The history of the Spanish regime in the Southwest is very largely the
history of an Indian policy in its military, political, and religious phases,
and to understand it aright it is manifestly necessary to know something of the
people over whom the Spaniards extended their authority and upon whom they tried
to impose their faith and their civilization.
The purpose of this paper is to furnish a partial introduction to the early
history of the Spaniards in eastern Texas the scene of their first systematic
activities between the Mississippi and the upper Rio Grande by presenting some
of the main features of the organization of the compact group of tribes living
in the upper Neches and the Angelina River valleys, the first and the most
important group with which they came into intimate contact. These tribes
furnished the early field of labor especially for the Franciscans of the College
of Santa Cruz de Querétaro, who worked for fifteen years in the region and
founded in it five missions, while one was founded there and maintained for more
than half a century by the College of Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe de Zacatecas.
It is hoped that this paper will throw new light on the all too obscure history
of these interesting establishments, particularly with respect to their
locations.1
l. The authoritative
presentation of the general history of the beginnings of these establishments is
that contained in the excellent articles by Dr. R. C. Clark, published in this
journal, Vol. V, 171-205, and Vol. VI, 1-26. In their bearings upon Indian
organization and tribal names they are marred to some extent by the use of
corrupt copies of the sources instead of the originals, as will be seen by
comparing them with what follows. It is but fair to state that in the revision
and extension of these articles, about to appear as a Bulletin of the University
of Texas, Mr. Clark has corrected some of the errors.
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The Native Tribes About The East Texas Mission's, Quarterly of the Texas
State Historical Association, By Herbert E. Bolton, April 1908
