Spanish Settlement of Texas

Which two countries claimed ownership of Texas in the late 1600’s?

Which country do you think had the better claim to owning Texas?

Texas: aka “New Spain”

Owned by Spain

Louisiana: aka

“Louisiana”Owned by

France

Mexico: aka “New Spain”

Owned by Spain

Once upon a time, there was a wondrous, magical land called

Texas.

Gulf o’ MexicoOwned by the Sharks

The King of Spain had a problem...

We have owned Texas for 200 years and have nothing to show for it. No

towns. No gold. Other countries think Texas is free for the takin’.

(make sure Senor Terry tells you his Elizabeth story)

(French fur trapper)

Why hadn’t Spain built cities

in Texas?

I am a typical Spanish rancher. I would like to move to Texas and raise cattle and horses with my family. But if I do…

The King knew that if he sent people to live in

Texas, then this is what might happen…

Louisiana was full of French trappers

hoping to cross over into Texas to hunt, settle, and trade with the Indians.

The Indians preferred the French

over the Spanish.

Must...have...animal hides...

Indians weren’t

Spain’s only concern…

Oh no you di-ant!

?How could Spain fix these two

problems? By building

missions…

A Spanish mission was a settlement run by Franciscan Friars (Catholic priests). They invited the Indians to live there.

The priests taught the Indians the Spanish language, Spanish culture, ranching, farming, and the Catholic

religion.

What was a Spanish mission?

1. To strengthen their control over Texas.

2. To keep the French out of Texas.

3. To teach the Indians the Spanish culture.

4. To make Texas safer for Spanish people to live there.

Why did Spain build these missions in Texas?

Aw, man!

I’d rather learn

Spanish than steal horses!

I love farming!I’d much rather do this than run around naked

hunting buffalo!Stay out of Texas,

you dirty Frenchmen!

Hola! Me llamo

Francisco!

Can’t invade Texas...

too manyIndians...I mean,

Spaniards!

Who wants to huntand fish all day

when you can go toschool and work

for Spanish peopleinstead?

Oh boy! Now I can take my

family to live in Texas! It is much safer!

If the missions

succeeded, then this

might be the result…

Oui oui! We will take Texas and share it with

the Indians!

Here, Mr. Indian.

Have some boom-boom

sticks to fight the Spanish.

But if the missions failed….

Come live at our mission…You will have food…clothing…shelter. In 5-7 years you will ‘graduate’ and receive a farm

of your own!

?Why would an Indian go

live in a Spanish mission?

Food!

Shelter!

Protection!

School

Indian apartments

Blacksmith shop

Well

Chapel

Mission Ranch- sheep, horses, cows, pigs.

A typical Spanish mission.

Fields- corn, squash, pumpkins, beans, cotton

etc.

Acequia: man-made canal that brought

water to the mission

There are many missions still standing in Texas...However,

usually only the chapels remain...The walls and other buildings are mostly gone.

Why?

Indian Apartments at a Spanish Mission

The “Rose Window” at the Mission San Jose in San

Antonio. This is an example of the nice architecture found at

some missions.

An acequia, which brought water to the mission from a

creek or river.

You there- get to work!

Why did Spain need to get more control over Texas?

What did Indians learn at a Spanish mission?

Which tribes would most likely find mission life attractive?

What are some potential problems that you see with the mission idea?

If you were in charge of a mission, what is something you would do to make it a success?

What was a presidio?

A presidio was a Spanish fort.The presidio protected the mission

from enemy attack. The soldiers also taught Indians to protect the mission.

Soldiers also caught runaway Indians.

(Presidios were usually too small and too far away from the mission to do

their job.)

Presidio La Bahia at Goliad

The San Saba Presidio

Ruins of the San Saba Presidio

Christianity

Spanish for the Texas

IndianBy

Friar Terry

What did Indians do at a mission?

Work faster! We must have corn for the winter!

And watch out for Comanche! We are sitting ducks

here!

This is strange...I’mused to living like a

nomad…not staying in the same place all of

the time!

1. Farming at a MissionEach mission grew all of its food. Priests and Indians

worked in the fields to grow corn, squash, beans, and other vegetables! If the crops didn’t grow, there was a

good chance the mission would not succeed!

2. Mission School

AgendaKnow: SpanishDo: SpanishShow: Learn Spanish

boys girls 2

43

The main purpose of a mission was to teach the Indians to be Spanish. Therefore, the

Indians had to go to school. They learned to read and write and speak the Spanish

language.

3. Mission Ranch

Each mission had a ranch. Indians raised

meat to eat and sheep’s wool to make clothing and

blankets.One of the most important things that missions contributed to Texas culture

were the first ranches. Spanish missions introduced ranching to Texas: Each mission had a ranch that raised cattle, horses, sheep, pigs, etc. The Indians helped raise the animals.

They were the first cowboys!

4. Religion at a Spanish Mission

I teach the Indians to be Catholic. I also baptize them to wash away their sins. Sometimes I get the feeling that they don’t really understand what I am

trying to teach them!

Now I am a Catholic, just like

the priests! I have to memorize

and recite a bunch of prayers!

Reasons that the Mission System failed.

4. Drought and Crop FailureMissions grew

their own food! A drought could

doom a mission!

Reason #3 Indian Attack

Running Fox

Reason #2 Disease

DISEASESGerms spread quickly at missions, causing epidemics. (Think about school- germs

spread quickly here- same thing.)

I like my old religion, language, way of life, food, house, and woo-hoo

cloth better!

#1 Reason Missions Failed: Indians Rejected Spanish Culture!

Woo-hoo! I’m gonna go chase some buffalo!

Parada!

Big deal. The mission system was a failure. Why do we need to know about it?

1. Without missions, there would be no San Antonio.

2. Spanish missionaries named many rivers

3. The Alamo was a mission- there would have been no battle of the Alamo

4. The missions brought cattle, horses, and ranching to Texas

5. The missions failed, which meant that Spain decided to let Americans try and settle Texas.

Keep a good eye on those sheep. The Comanche killed 5

more last night.

My friend Running Fox was the shepherd. We found him

floating in the creek, murdered and scalped! Being a shepherd is dangerous! I hope they don’t

make me do it!

Reason #3 Indian Attack

Starter: Fill in the mission vocabulary in your packet!

viceroy: a governor who rules over an area of land for the king presidio: a Spanish fort that protected Spanish missions and towns acequia: a man-made ditch that brought water from a river to a mission catechism: a set of questions and answers about the Catholic religion that Indians living at a mission had to memorize epidemic: a widespread disease that kills a lot of people