History - Texas - page 695

Spanish Acquisition
Spanish explorers first arrived in Texas territory during the 1500s, mapping the gulf coast
and searching for gold. During one failed incursion, Cabeza de Vaca and his Moroccan-
born slave, Esteban (likely the first black person to explore the New World) were stranded
and held by the Karankawa Indians. His diaries spurred on exploration for years to come.
By the mid-17th century, the Spaniards' tack was more 'please read this pamphlet' than
'take me to the riches.' The conquistadores had triumphed in lands from Florida through
present-day Mexico and beyond. Spain set about constructing a series of misións (missions)
and presidios (forts) to convert Native Americans to Christianity and, not incidentally, into
Spanish subjects. The earliest mission constructed in Texas was in the 1680s, near what is
now El Paso.
East Texas cypress trees are hundreds of years old. The moss that hangs of them was nicknamed 'Span-
ish Beards' by early French settlers in an attempt to insult their Spanish rivals.
The French Threat?
Meanwhile, the French were also sniffing around North America. In the 1680s, they laid
claim to the territory they called Louisiana and to a piece of east Texas. This hardly amused
the Spanish, who constructed Mission San Francisco de los Tejas, outside present-day Na-
cogdoches (the site is a state park today), and other fortifications. Due to disease, hostile
native attacks and Spanish settlement, French 'rule' in the east dissipated a scant five years
later.
Mission Impossible
In 1718 the Spanish began building missions and forts in south-central Texas to reduce the
distances crossed by supply trains. Mission San Antonio de Valero, which later became
known as the Alamo, and sites along the present-day Mission Trail were constructed
around this time. In 1731, the settlement of Villa de Bexar was established by Spanish col-
onists imported from the Canary Islands, and a civil government was set up in the area. The
Spanish Governor's Palace still lies at the heart of San Antonio.
More than 30 missions were eventually built here. During the heyday of the missions,
from 1745 to 1775, they became successful enough to attract the rather unpleasant attention
of Apache and Comanche Indians. While the missionaries and native tribes who lived with-