The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 6, July 1902 - April, 1903 Page: 24
401 p. : ill. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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24 Texas Historical A association Quarterly.
founded by the Zacatecas friars, with Fray Antonio Margil de
Jesus as president. Of the six missions already mentioned, three,
namely, Concepci6n, San Miguel de Linares, and Nuestra Sefiora
de Guadalupe, were placed in his charge. Of the other three, and
of all others that should be established by the Queretaro friars,
Fray Isidoro Felix de Espinosa was made president. It was agreed
between the two presidents that each religious fraternity should
draw its converts from the tribes in its own immediate territory,
that there might be no conflict.
An Indian captain general was chosen by the community of
Indians for each mission, and his election approved by Captain
Ramon. In like manner a governor and an alcalde were chosen
for each pueblo; a treasurer was appointed from the friars
at each mission; and a garrison was left for the protection of each
establishment. Thus a sort of polity was created under Spanish
control. The motive was not more religious than political. Here
were six missionary settlements planted in the heart of the Indian
country. They were widely separated, and each stood in the center
of a populous tribe. Thus the Spaniards endeavored to occupy and
control as much territory as possible. They could not, of course,
expect with a few scattered and feeble garrisons to resist a deter-
mined advance of the French; but they could, from their several
posts, maintain a watch upon their enemies, and keep the home
government informed of their movements. And in the meantime
the work of converting the natives to the Christian religion and
the Spanish allegiance could go on. Within reach of the missions
were some four or five thousand Indians. To convert these, and to
discipline them so that they might be effectively employed, in the
event of a conflict with their rivals, was the task the Spanish priests
and soldiers set themselves to accomplish.
Here, .for the present, the narrative must end. It was my pur-
pose to trace the history of this second missionary impulse only to
the founding of the missions, and to indicate the motives, both of
the French and the Spanish, which contributed to secure their
establishment. The significant facts may be briefly summarized by
way of conclusion. The Saint-Denis expedition, from the view-
point of the French, was a business enterprise growing out of the
commercial policy of Antoine Crozat and his agent, Cadillac; it
was in no sense military or political, but sought merely to secure
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Texas State Historical Association. The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 6, July 1902 - April, 1903, periodical, 1903; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101028/m1/28/?rotate=90: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.