View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Texas A&M Repository CONFRONTING THE UNKNOWN: TEJANAS IN THE TRANSFORMATION OF SPANISH AND MEXICAN TEXAS, 1735-1836 A Dissertation by CASSANDRA RINCONES Submitted to the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Chair of Committee, Carlos Blanton Committee Members, Cynthia Bouton Kate Carté Engel April Hatfield Thomas Green Head of Department, David Vaught May 2015 Major Subject: History Copyright 2015 Cassandra Rincones ABSTRACT Confronting the Unknown: Tejanas in the Transformation of Spanish and Mexican Texas, 1735-1836 sheds light on Tejana legal and social roles in this tumultuous period. Despite great strides in the field of Borderlands history in recent years the field surprisingly lacks studies on women in early Texas. My goal is to help fill that void by illustrating women’s roles during the construction of and transition between empire to republic. Past studies place women in an overall narrative that includes them as a minor element to colonial life in Texas. My study places women at the center of the narrative, uncovering the major contributions they made to the Spanish and Mexican frontier. In addition, I argue that Tejanas exerted a great deal of agency on the edge of Spanish and Mexican society. Using court records I show that Tejanas were active participants in the legal sphere of colonial life. These sources reveal that Tejanas exercised more economic and political freedom under Spanish and Mexican control then they did under the Republic of Texas. They owned property, sued in court, and petitioned the government for land grants under the Spanish and Mexican governments. Among these legal rights, land grants in particular allowed Tejanas to aid in the establishment of a permanent presence on the frontier and thus aided the Spanish and Mexican government in imperial expansion. Because of these rights, Tejanas became strong matriarchs in a patriarchal dominated society. Their position in society, however, changed dramatically when they became Texas citizens. As Anglo Americans immigrated into Texas in large numbers, Tejanas ii appeared less in courts and conformed to the accepted Anglo American legal codes that had been practiced in the United States that were unwelcoming to women. Anglo American racist attitudes ultimately took a toll on the previous social hierarchy, forcing Tejanos and Tejanas into second-class citizenship. Despite these circumstances, Tejanas persisted and contributed greatly to the development of Texas. iii DEDICATION For the loves of my life—Joe, Caley, and Christian iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my committee chair, Dr. Carlos Blanton, and my committee members, Dr. Cynthia Bouton, Dr. Kate Carté-Engel, Dr. April Hatfield, and Dr. Thomas Green for their guidance and support throughout the course of this research. I would also like to thank Dr. Lisa Y. Ramos for her advice and suggestions for this work. Thanks also go to my friends and colleagues and the History department faculty and staff for making my time at Texas A&M University a great experience. I would like to thank my colleagues in the Department of Social Sciences and Humanities at Lone Star College-Kingwood for their words of encouragement and support as well. A special thanks goes out to Blanca Nieves who helped me with the translations of the Spanish documents. Thank you to Dr. Trinidad Gonzales who not only gave me words of encouragement throughout the years, but also offered invaluable suggestions (in particular Chapter Four). There is no way this work could have been completed without the help of my dear friend, Naomi Lockwood, who not only edited several versions of these chapters, but also provided the much-needed laughs through the stressful times! I am in your debt. I was fortunate enough to receive several fellowships that allowed me to complete the coursework, research and writing of this dissertation. I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to the following: Texas A&M University History Department for its awarding of a three year Diversity Fellowship and various travel grants, the Texas State Historical Association for the Catarino and Evangelina Hernández Fellowship in Latino v History, the Race and Ethnic Studies Institute from Texas A&M University for its RESI Fellowship, the Center for Humanities Research at TAMU for a Melbern G. Glasscock Research Matching Grant, and Lone Star College for the Chancellor Dissertation Research Grant. Thanks to the staff at the Center for American History in Austin (in particular Mr. John Wheat, whom I never met in person but always took the time to email with answers to all my questions!), and Dr. David C. Carlson at the Spanish Archives at the Bexar County Courthouse in San Antonio. I would also like to take a moment to give thanks to a couple of special friends, Dan and Susan Beaver for their friendship over the years. I appreciate all your help with the kids! I am so lucky to have friends like you guys. Also, a big thanks to Delma Ramos and John Paul Anguiano for letting me crash in their guest room while I did research in Austin. I will never forget your kindness and love (and for the reminiscing and eating good Austin food)! Thank you to Henrietta Rincones who helped me with the kids more times than I can count! Words cannot express my gratitude to you all. A final thanks to my family, especially to my mother and father, Maria A. Leal and Carlos Sauceda; to my brothers and sister, especially my brother Chuck who made countless trips with me from College Station to the Valley and back. Thank you big brother! And last but not least, thank you to my husband Joe and our wonderful children, Caley and Christian, for their patience, sacrifice, and love (and Grover and Chelly, our dogs, whom my daughter demanded I include). vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................................ii DEDICATION .................................................................................................................. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... v TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................vii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION AND LITERATURE REVIEW ................................... 1 Sources ........................................................................................................................... 6 Secondary Sources/Historiographical Essay ................................................................ 11 CHAPTER II TEJANA LAND GRANTS: GENDER AND THE BUILDING OF AN EMPIRE .................................................................................................................... 26 CHAPTER III TEJANAS IN THE COURT .................................................................... 59 Wills ............................................................................................................................. 71 Outstanding Debts ........................................................................................................ 85 Military Pensions.......................................................................................................... 87 CHAPTER IV TEJANA AGENCY IN A PATRIARCHAL SOCIETY ......................... 93 Challenges to Patriarchy............................................................................................... 95 CHAPTER V TEJANOS IN THE TEXAS REVOLUTION ......................................... 120 Before the Revolution ................................................................................................ 123 Immigration ................................................................................................................ 135 The Texas Revolution ................................................................................................ 137 CHAPTER VI THE TEJANO FAMILY ....................................................................... 151 The Family ................................................................................................................. 152 American Immigration and Marriage ......................................................................... 157 The Impact on the Tejano Family .............................................................................. 171 CHAPTER VII CONCLUSION .................................................................................... 181 vii REFERENCES ............................................................................................................... 190 viii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION AND LITERATURE REVIEW As a student of history I have always been most intrigued by the history of American colonialism and the early republic. There is something about the creation of the United States that strikes a cord with me. The trials and tribulations of the republic in its beginning fascinate me. My passion for history lies in the exploration of those narratives which reveal the story of early American development. The whole of colonial American early republic history speaks to me and who I am. In perhaps less obvious ways, this has spurred interest in my own roots. I am also fascinated in where Mexican Americans fit into this national origin story. As I studied the