TX History Ch 6.1

Chapter 6: The Spanish Missions

Section 1: Spanish Settlements on the Frontier

The Mission System

•At first Spain the only European country with North American settlements.

•By the 1600s, Spain was no longer the only European power in North America.

The Mission System

•Wanted to protect New Spain’s northern border

•Missionaries sent to borderlands to establish missions

The Mission System

•Missions—religious communities

The Mission System

Reasons for establishing missions.

Converting Indians

Develop borderlands

Represent Spanish government in

borderlands

The Mission System

•Built near water sources

•Included many amenities

The Mission System

•The Spanish wanted local Indians to live inside the mission walls.

The Mission System

•Taught Indians about Catholicism and agriculture

•Some Indians resisted

The Mission System

•Presidio—military base

The Mission System

•Civilians built near missions and presidios

•Grew into owns

•Ranchos—ranches

New Missions Along the Rio Grande

•1600s: Spanish establish missions south of Rio Grande and in New Mexico

•Life hard in missions

New Missions Along the Rio Grande

•1680: Pueblo Indians revolt

•Revolt—Revolution

New Missions Along the Rio Grande

•Pueblo Revolt occurs because Spaniards tried to force Indians to give up their spiritual beliefs.

New Missions Along the Rio Grande

•Pueblo revolt forces Spanish out of New Mexico

•Spain looks to give settlers a place to live and a base to retake New Mexico

New Missions Along the Rio Grande

•Corpus Christi de la Islate was the first Spanish mission in Texas

•Near present-day El Paso

New Missions Along the Rio Grande

•Town grew up at site

•Called “Ysleta” by Tigua Indians

•Oldest European town in Texas

•Spanish founded other forts