THE SPANISH ADVANCE IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY
SPAIN AND THE COLONIES IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY
Decline of Spanish power in Europe.--After the reign of Philip II the
power of Spain steadily declined. The long period of hostility with the
Dutch and the war with Cromwell greatly weakened her power upon the sea.
The continental wars sapped her military strength and France superseded
her as the first power of Europe. Gradually Spain's continental
possessions slipped from her. The first loss was the Protestant
Netherlands. Nominally independent from 1609, their complete
independence was acknowledged in 1648. By the Treaty of the Pyrenees,
Roussillon became French territory, and the Spanish power in the
Rhineland and Italy had been practically annulled. In 1640 Portugal
threw off the Spanish yoke, and when Philip IV tried to reconquer it
(1661-1665), he failed completely. With Portugal, Spain lost Brazil and
the Portuguese colonies in the Far East.
Colonial expansion.--Nevertheless, the frontiers of the Spanish colonies
slowly expanded, and slowly Spain extended her laws, her language, and
her faith over lands and tribes more and more remote from the Mexican
capital, the struggle with the natives becoming sterner at each step in
advance. In the course of the seventeenth century northern Sinaloa and
Sonora were colonized; permanent missionary occupation, after many
failures, was effected in Lower California; southern, western, and
eastern Chihuahua were settled; the new province of Coahuila was
established athwart the Rio Grande, and a new and flourishing missionary
district was opened in western Florida. In the course of the century the
Spanish colonial frontiers began to clash with those of France and
England, on the mainland now as well as in the islands, and there ensued
a series of border struggles, all a part of the international conflict
for the continent. To restrain the encroaching French and English, Texas
was occupied temporarily and Pensacola permanently. The principal
setbacks on the borders were the loss of Jamaica to England (1655), the
contraction of the Florida frontier through the founding of Virginia and
the Carolinas, and the temporary loss of New Mexico through the Pueblo
Revolt in 1680. Thus the Spanish frontier line swung round as on a
pivot, the gains in the west being partly offset by the losses in the
east. Meanwhile the English, French, and Dutch occupied most of the
lesser islands of the Caribbean, which had been neglected by Spain. At
the same time, Spain's hold on her colonial commerce became more and
more precarious through the encroachments of her national enemies.
FRONTIER ADMINISTRATION
The governors.--The old days of the _adelantados_, with unlimited
powers, had passed, and the royal arm now reached the farthest outposts.
The secular government of the frontier provinces was almost wholly
military. A few villas or towns had their elective _cabildos_, or town
councils, and a modicum of self government. The official heads of the
provinces were the governors, who held office by royal appointment; _ad
interim_ governors might be appointed by the viceroys. Governors, like
other prominent officials, frequently purchased their offices, a
practice not confined at that time to Spanish America. The governor was
also _capitan general_ of his province, and his capital was usually at
the principal presidio or garrison. In these capacities he exercised
both civil and military authority. Under the governors there were
usually lieutenant-governors in the sub-districts, who as a rule
commanded the troops of some presidio.
The positions of governor and presidial commander were made attractive
largely by the opportunity which they afforded for making money in
addition to the fixed salaries. The payment of soldiers was made chiefly
in supplies, purchased by the governor and commanders, and charged to
the soldiers at enormous profits. Thus the post of governor or captain
was almost as much that of merchant as of soldier. Provincial
administration was often corrupt with "graft," as in English and French
America. Checks upon the governors were furnished through _visitas_ or
inspections, and through the _residencia_, or inquiry at the end of the
governor's term. As a rule the _residencia_ was formal, but sometimes it
was a serious matter.
Central control.--All important matters of frontier administration, such
as the founding of new colonies, presidios, or missions, or the making
of military campaigns, were referred by the governors to the viceroy of
Mexico. He in turn customarily sought the advice of the fiscal of the
_real audiencia_, and of the _auditor de guerra_. In case these two
functionaries disagreed, or in matters of unusual moment, a _junta de
guerra y hacienda_, composed of the leading officials of the different
branches of the central administration, was called. In all matters of
consequence the decisions of the viceroy were made subject to royal
approval, but it frequently happened that the act for which approval was
asked had already been performed. In ordinary affairs of provincial
administration the fiscal really controlled the government, for the
viceroy usually despatched business with a laconic "as the fiscal says."
Frontier Autonomy.--The government of New Spain was highly centralized
in theory, but the effects of centralization were greatly lessened by
distance. Through the right of petition, which was freely exercised, the
local leaders in the frontier provinces often exerted a high degree of
initiative in government, and, on the other hand, through protest and
delay, they frequently defeated royal orders.
THE MISSIONS
The Missionaries on the frontiers.--In extending the sway of Spain, as
time went on a constantly larger part was played by the missionaries.
During the early days of the conquest the natives had been largely in
the hands of the _encomenderos_. But abuses arose and the encomienda
system was gradually abolished. Moreover, the wild tribes of the
northern frontier, unlike the Mayas and Aztecs, were considered hardly
worth exploiting. This left an opening for the missionary, and to him
was entrusted not only the work of conversion, but a larger and larger
share of responsibility and control. Since they served the State, the
missions were largely supported by the royal treasury, which was most
liberal when there was some political end to be gained.
The principal missionary orders.--Under these circumstances, in the
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, on the expanding frontiers of
Spanish America, missions became well-nigh universal. The work on the
northern borders of New Spain was conducted largely by Franciscans,
Jesuits, and Dominicans. The northeastern field fell chiefly to the
Franciscans, who entered Florida, New Mexico, Nuevo Leon, Coahuila,
Nuevo Santander, and Texas. To the northwest went the Jesuits, who,
after withdrawing from Florida, worked especially in Sinaloa, Sonora,
Chihuahua, Lower California, and Arizona. After the expulsion of the
Jesuits the Dominicans and Franciscans took their places.
The missions as civilizing agencies.--The missionaries were a veritable
corps of Indian agents, serving both Church and State. Their first duty
was to teach the Gospel. In addition they disciplined the savage in the
rudiments of civilized life. The central feature of every successful
Spanish mission was the Indian pueblo, or village. If he were to be
disciplined, the Indian must be kept in a definite spot where discipline
could be impressed upon him. The settled Indians, such as the Pueblo
Indians of New Mexico, could be instructed in their native towns, but
the wandering or scattered tribes must be assembled and established in
pueblos, and kept there by force if necessary. To make the Indians
self-supporting as soon as possible, and to afford them the means of
discipline, the missions were provided with communal lands for gardens,
farms, and ranches, and with workshops in which to practice the crafts.
Defence of the frontier.--The missionaries were highly useful likewise
as explorers and as diplomatic agents amongst the tribes. As defenders
of the frontier they held the allegiance of the neophytes and secured
their aid against savages and foreign intruders. Sometimes the mission
plants were veritable fortresses.
Missions designedly temporary.--Like the presidios, or garrisons,
missions were intended to be temporary. As soon as his pioneer work was
finished on one frontier the missionary was expected to move on to
another, his place being taken by the secular clergy and the mission
lands distributed among the Indians. The result, almost without fail,
was a struggle over secularization.
THE JESUITS IN SINALOA AND SONORA
The Jesuit advance up the slope.--The advance up the Pacific coast
mainland was led throughout the seventeenth century by the Jesuit
missionaries, supported by presidial soldiers and small citizen
colonies. In 1591 the Jesuits entered Sinaloa. Beginning in the valley
of the Petatlan and Mocorito rivers, their progress was gradual but
steady, river by river, tribe by tribe, to the Fuerte, Mayo, Yaqui, and
Sonora valleys, till by the middle of the century they had nearly
reached the head of the last named stream.
Fathers Tapia and Perez.--The first missionaries sent were Fathers
Gonzalo de Tapia and Martin Perez, who began their work among the tribes
of the Petatlan and Mocorito rivers, near San Felipe, then the northern
outpost of Sinaloa. From time to time they were joined by other small
bands of missionaries. The natives were generally friendly at first,
here as elsewhere, and were assembled in villages, baptized, and taught
agriculture and crafts. Father Tapia was murdered in 1594 and was
succeeded as rector by Father Perez. By 1604 there had been 10,000
baptisms, the Jesuits had a school for boys at San Felipe, and Father
Velasco had written a grammar in the native tongue. In 1600 regular
missionary work was begun in Topia. What was done there is a good
example of the way the Spaniards often uprooted native society by trying
to improve it. Villages were transplanted at will, the chiefs replaced
by alcaldes, and native priests suppressed.
Captain Hurdaide, defender of the Faith.--The year 1600 was marked also
by the appointment of Captain Diego Martinez de Hurdaide, as commander
of the presidio of San Felipe. By the Jesuits he was regarded as the
ideal defender of the Faith, and for a quarter of a century he and his
soldiers made way for and protected the missionaries in their northward
advance.
[Illustration: Sinaloa and Sonora in the Seventeenth Century (From
Bancroft, North Mexican States and Texas, 1208).]
Missions in the Fuerte valley.--The subjugation of the Suaques and
Tehuecos by Hurdaide opened the way for missions in the Fuerte River
valley in 1604. Among the founders was Father Perez de Ribas, later
famed as the historian. The initial success of these missions was
remarkable, but it was followed by apostasy, revolts, an increase of
military forces, and wars of subjugation. This, indeed, was quite the
typical succession of events. Apostates fled to the Yaquis, who defeated
Hurdaide in three campaigns. Having shown their mettle, in 1610 the
Yaquis made peace and asked for missionaries. The Yaqui war was followed
by the establishment in 1610 of the new presidio of Montesclaros near
the site of the former San Juan. In spite of this new defence, the
Tehuecos, led by native priests, revolted. Hurdaide went to the rescue
in 1613 with forty soldiers and two thousand allies, restored order, and
reestablished the missions.
In the Mayo and Yaqui valleys.--In the same year Father Mendez and some
companions advanced the mission frontier to the Mayo valley, where
success was gratifying. Four years later Fathers Perez and Perez de
Ribas founded missions among the Yaquis, where eight pueblos soon
flourished. By 1621 missions had reached the Nevomes and Sahuaripas in
the upper Yaqui River valley. A revolt among the Nevomes in 1622 was put
down by Hurdaide. The Mayo and Yaqui valleys were now made a separate
rectorate.
Several of the pioneers now left the scene. In 1620 Ribas went to Mexico
as provincial; in 1625 Father Perez died, after thirty-five years, of
service, and in 1626 Hurdaide was succeeded by Captain Perea. One of the
great monuments to the work of these Jesuit pioneers is Father Perez de
Ribas's history, _The Triumph of the Faith_, published in 1644.
In the Sonora valley.--By 1636 Jesuit missions were extended to Ures, in
Sonora River valley, a step which was aided by the discovery of mines.
Perea was made captain and justicia mayor of the Sonora district, called
Nueva Andalucia, and established his capital at the mining town of San
Juan. By 1650 mission stations had reached Cucurpe and Arispe in the
upper Sonora valley. Of the northern district the new rectorate of San
Francisco Xavier was now formed. In 1679 thirty missionaries in the
Mayo, Yaqui, and Sonora valleys were serving about 40,000 neophytes in
seventy-two pueblos.
Spanish settlements.--By the end of the seventeenth century Sinaloa had
passed beyond the frontier stage. The population of pure Spanish blood
numbered only six hundred families in 1678, but the half-caste Christian
population was much larger, there being twelve hundred persons of
Spanish or mixed blood at San Felipe alone. In Sonora the people of
Spanish or mixed blood numbered about five hundred families. Mining and
stock-raising were the principal and by no means inconsiderable
industries in both districts.
EFFORTS TO OCCUPY LOWER CALIFORNIA
Pearl fishing and efforts to colonize.--Interest in California did not
cease with Vizcaino's failures. On the contrary, private interest in the
pearl fisheries of the Gulf of California continued throughout the
seventeenth century, and the government endeavored to utilize it as
means of planting colonies. Numerous pearl fishing contracts were
granted on condition that the beneficiaries should establish
settlements. Other colonizing expeditions were fitted out at royal
expense. In nearly every case missionaries were sent with the settlers
to help to subdue and teach the Indians.
Iturbi's voyages.--In 1614 Thomas Cardona was granted a monopoly of
pearl fishing in both the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of California. A
year later Juan de Iturbi, in Cardona's employ, made a voyage to the
head of the Gulf, and like Onate concluded that California was an
island. On his return one of his vessels was captured by the Dutch
freebooter Spillberg. In the following year Iturbi made another
successful voyage to the Gulf, though he again lost a vessel to
freebooters. The pirates in the Gulf in this century were known as the
Pichilingues. Iturbi's success inspired numerous unlicensed pearl
hunting voyages in the Gulf from the ports of Sinaloa, which were
attended by many abuses of the natives. California came now to be
commonly regarded as an island.
[Illustration: A Dutch Map Illustrating the Insular Theory of
California's Geography (1624-1625). (From Bancroft, North Mexican States
and Texas, I, 169).]
Later attempts.--In 1633 Francisco de Ortega, another contractor,
founded a colony at La Paz, but it was short-lived. Like failures were
experienced by Porter y Casante in 1648, by Pinadero in 1664 and 1667,
and by Lucenilla in 1668. The failures were due to the barrenness of the
country and to the fact that colonizing was made secondary to pearl
fishing. Somewhat more successful was Admiral Atondo y Antillon, with
whom a contract was made in 1679, the superior of the missionaries
being the Jesuit Father Kino. For two years (1683-1685) settlements
were maintained at La Paz and San Bruno, explorations were made, and
Kino achieved some missionary success, but in 1685 Atondo, like his
predecessors, abandoned the enterprise. No other serious attempt was
made until 1697, when the Jesuits took charge of California.
THE SETTLEMENT OF CHIHUAHUA
New Mexico isolated.--In the central plateau the infant colony of New
Mexico, as at first established, had been a detached group of
settlements, separated from Nueva Vizcaya by an uninhabited, area of
five or six hundred miles in breadth. But while the New Mexicans were
gradually making their way into the plains of western Texas,
missionaries, miners, and settlers were slowly advancing up the plateau
into Chihuahua, by way of the Conchos River and by the eastern slope of
the Sierra Madre.
Advance of settlement.--The Franciscans, in general, followed the
eastern half of the plateau, working among the Conchos tribes; the
Jesuits mainly followed the mountain slopes, among the Tarahumares.
Advance of settlement was marked by the founding of the town and
garrison of Parral, established in 1631-1632. By 1648 missions had been
established at San Pablo, Parral, San Geronimo, San Francisco Borja,
Satevo, San Francisco de Conchos, San Pedro, Atotonilco, Mescomaha, and
Mapimi. Advance was interrupted by two savage Indian wars, in the decade
following 1644, in the course of which most of the missions in Chihuahua
were destroyed. As soon as peace was restored, however, both orders
reoccupied their abandoned establishments and founded new ones. By 1680
missionaries, miners, and settlers had reached Cusihuiriachic, Janos,
and Casas Grandes, and the last named place had for some time been the
seat of an _alcaldia mayor_.
The Diocese of Guadiana.--As the frontier advanced new administrative
subdivisions were carved out. The official capital of Nueva Vizcaya was
still at Durango, but during the later seventeenth century the governor
resided much of the time at Parral, a point near the military frontier.
In 1620 the diocese of Guadiana, including Durango, Chihuahua, and New
Mexico was formed out of the northern portion of that of Guadalajara.
NEW MEXICO IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY
The missions.--Hopes of finding rich mines and fabulous treasures in New
Mexico had failed, and for a long time after Onate's conquest that
province remained chiefly a missionary field, the only Spanish
settlement being Santa Fe, founded in 1609. By 1617 eleven churches had
been built and 14,000 natives baptized. Four years later the missions
were organized into the _custodia_ of San Pablo, under the Franciscan
province of the Holy Evangel of Mexico, whence came most of the
missionaries. The first custodian was Fray Alonso de Benavides, who
later, became bishop of Goa, in India. Besides Benavides, the best known
missionary of this period was Father Geronimo de Zarate Salmeron, who
between 1618 and 1626 labored at Jemez, Cia, Sandia, and Acoma.
New Mexico in 1630.--In 1630 Benavides made a famous report on New
Mexico. The only Spanish settlement was still Santa Fe, where lived two
hundred and fifty Spaniards and some seven hundred and fifty half-breeds
and Indian servants. The Indians of the province who were not personal
servants paid tribute of a yard of cotton cloth and two bushels of maize
each year, burdens which they resented and resisted. There were now
friars at work in twenty-five missions, which served ninety pueblos
comprising 60,000 Indians. At each mission there were schools and
workshops where the neophytes were taught reading, writing, singing,
instrumental music, and manual arts.
Expeditions to the east.--The subjugation of the pueblos did not exhaust
the energies of the conquerors and the friars, and they turned from time
to time to exploration. To the east they were interested in Quivira, the
"Seven Hills of the Aijados," and the Jumano Indians of the Colorado
River. In the pursuit of these objects they heard of the "kingdom of the
Texas" farther east. Missionary and trading expeditions were made to the
Jumanos in 1629 and 1632. At this time (1630) Benavides proposed opening
a direct route from the Gulf coast to New Mexico through the country of
the Quiviras and Aijados. In 1634 Alonso de Vaca is said to have led an
expedition three hundred leagues eastward to Quivira, apparently on the
Arkansas. In 1650 captains Martin and Castillo visited the Jumanos and
gathered pearls in the Nueces (probably the Concho) River. Four years
later the viceroy, interested in the pearls, sent another expedition,
under Guadalajara, to the same place. During the next thirty years small
parties of private traders frequently visited the Jumanos. In this way
western Texas became known to the Spaniards of New Mexico.
[Illustration: New Mexico in the Seventeenth Century (From Bancroft,
Arizona and New Mexico, p. 176).]
New Mexico in 1680.--Meanwhile the Spanish population of the province
had slowly increased till in 1680 there were over 2500 settlers in the
upper Rio Grande valley, mainly between Isleta and Taos. The upper
settlements were known as those of Rio Arriba and the lower as those of
Rio Abajo. The settlers were engaged principally in farming and cattle
ranching.
The beginnings of El Paso.--As a result of the northward advance from
Nueva Vizcaya and of a counter movement from New Mexico, the
intermediate district of El Paso was now colonized. After several
unsuccessful attempts, in 1659 missionaries from New Mexico founded the
mission of Guadalupe at the ford (El Paso). Before 1680 Mission San
Francisco had been founded twelve leagues below, settlers had drifted
in, and the place had an _alcalde mayor_. To these small beginnings
there was now suddenly added the entire population of New Mexico.
The Pueblo revolt.--The Pueblo Indians, led by their native priests, had
long been restless under the burden of tribute and personal service, and
the suppression of their native religion. On August 9, 1680, under the
leadership of Pope, a medicine man of San Juan, they revolted in unison,
slew four hundred Spaniards, including twenty-one missionaries, and
drove the remaining 2200 Spaniards from the Pueblo district. Under
Governor Otermin and Lieutenant Garcia the settlers retreated to El
Paso. In 1681 Otermin made an attempt to reconquer the Pueblos, but it
proved futile and the El Paso settlement was made permanent and attached
to New Mexico. To hold the outpost a presidio was established there in
1683.
The La Junta missions and the Mendoza expedition to the Jumanos.--From
El Paso missions were extended in 1683 to the La Junta district, as the
junction of the Conchos and Rio Grande was called. Within a year seven
churches had been built for nine tribes, living on both sides of the Rio
Grande. At the same time Juan Dominguez de Mendoza and Fray Nicolas
Lopez led an expedition from El Paso to the Jumanos of central Texas,
where they were to meet Tejas Indians from the east. On their return
Mendoza and Lopez went to Mexico to appeal for a new outpost of
settlement among the Jumanos. This would probably have been established
had not attention been called to eastern Texas through the activities of
the French.
Indian uprisings.--The Pueblo revolt was followed by a general wave of
Indian resistance, and the late years of the century were marked by
raids all along the northern frontier, from Nuevo Leon to Sonora, in
the course of which mines, missions, haciendas, and towns were
destroyed, and travelers and merchant caravans raided. To defend the
frontier, in 1685 three new presidios were established at Pasage, El
Gallo, and Conchos, and two years later one was erected at Monclova. By
1690 two others were added at Casas Grandes and Janos in Chihuahua and
shortly afterward (1695) another at Fronteras in Sonora. In 1690 a
revolt in the Tarahumara country destroyed settlements in all
directions, and was put down only by the efforts of soldiers from all
the presidios from El Gallo to Janos.
Vargas and the reconquest of the Pueblos.--After expelling the
Spaniards, the Pueblos, under the lead of Pope, returned to their tribal
ways, and destroyed most of the signs of the hated Spanish rule. During
the next decade and a half several efforts were made to reconquer the
Pueblo region. Otermin was succeeded by Cruzate and he by Reneros, who
was in turn followed by Cruzate. In 1688 Cruzate led an expedition
against the Queres. At Cia six hundred apostates were killed in battle
and seventy captured and shot, or sold into slavery. In 1691 Diego de
Vargas Zapata Lujan Ponce de Leon was made governor especially to
reconquer the Pueblos. In 1692 he led an expedition against them. As far
as Sandia the towns had already been destroyed. Santa Fe he found
fortified and occupied by Tanos, but they yielded without a blow, as did
all of the pueblos from Pecos to Moqui. Meanwhile the friars with him
baptized over two thousand native children.
A new colony.--Submission having been secured, in 1693 Vargas led a
colony of eight hundred soldiers and settlers to reoccupy the pueblo
region. But submission had been a hollow formality. The Tanos who held
Santa Fe were evicted only after a battle, at the conclusion of which
seventy warriors were shot and four hundred women and children enslaved.
At the mesa of San Ildefonso. Vargas met the combined resistance of nine
towns. A second siege in March, 1694, resulted in a repulse. In the
course of the summer the pueblos of Cieneguilla and Jemez were defeated,
and abandoned Taos was sacked and burned. A third attack on the mesa of
San Ildefonso was successful. Resistance now appeared to be over, the
pueblos were rebuilt, captives returned, missions reestablished, and
the Spanish regime restored. A number of the pueblos were consolidated
and rebuilt on new sites. In 1690 the new Spanish villa of Santa Cruz de
la Canada was founded with seventy families on the lands of San
Cristobal and San Lazaro.
The conquest completed.--In 1696 a new revolt occurred, in which five
missionaries and twenty-one other Spaniards were killed, and Vargas
conducted another series of bloody campaigns, with partial success. In
the following year he was succeeded by Governor Cubero, who secured the
formal submission of the rest of the pueblos. The reconquest was now
complete and the Spanish rule secured.
COAHUILA OCCUPIED
The Nuevo Leon frontier.--While there had been definite progress
eastward from New Mexico during the first three-fourths of the
seventeenth century, and considerable contact between that province and
what is now the western half of Texas, from Nuevo Leon, on the natural
line of advance from Mexico to Texas, progress was slow. For nearly a
century the northeastern outpost on the lower Rio Grande frontier was
Leon (Cerralvo), founded in the later sixteenth century. Temporarily a
more northern outpost had been established in 1590 at Nuevo Almaden (now
Monclova), but it was soon abandoned. Again in 1603 and 1644 the place
was temporarily reoccupied, but without permanent success.
Zavala's rule, 1626-1664.--Hostile Indians troubled the border, and the
intrusions of English, French, and Dutch colonies into the Lesser
Antilles awakened fears for the safety of the western Gulf shores. In
1625 Nuevo Leon, therefore, was again entrusted to a _conquistador_,
when a contract similar to that of Carabajal in 1579 was made with
Martin de Zavala. At the same time the Florida missions 'were extended
west to the Apalache district. For thirty-eight years Zavala controlled
and governed the frontier with exemplary zeal, subduing Indians,
granting _encomiendas_, operating mines, founding new towns, and opening
highways to Panuco and the interior. His most able lieutenant after 1636
was Alonso de Leon, one of the founders and first citizens of
Cadereyta.
Looking northward.--By the middle of the seventeenth century,
explorations beyond the Nuevo Leon frontier had been made on a small
scale in all directions. That they were not more extensive was due to
Indian troubles and the feebleness of the frontier settlements. To the
north the Spaniards were led short distances by a desire to establish
communication with Florida, by rumors of a silver deposit called Cerro
de la Plata (perhaps the later San Saba mines), and in pursuit of
Indians. No doubt the Franciscan missionaries made many unrecorded
visits to the outlying tribes. In 1665 Fernando de Azcue led soldiers
from Saltillo and Monterey across the Rio Grande against the Cacaxtle
Indians. This is the first expedition to cross the lower Rio Grande from
the south of which we have any definite record.
The founding of Coahuila.--Another forward step was now taken with the
founding of the new province of Coahuila, a step made necessary by
Indian depredations. In 1670 Father Juan Larios, a Franciscan from
Guadalajara, began missionary work on the troubled frontier. In
1673-1674, aided by other missionaries and by soldiers from Saltillo, he
established two missions between the Sabinas River and the Rio
Grande.[1] In the course of this work Fray Manuel de la Cruz visited
tribes north of the Rio Grande. In 1674 Coahuila was made an _alcaldia
mayor_ of Nueva Vizcaya, with Antonio de Valcarcel as first _alcalde
mayor_. A colony was now established at thrice abandoned Almaden and
later became Monclova.
The Bosque-Larios expedition across the Rio Grande.--In 1675 Valcarcel
sent Fernando del Bosque and Father Larios on a tour among the tribes
north of the Rio Grande. In the following year (the very year when
Bishop Calderon was in Florida) the bishop of Guadalajara visited
Coahuila, and urged its further reduction, with a view to passing
beyond, to the settled Tejas Indians, across the Trinity River. In 1687
a presidio was established at Monclova, and Coahuila was made a
province, with Alonso de Leon, the younger, as first governor.
The college of the Holy Cross.--The development of Coahuila and Nuevo
Leon was given an impetus by the coming of a new group of Franciscan
friars from the recently founded missionary college of Santa Cruz at
Queretaro. Among these friars were Fathers Hidalgo, Massanet, and
Olivares, all of whom figured prominently in the later development of
the frontier. Beside the Queretaro friars, to the westward worked the
friars of the Province of Santiago de Xalisco with its seat at
Guadalajara.
[1] This was just at the time when Joliet and Marquette descended the
Mississippi River.
FIRST ATTEMPTS IN EASTERN TEXAS
Plans to occupy the mouth of the Mississippi.--The aggressive policy of
the French, English, and Dutch in the West Indies, the raids of
freebooters on the Spanish settlements, the occupation of Carolina by
England, and the advance of the French into the Mississippi Valley
caused Spain great uneasiness for the northern Gulf Coast. As a
defensive measure missions had been extended to the Apalache district at
the same time that Nuevo Leon had been strengthened. In 1673 Joliet and
Marquette descended the Mississippi to the Arkansas, and in 1682 La
Salle explored it to its mouth. Four years earlier news had reached the
Spanish court that Penalosa, a discredited ex-governor of New Mexico,
had proposed to attack New Spain in the name of France. Spanish
officials therefore at once planned to occupy the Bay of Espiritu Santo
(Mobile Bay, or perhaps the mouth of the Mississippi) and in 1695
Echagaray, an officer at St. Augustine, was ordered to explore it for
the purpose.
The search for La Salle's colony.--A few months later the authorities
learned with alarm that in November, 1684, La Salle had left France with
a colony to occupy the same spot. Immediately several expeditions were
sent out by land and sea to learn where La Salle had landed and, if
necessary, to occupy the danger point. In 1686 Marcos Delgado explored
west by land from Apalache to the neighborhood of Mobile Bay. In
1686-1688 five coastwise expeditions (under Barroto, Rivas, Iriarte,
Pez, and Gamara) explored the Gulf between Vera Cruz and Apalache. They
discovered the wrecks of La Salle's vessels at Matagorda Bay, and it was
concluded that the French expedition had been destroyed.
[Illustration: The Beginnings of Coahuila and Texas.]
Eastern Texas occupied.--While these coastwise voyages were being made,
Alonso de Leon was leading expeditions from Monterey and Monclova by
land. In 1686 he descended the Rio Grande to the coast. In 1687 and
again in 1688 he crossed the Rio Grande, and in the latter expedition
captured a stray Frenchman. Shortly afterward a party of soldiers and
Indians from far distant Nueva Vizcaya crossed the Upper Rio Grande to
seek out the French intruders. In 1689 De Leon succeeded in finding the
remains of La Salle's settlement near Matagorda Bay, a few weeks after
it had been destroyed by Indians. In the following year De Leon and
Father Massanet, one of the Coahuila missionaries, led an expedition
across Texas and founded two missions among the Asinai (Tejas) Indians,
on Neches River. Texas was now erected into a province and Domingo de
Teran made governor.
And then abandoned.--In 1691 Teran led an expedition designed to
strengthen the outpost on the Neches, explore and occupy the Cadodacho
country (near Texarkana) and, if time permitted, to reexplore the coast
as far as Florida. He reached the Red River but accomplished little else
that was new. The Asinai Indians proved hostile, and in 1693 the
missionaries withdrew. The Texas project was now abandoned for a time,
and attention centered instead on western Florida, which was in danger
not only from the French, but also from the English in Carolina, who
were visiting the Georgia and Alabama Indians.
THE STRUGGLE WITH RIVALS IN THE WEST INDIES
Intruding colonies in the West Indies.--In the early years of the
conquest Spain had occupied the larger West Indian islands--Cuba,
Espanola, Porto Rico, and Jamaica--but had neglected the lesser islands.
They thus became a field for colonization by Spain's enemies. In the
seventeenth century the subjects of Holland, France, and England began
to establish settlements in the West Indies, in the heart of the Spanish
sea, while England intruded in the northern mainland.
Between 1555 and 1562 the French had made unsuccessful attempts to
colonize Brazil, Carolina, and Florida. Between 1585 and 1595 Raleigh
had attempted to settle on Roanoke Island and in Guiana. In 1607
Jamestown was founded within Spanish dominions at Chesapeake Bay, and
Spain's possessions thus delimited on the north. Between 1609 and 1612
English settlers occupied the Bermudas. Between 1609 and 1619 English,
Dutch, and French all established posts in Guiana. In 1621 the Dutch
West India Company was incorporated for trade and settlement. Between
1623 and 1625 both English and French settled on St. Kitts (St.
Christopher). During the same period Barbados was settled by the
English, and Santa Cruz by English and Dutch. By 1632 English
settlements had been made at Nevis, Barbuda, Antigua, Providence Island,
and Montserrat. By 1634 the Dutch had established trading stations on
St. Eustatius, Tobago, and Curacao, while in 1635 the French West India
Company began the settlement of Guadeloupe, Martinique, and other
Windward Islands.
Privateers.--Meanwhile French, Dutch, and English privateers swarmed the
Spanish waters. Early in the century Dutch ships harassed the coasts of
Chile and Peru. In 1628 Peter Heyn with thirty-one vessels pursued the
Vera Cruz fleet into Matanzas River, Cuba, and captured most of a cargo
worth $15,000,000. "It was an exploit which two generations of English
mariners had attempted in vain." After 1633 the Dutch West India Company
carried on active war against Spanish and Portuguese colonies. Within
two years it sent eighty ships and nine thousand men to American waters,
and its agents captured Bahia (Brazil), Pernambuco, and San Juan (Porto
Rico).
English privateers in the early seventeenth century did their part. In
1642 Captain William Jackson, with a commission from the Earl of
Warwick, made a raid that reminds one of Drake. With eleven hundred men
he cruised the coast from Caracas to Honduras, plundering Maracaibo and
Trujillo on the way. Landing at Jamaica he captured Santiago and held it
for ransom.
Spanish retaliation.--The Spaniards often repaid these aggressions with
good interest, and frequent raids were made on the foreign colonies. In
1629 Toledo nearly destroyed the English and French settlements on St.
Kitts. Tortuga was several times assaulted. In 1635 a Spanish fleet made
a five days' attack on the English colony on Providence Island but was
beaten back. In 1641 Pimienta with two thousand men destroyed the forts
there and captured seven hundred and seventy colonists. Ten years later
a force of eight hundred men from Porto Rico destroyed the English
colony on Santa Cruz Island, killing the governor and over one hundred
settlers.
The English conquest of Jamaica.--Thus far the English settlements had
been made chiefly on unoccupied islands. But in 1654 Cromwell sent an
expedition under Venables and Penn to gain Spanish territory by
conquest. They failed to take Santo Domingo but succeeded at Jamaica
(1655). Twice Spain attempted to recover the island but failed
(1657-1658), and in 1670 she acknowledged England's right to all her
island possessions.
The Danes and Brandenburgers.--Under their absolute monarch, Frederick
III, the Danes organized a West India Company, which in 1671 secured the
abandoned island of St. Thomas, using it as a planting colony and a
distributing center for Guinea slaves. Porto Rico and the Spanish
mainland were the principal Danish markets. Even the Brandenburgers,
during the latter days of the Great Elector (1685) secured a thirty-year
lease of a part of the Danish island of St. Thomas, with a view to using
it as a slave-trading station for supplying the Spanish colonies. But
the jealousy of other European powers, especially England, prevented
their securing a permanent foothold.
THE STRUGGLE WITH THE ENGLISH ON THE CAROLINA BORDER
The Georgia missions restored.--After the massacre of 1597, the Florida
missions seem to have been practically abandoned for a time. But new
missionaries, requested by the governor in 1601, reoccupied the
abandoned sites, pushed farther up the coast, and entered the interior.
The settlement of Virginia by the English was followed by remonstrance
and a new wave of missionary activity. In 1612 Fray Luis de Ore came
with twenty-three friars and Florida was erected into the province of
Santa Elena, with the mother house at Havana. In less than two years the
new missionaries had established twenty mission residences among the
tribes, especially on the Guale (Georgia) coast. In 1612 was published
the first of Father Pareja's numerous books in the Timuquanan language.
By 1634 some thirty Franciscans were ministering to 30,000 converts in
forty-four missions and mission stations. The success was parallel to
that of the Franciscans in New Mexico at the same time.
The Apalachee and the Creek missions.--The simultaneous intrusion of the
English, French, and Dutch into the Caribbean waters was a new threat
at Spain's Gulf possessions, and it was followed by the advance of her
outposts into western Florida. Throughout the sixteenth century the
warlike Apalachees had resisted Spanish authority, but in 1633
successful missionary work was begun among them by the guardian of the
monastery of St. Augustine and one companion. Within two years they had
baptized five thousand natives. In 1638 the Apalachees revolted, but
they were defeated, and the presidio of San Luis was established among
them. This district now became one of the most important missionary
centers of Florida, missions being extended to the Creeks of western
Georgia.
The missions in 1647.--By 1647 St. Augustine was headquarters for fifty
Franciscans, who worked among the neighboring tribes. Northward a line
of ten missions extended up the Georgia coast to Chatuache near the
Savannah River. Toward the western interior, within a radius of one
hundred and fifty miles there were ten more, and toward the south four.
In the Apalachee district there were eight in eight large towns, with
three more on the way to St. Augustine. At these thirty-five missions
26,000 converted Indians were served.
The Apalachee revolt.--Just now, however, the prosperous Apalachee
missions suffered a severe blow. The chiefs, refusing to render personal
sendee and tribute, headed a rebellion in which several Spaniards were
slain. The governor led a campaign against them, several battles were
fought, and a number of chiefs hanged. The Indians were subdued, but
they were so embittered that the Franciscans abandoned the missions.
The English in the Carolinas.--In 1653 English settlers from Virginia
began to establish themselves in North Carolina, and in 1670 the English
settlement of South Carolina was begun near Charleston. This intrusion
into the old Spanish province of Santa Elena was viewed with alarm by
Spain, and, as always in the border Spanish colonies, the foreign danger
was followed by renewed missionary activity on the threatened frontiers.
Missionary work received an impetus in 1674 by the visitation of Bishop
Calderon, of Cuba, who spent eight months in a tour of Florida. In that
year and the next, five new missions were founded, and in 1676 Father
Moral took to Florida twenty-four additional missionaries. Six or more
missions were now in operation on the northern Georgia coast between
Jekyl Island and the Savannah River, besides those farther south.
English incursions and the Yamassee revolt.--Hostilities with the
English on the border began at once. In 1680 a force of three hundred
Indians and Englishmen invaded Santa Catalina Island and expelled the
garrison and mission Indians. Governor Marquez Cabrera sent soldiers to
build a fort, and asked the king for Canary Island families to hold the
country. The families were ordered sent (1681), but plans were changed
and the Indians of the northernmost missions were moved southward. The
Yamassees refused to move, joined the English, and aided them in a raid
on Mission Santa Catalina (1685). In the following year Spaniards sent
by Governor Marquez retaliated by sacking Carolina plantations and
carrying off negro slaves. Another expedition of the same year landed at
Edisto Island, burned the country residence of Governor Morton, and
destroyed Stuart Town (Port Royal).
The English among the Creeks.--The English now threatened the Spaniards
on another frontier. Fur traders from South Carolina had pushed south
and west across Georgia and were becoming active among the Creeks of
western Georgia and eastern Alabama. In 1685 Governor Marquez sent
Lieutenant Matheos, commander at Apalachee, with twenty soldiers and
four hundred allies to capture traders operating at Kawita, Kasihta, and
Kulumi, Creek towns on the Chatahootchee and Talapoosa Rivers. The
expedition failed but it was repeated, and Marquez called on the home
government for help.
Plans to occupy Pensacola.--It was just at this time that La Salle
formed his establishment in Texas. The combined danger from the English
and the French now made it necessary to protect the northern Gulf coast.
La Salle's intrusion was followed by the temporary Spanish occupation of
eastern Texas in 1690, already described. At the same time (1689) the
viceroy sent Andres de Pez to Spain to urge the occupation of Pensacola
Bay (Santa Maria de Galve). The council approved the plan and authorized
the withdrawal from Texas. In 1693 Pez explored Pensacola and Mobile
bays with a view to settlement. Thus, in a sense, the defence of eastern
Texas was given up for the founding of Pensacola. A new French intrusion
was necessary, however, to bring about the permanent occupation of
either Texas or Pensacola.
READINGS
Bancroft, H.H., _Arizona and New Mexico_, 146-224; Bolton, H.E.,
_Spanish Exploration in the Southwest_, 279-340; "The Spanish Occupation
of Texas, 1510-1690," in _Southwestern Historical Quarterly_, XVI, 1-26;
Cavo, Andres, _Tres Siglos de Mexico_; Chapman, C.E., _The Founding of
Spanish California_, 1-44; Clark, R.C., _The Beginnings of Texas_;
Coroleu, Jose, _America, Historia du Colonizacion_; Davis, W.H.H.,
_Spanish Conquest in New Mexico_, 276-407; Dunn, W.E., _Spanish and
French Rivalry in the Gulf Region_, 5-215; Frejes, Fr. F., _Conquista de
Los Estados_; Garrison, G.P., _Texas_, 10-19; Gonzales, J.E., _Coleccion
de Noticias; Historia de Nuevo Leon_; Hackett, C.W., "The Pueblo Revolt
of 1680," in Texas State Historical Association, _Quarterly_, XV,
93-143; Hughes, Anne, _Beginnings of Spanish Settlement in the El Paso
District_; Leon, A., _Historia de Nuevo Leon_; Ortega, Fr. Joseph,
_Apostolicos Afanes_; Portillo, Esteban, _Apuntes para la Historia de
Coahuila y Texas_; Prince, L.B., _Historical Sketches of New Mexico_,
176-220; Twitchell, R.E., _Leading Facts of New Mexico History_, I,
333-413; Villagra, Gaspar de, _Historia de Nuevo Mexico_; Wright, L.A.,
_The Early History of Cuba_, ch. 17.