Spain Responds to a French Threat

Chapter 6 Spanish Settlements in Texas

Section 1 Spain Responds to a French Threat

The Race to Claim Texas Texas was between Spanish Mexico and French Louisiana… …the race was on to gain control … one must permanently occupy the land to gain control…

In the 1600s…Spain was busy settling other parts of Mexico and New Mexico … ***GOAL … find Fort St. Louisdestroy it … 4 expeditions later, Alonso de León discovers Fort St. Louis in ruins…3 French settlers dead… Alonso de León…  Destroyed the remains of the fort  Explored the region of East Texas  Visited with several Caddoes (Tejas)  Found fertile soile, good climate, friendly Natives o Father Damián Massanet interpreted friendliness of Caddoes as eagerness to become Catholic {named rivers…Nueces…Medina…Hondo}

1 Spain Begins Building Missions

The Viceroy of New Spain was encouraged by Alonso de León’s favorable report…approved the colonization of Texas… asked Alonso de León and Father Massanet to return to east Texas to found a mission…

San Francisco de los Tejas …Spanish believed the friendliness of the Caddoes and their trade network would help spread the Catholic relgion and secure Texas for Spain…

Domingo Terán de los Ríos sent to… o Build 8 more mission o Looke for French explorers in the area …named governor of the new Spanish province of Tejas

Spain’s First Missions Fail 1691 - Terán de los Ríos and Father Massanet explored East Texas… visited San Francisco de los Tejas…  Crops failed due to drought  Native Texans hostile…not willing to give up their way of life to save the mission.  Supplies ran low

***Officials believed the mission could not succeed without a constant flow of supplies.

October 5, 1693 – Spain ended its first attempt to settle Texas… …France no longer a threat…cost outweighed the benefits… …any further attempt to settle would require military support

2 The French Return For 20 years Spain puts little effort into colonizing Texas...until France begins to build up their trade relationships {trading posts} with the Native American…

Father Francisco Hidalgo…requested from Lamothe Cadillac {French governor of Louisiana} to provide religious services to baptized Native Texans… did not tell the Spanish Government…

…Governor Cadillac saw letter as an invitation for the French to visit Spanish Territory…sent Louis Juchereau de St. Denis to San Juan Bautista…where Father Hidalgo was living…

An Unlikely Partnership …Spanish government alarmed by St.Denis’s presence  Crossed into Spanish territory without permission  Arrived at Mission San Juan Bautista with large supply of goods to trade …upon arrival, arrested… While in custody, won friendship of the commander of the presidio {military post or fortified settlement in an area under Spanish control}.Diego Ramón…fell in love with granddaughter, Manuela Sánchez

3 Sent to Mexico City where he explained he was working with Father Hidalgo (to help the Native Texans in East Texas)…assured the viceroy that France had no plans to build colonies in Spanish Territory.

To protect Spanish claims…needed to build a series of missions  Domingo Ramón would lead an expedition  St. Denis would be guide {knowledge of land and good relationship with Native Texans}….married Manuela before journey began

Spain Reclaims East Texas 1716 – reopen San Francisco de los Tejas (few miles from original site)  Established 6 missions from Neches River East to Natchitoches, Louisiana  Built a presidio to protect missions  Needed a steady stream of supplies …began to look for a midway point …Father Antonio de Buenaventura y Olivares (Mission San Juan Bautista Rio Grande) suggested a support post near the San Antonio River… San Antonio de Valero {Alamo}…San Antonio

Presidio – San Antonio de Béxar

Settlement - La Villa de Béxar (becomes the most important Spanish colony in Texas…later San Antonio )

Frightened Spaniards Retreat

4 East Texas missions were not successful  Most natives had little use for the mission way of life  Native Texans refused to take orders from the priests or help with the daily chores (food and supplies ran short)  War breaks out between France and Spain over Mediterranean islands of Sicily and Sardinia o France sends Lt. Philippe Blondel and six soldiers to capture the mission near Nacagdoches . Took livestock (including chickens) and valuable items . When Blondel mounted horse, chickens squawked…scared horses, threw rider…allowed many Spaniards to escape

“Chicken Wars”

Story was greatly exaggerated…Spaniards panicked…Captain Domingo Ramón ordered all Spaniards to leave East Texas

***Proved Spain had a weak hold on East Texas ***Humiliated Spanish in the eyes of many Native Texans ***Spanish Viceroy became more determined to reclaim Texas