Spanish Texas 1519 1821

Modern Texas, like Mexico to the south, traces its beginning to sixteenth-century encounters between Spaniards, Native American peoples, and a vast land unexplored by Europeans. Unlike Mexico, however, Texas eventually received the stamp of Anglo-American culture, so that Spanish contributions to present-day Texas tend to be obscured or even unknown. In this pathfinding study, Donald E. Chipman draws on archival and secondary sources to write the story of Spain's three-hundred-year presence and continuing influence in the land that has become Texas. Chipman begins with the first European sighting of Texas shores in 1519. He goes on to chronicle the amazing eight-year (1528-1536) trek across much of southern Texas and northern Mexico that brought Cabeza de Vaca and three companions from a shipwreck near Galveston Island all the way to Mexico City. He records the exploits of Francisco Vazquez de Coronado and Luis Moscoso in the early 1540s and the subsequent 150-year hiatus in Spanish exploration in Texas. Chipman devotes much attention to the eighteenth century, a time of active Spanish colonization. He examines the role of missions, presidios, and civil settlements and discusses relations between the Spanish and other groups, including Native Americans, French explorers, and Anglo-Americans. Although Mexican independence ended the Spanish era in 1821, Chipman finds that Spain has left a substantial legacy in modern Texas. Ranching and its terminology sprang from Spanish vaqueros. Spanish precedents have shaped modern Texas law in the areas of judicial procedure, land and water law, and family law. Spanish influences abound in Texas art, architecture, music, and theater, not to mentionthe widely spoken Spanish language. And the Roman Catholic religion introduced by the Spaniards continues to have many adherents in Texas. In short, the rich history of Spain in Texas deserves to be widely known by "Texana buffs" and professional historians alike, and Spanish Texas, 1519-1821 is the one-volume source to consult.

This revised and expanded edition of the authoritative history of Spanish Texas features significant new discoveries throughout. Modern Texas, like Mexico, traces its beginning to sixteenth-century encounters between Europeans and Indians. Unlike Mexico, however, Texas eventually received the stamp of Anglo-American culture, so that Spanish contributions to present-day Texas tend to be obscured or even unknown. Spanish Texas, 1519–1821 undercores the significance of the Spanish period in Texas history. Beginning with an overview of the land and its inhabitants before the arrival of Europeans, it covers major people and events from early exploration to the end of the colonial era. This new edition of Spanish Texas has been extensively revised and expanded to include a wealth of new discoveries. The opening chapter on Texas Indians reveals their high degree of independence from European influence. Other chapters incorporate new information on La Salle's Garcitas Creek colony and French influences in Texas, the destruction of the San Sabá mission and the Spanish punitive expedition to the Red River in the late 1750s, and eighteenth-century Bourbon reforms in the Americas. Drawing on new and original research, the authors shed new light on the experience of women in Spanish Texas across ethnic, racial, and class distinctions, including new revelations about their legal rights on the Texas frontier.

Chipman begins with the first European sighting of Texas shores in 1519. He goes on to chronicle the exploits of Cabeza de Vaca, Francisco Vazquez de Coronado, Luis Moscoso, and other sixteenth-century explorers before devoting extensive attention to the eighteenth century, a time of active Spanish colonization.

Based on official Spanish expedition diaries, a fascinating account of the daily routes taken and the Indigenous tribes, terrain, and wildlife encountered. Mapping old trails has a romantic allure at least as great as the difficulty involved in doing it. In this book, William Foster produces the first highly accurate maps of the eleven Spanish expeditions from northeastern Mexico into what is now East Texas during the years 1689 to 1768. Foster draws upon the detailed diaries that each expedition kept of its route, cross-checking the journals among themselves and against previously unused eighteenth-century Spanish maps, modern detailed topographic maps, aerial photographs, and on-site inspections. From these sources emerges a clear picture of where the Spanish explorers actually passed through Texas. This information, which corrects many previous misinterpretations, will be widely valuable. Old names of rivers and landforms will be of interest to geographers. Anthropologists and archaeologists will find new information on encounters with some 139 named Indigenous tribes. Botanists and zoologists will see changes in the distribution of flora and fauna with increasing European habitation, and climatologists will learn more about the “Little Ice Age” along the Rio Grande. “Foster offers readers as accurate an estimate as could ever be hoped for for the eleven routes as whole.” —The Journal of American History “Foster does an excellent job sorting out his predecessors’ fallacious interpretations of the significance and location of certain routes.” —Colonial Latin American Historical Review “To have a single authoritative source of these early expeditions [is] enormously useful . . . Foster’s work [is] the most authoritative on the subject.” —David J. Weber, Southern Methodist University

For twenty years the Historical Atlas of Texas stood as a trusted resource for students and aficionados of the state. Now this key reference has been thoroughly updated and expanded—and even rechristened. Texas: A Historical Atlas more accurately reflects the Lone Star State at the dawn of the twenty-first century. Its 86 entries feature 175 newly designed maps—more than twice the number in the original volume—illustrating the most significant aspects of the state’s history, geography, and current affairs. The heart of the book is its wealth of historical information. Sections devoted to indigenous peoples of Texas and its exploration and settlement offer more than 45 entries with visual depictions of everything from the routes of Spanish explorers to empresario grants to cattle trails. In another 31 articles, coverage of modern and contemporary Texas takes in hurricanes and highways, power plants and population trends. Practically everything about this atlas is new. All of the essays have been updated to reflect recent scholarship, while more than 30 appear for the first time, addressing such subjects as the Texas Declaration of Independence, early roads, slavery, the Civil War and Reconstruction, Texas-Oklahoma boundary disputes, and the tideland oil controversy. A dozen new entries for “Contemporary Texas” alone chart aspects of industry, agriculture, and minority demographics. Nearly all of the expanded essays are accompanied by multiple maps—everyone in full color. The most comprehensive, state-of-the-art work of its kind, Texas: A Historical Atlas is more than just a reference. It is a striking visual introduction to the Lone Star State.

The Rodriguez/Nava Family can boast a rich legacy full of historical moments and wondrous occasions. From 1731, when Salvador Rodriguez helped establish the first municipal government in Texas, to the 1830s, when family members fought valiantly in the Texas Revolution, this book deep-dives into archival documents and sheds light on little-known moments of familial history that impacted the lives of many to come. The book continues through to 1904, when members of the family settled in the Gulf Coast town of Rockport, Texas, to ultimately become one of the largest extended families in the region. We follow the family’s journey from making the decision to leave the safety of their homes in the Canary Islands on through the arduous journey to Spanish Texas, all the way to the present day. There are memories, historical events, anecdotes, and vintage family recipes that have been passed down for all to enjoy. This book includes transcriptions and translations of rare, archival documents and is a must read, not only for those interested in family histories but also for those interested in Texas history.

Author Harriett Denise Joseph relates biographies of eleven notable Mexicanos and Tejanos, beginning with Santa Anna and the impact his actions had on Texas. She discusses the myriad contributions of Erasmo and Juan Seguín to Texas history, as well as the factors that led a hero of the Texas Revolution (Juan) to be viewed later as a traitor by his fellow Texans. Admired by many but despised by others, folk hero Juan Nepomuceno Cortina is one of the most controversial figures in the history of nineteenth-century South Texas. Preservationist and historian Adina De Zavala fought to save part of the Alamo site and other significant structures. Labor activist Emma Tenayuca’s youth, passion, courage, and sacrifice merit attention for her efforts to help the working class. Joseph reveals the individual and collective accomplishments of a powerhouse couple, bilingual educator Edmundo Mireles and folklorist-author Jovita González. She recognizes the military and personal battles of Medal of Honor recipient Raul “Roy” Benavidez. Irma Rangel, the first Latina to serve in the Texas House of Representatives, is known for the many “firsts” she achieved during her lifetime. Finally, we read about Selena’s life and career, as well as her tragic death and her continuing marketability.