The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 35, July 1931 - April, 1932 Page: 67
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Diary of Fray Gaspar Jose De Solis, in the Year 1767-68 67
situated in a plain that is not very large. It is in the midst of
dense woods; the ground is red like vermillion or ochre, so that
it makes the clothes of those who live on it red, and it seems like
a bed of gold ore, as indeed near said mission there is an open
shaft of a mine from whence they tell me that gold has been taken
although little and of low quality. The wooden church is neat and
clean; the ornaments, sacred vessels and the rest of the jewels are
good and neat, and in due arrangement; the wooden dwellings are
also adequate, sheltered and decent. Its ministers suffer some
necessities because of the fact that the aid sent to them from the
outside and given by the King, Our Lord (whom may God pre-
serve), does not usually come on time, and they suffer until it
does come. They have plenty of good water from a creek that is
full and permanent, but they cannot water the fields because there
are no means of getting the water out and the creek is deep. The
little that they sow is in the regular season. There is an orchard
near the creek that is watered by hand, where there are some
peaches, figs, and native fruits; they also plant onions, garlic,
cabbage, lettuce and green vegetables of all kinds. This [mission]
has very little property, a few horses, about fifteen or twenty mules,
about ten or twelve cows, and as many bulls, about sixteen or
twenty oxen for the farming. The Indians steal as many as they
can; the bulls, cows and calves for eating, the horses, mules and
mares (of which there is a drove) for their commerce and traffic
with the French to get whiskey, sugar-cane whiskey, vermillion,
beads, cloth, powder, balls, guns, tobacco and other things. The
Indians of this Ays Nation are the worst of this Province: drunk-
ards, thieves, given to mitotes and dances, and to all kinds of vice,
principally that of licentiousness. They are idle, overly audacious,
shameless. They have lost respect for many of the Religious in
word and deed, even laying their hands on them. They look with
scorn on everything connected with our Holy Faith. There was
an Indian of this Nation who sacreligiously said that he loved and
appreciated Misuri (who is the Devil), more than he did the
Most Blessed among all those created, the Holy Mother Mary,
Our Lady, and other scornful things about our Holy Faith; they
also make jests about the Fathers. On account of this, I judge
that there is no hope, not even a remote one, of their reduction
and congregation, and that there is imminent and almost certain
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 35, July 1931 - April, 1932, periodical, 1932; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101092/m1/71/?rotate=270: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.