Chapter 6: The Spanish Missions

Section 4: War and Expansion

Bellwork•How might a war in Europe between France and Spain affect their North American colonies?

The Aguayo Expedition

•1719: War breaks out between France and Spain

The Aguayo Expedition

•French soldiers from Natchitoches attack the Spanish mission, San Miguel de Linares de los Adaes

•Two Spaniards at the mission surrendered

The Aguayo Expedition

• French gathered up supplies and raided the hen house

• One Spaniard escaped to a nearby mission

•Said French soldiers were marching on East Texas

•Event will become known as the “Chicken War”

The Aguayo Expedition

The Spanish temporarily abandoned East Texas following the Chicken

War.

The Aguayo Expedition

The Aguayo Expedition

• Viceroy ordered the Marques de San Miguel de Aguyayo, the governor of Coahuila, to reoccupy the missions

• 1721: The Spanish arrive and reoccupy the missions

The Aguayo Expedition

• Aguayo meets with the French commander in the area, Louis Juchereau de St. Denis.

• The two agree to separate control of French Louisiana and Spanish Texas

The Aguayo Expedition

• Expansion of settlement

– Los Adaes (capital of Spanish Texas)

– La Bahia—mission & presidio built by Aguayo near Matagorda Bay

The Aguayo Expedition

La Bahia—mission & presidio built by Aguayo near Matagorda

Bay

Presidio La Bahia

Nuestra Senora del Espiritu Santo de Zuniga Mission

France and Spain at War

Chicken War (June 1719)

Spain abandons Texas

Aguayo Expedition

Spanish re-

occupy East

Texas

Agreement to separate

control of French

Louisiana and Spanish Texas

Expansion of

Settlement

Clashes on the Frontier

• American Indians attacked Spanish settlements during the 1730s and 1740s

• Spanish feared the Apache

Clashes on the Frontier

•Central Texas and San Antonio missions hit hard by raids

•Believed converting the Indians to Catholicism would bring more peaceful relations

Clashes on the Frontier

•The Franciscans begin setting up three missions along the San Gabriel River.

Clashes on the Frontier

• The Spaniards move the San Xavier missions and presidio to Santa Cruz de San Saba after a smallpox epidemic kills many of the mission Indians.

Clashes on the Frontier

•Spanish had little success converting the Indians

•About 2,000 American Indian enemies of the Apache attack and burn the Santa Cruz de San Sabá mission.

Clashes on the Frontier

• Mission never rebuilt

• Comanche and Apache will continue to resist the Spanish

• San Antonio and Rio Grande missions only successful settlements in Texas