissionsSpanish missions in Texas were not as successful as Spain had hoped.

Although they had a strong start, the native population within the

While living in the missions, Spanishfriars taught the Native Texans manyskills and tried to convert them to theCatholic faith. ● How did missionscontribute to Spain’s goals for Texas?

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Life in Spanish Texas ✯ 145

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Some Native Texans fully adapted tolife in the missions. Many others ranaway from the missions or wentback and forth between their nativeway of life and the missions. ● Whatare some of the reasons Native Texansmight have found it difficult to adaptto mission life?

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missions began to shrink. Many of the native women in the missionsdied giving birth, perhaps because of the hard work of their daily lives.And while the mission provided food and shelter for many natives, italso exposed them to deadly European diseases. Native Texans also hada hard time adjusting to their new diet. They were used to eating a vari-ety of roots, fish, fruits, nuts, and wild game. In the mission they wereserved only red meat and starches, such as corn.

By the late 1770s the Spanish crown had begun to view the missionsas a drain on Spanish finances. The missions had not grown enough togive money back to Spain. Also, maintaining presidios to protect themissions became too expensive. Still, by the end of the 1700s, Spaniardshad managed to build 26 missions in Texas.

PresidiosPresidios were essential to the colonization of Texas. Their purpose

was to provide military support for missions, and later settlements, untilthese communities could support themselves. The main purpose of apresidio was to protect the colonists from attacks by Native Texans.Presidio soldiers were also expected to bring back any natives who ranaway from the mission. In addition, they protected groups bringingsupplies from the Rio Grande. Soldiers also guarded herds of cattle andhorses to keep them from being stolen by native raiders.

Presidios were built from local materials, such as logs, adobe, or stone.Most presidio compounds were rectangular with four tall walls andlookout points on each corner. Within the presidio were barracks for thesoldiers, separate sleeping quarters for officers, a chapel, and storage rooms.The only entrance was a huge main gate.

Native Texans’ reactions tomission life varied. Some nevergave it a chance. Others wentback and forth between theirnative way of life and theSpanish way. There were alsosome who embraced missionlife with open arms. Nativepeoples who stayed in the mis-sions were called gente derazón, meaning that they werepeople who had reached the“age of reasoning” and wereable to understand the differ-ence between right and wrong.These converts were elevated toa social status above othernatives, closer to that of theSpaniards. ● How do you thinkthe Spaniards viewed nativepeoples outside of the mis-sions? How do you think NativeTexans viewed Spaniards?

“Reasonable”Natives

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Terms & NamesIdentify:• hacienda• oppressive• subject • El Patronato Real• compound• commissary

Organizing InformationUsing a chart like the onebelow, create a list ofadvantages and disadvan-tages related to life for acolonist in a Spanishmission or presidio in Texas.

Do you think the advantagesof living in a colonialoutpost in Texas outweighedthe disadvantages, or vice

versa? Support your answerwith logical reasons.

Critical Thinking1. Not all colonists came to

Texas to be missionaries.Generally speaking, whatwas the main goal ofmany of the colonists whocame to Texas and NuevoSantander in the 1700s?

2. Spain hoped to profitfrom its missions one day.How do you think amission might makemoney for the crown?

3. How do you think livingconditions in thepresidios affected thesoldiers’ work? Explain.

A Real-Life StoryReview A Real-Life Story onpage 142. O’Neil Ford feltthat the Spanish missions’design and architecturewere very important to thestudy of Texas history. Whatdo you think historians canlearn from the architectureof the missions?

A C T I V I T YHistory Research and create a layout of a Spanish mission or presidio in Texas. What do you think these

layouts reveal about the people who lived in the missions?

Go to www.celebratingtexas.com to research the Activity topic.

1

LIFE AS A COLONISTAdvantages Disadvantages

Life in Spanish Texas ✯ 147

commissary a store where military personnel can buyequipment and food

Presidio LifeMost presidio soldiers enlisted for ten years.

Military life could be unpleasant, dull, and harsh.Soldiers faced years of hard work and constant dangerfrom hostile native groups. The soldiers often did notget along with the priests they were ordered to protect.Many conflicts arose over how to deal with the NativeTexans in and around the settlement. These disagree-ments sometimes led to long-term distrust and resent-ment between the mission residents and the soldierswho were supposed to protect them.

Presidio soldiers were not paid a great deal. Theyhad to use much of their pay to buy their ownuniforms, weapons, and other equipment at thecommissary. Since local commanders ran the com-missary, prices were very high. Outside the presidiocompound, local merchants, craftspeople, farmers,and livestock owners saw the soldiers as customersfor their goods. Many soldiers had to take extra jobs in the communityto be able to buy food, clothing, and supplies for themselves and theirfamilies.

Some soldiers brought their wives and families with them to theoutpost. Others married women from the local community. After soldierscompleted their tour of duty, they often made their homes nearby. Somesoldiers obtained land grants near the presidios and built homesteads.

Many soldiers obtained land andmade new lives for themselves inSpanish Texas. ● What do you thinkwas the best part of life as a presidiosoldier? the worst?

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