Alsate facts for kids
Alsate, also known as Arzate, was a very important leader of the Chisos band of Limpia Mescalero Apaches. He lived from about 1820 to 1881 or 1882. He was known as the last chief of his group.
Alsate's father, Josè Miguel Maria del Refugio Sabas Muzquiz Gonzalez, was captured by the Mescalero people when he was a boy. This happened near what is now Melchor Múzquiz in Mexico. He grew up among the Mescalero. Alsate's mother was an Apache woman. When Alsate became an adult and showed his strength, he became a leader of a Mescalero band. His group traveled through the Davis Mountains (also called Limpia Mountains), Chisos Mountains, and Chinati Mountains. These areas are in the Big Bend part of Texas. They also traveled in the Sierra del Carmen in Mexico and the Sierra Alamos in Chihuahua, Mexico.
A Strong Apache Leader
In 1849, Alsate was a war leader. He took part in a plan by the Mescalero and Lipan people against Santa Rosa in Mexico. This plan did not succeed.
The Mescalero, especially the southern groups like the Guadalupe and Limpia Mescalero, often visited "Fort Leaton." This fort was set up in 1848 by a trader named Ben Leaton. It was on the Texas side of the Rio Grande river, near Presidio, Texas. At Fort Leaton, the Apache people could trade for guns, gunpowder, and bullets. They traded things they had taken during their raids in Chihuahua and Coahuila, Mexico. Alsate's Chisos band became very active in trading there.
During the 1850s and 1860s, Alsate became a well-known Apache leader. He was first a war chief and then the main chief of the Chisos band. He was one of the most important Limpia Mescalero chiefs. He led many actions across Texas, Chihuahua, and Coahuila. He was a powerful force in the Big Bend area of Texas.
In the 1860s and 1870s, some northern Mescalero groups were forced to live on reservations. But the southern Mescalero, including Alsate's group, stayed free. They continued their traditional way of life along both sides of the Rio Grande. Sometimes, they worked with other Apache groups like the Mimbreños or the Lipans. Alsate's Chisos band was a very important part of these activities.
Around 1874, Alsate became a close friend and ally of Victorio, another famous Apache chief.
Conflicts and Challenges
At first, the Apache people and the authorities on both sides of the border had mostly peaceful relations. There was one time when Alsate was almost shot for taking a coat from a trader named John D. Burgess. Alsate's group had planned to rob Burgess's group. But Alsate and Burgess talked and became friends. Burgess then gave Alsate his coat as a gift.
In September 1877, Victorio left the San Carlos Reservation. This caused alarm among soldiers in the Apache lands. In November and December 1877, Alsate's warriors had two conflicts with the 8th Cavalry. On November 30, soldiers crossed the Rio Grande into Mexico. They were chasing Alsate's band in the Sierra Madre del Carmen. The soldiers fought some Apaches, destroyed their camp, and took some horses and mules.
On December 4, Captain Young and Lieutenant Bullis, with Seminole scouts, continued chasing the Chisos. They attacked Alsate's group, which included his sub-chiefs Zorrillo and Colorado. Alsate then led his people to Chihuahua, Mexico.
Alsate felt safe in his strongholds near San Carlos of Chihuahua. However, in 1878, people complained to Mexican authorities about his band's actions against farms and traders. Because of these complaints, President Porfirio Díaz ordered Alsate's capture. Colonel José Garza Galán was sent with a hundred men. They surprised Alsate and his followers at his farm near San Carlos de Chihuahua. Alsate and his group were sent to Mexico City to be held in a prison called la Acordada. Alsate's father was with the group. He was freed after proving who he was to his brother Manuel. Manuel Múzquiz wrote a note asking for Alsate to be treated kindly. But he could not free him. However, in December 1879, Alsate and his followers managed to escape while they were being moved. They disappeared into the mountains.
His Final Stand
The next year, Colonel Ortiz of El Paseo del Norte tricked Alsate and his group. He promised them a peace treaty at San Carlos of Chihuahua. After a big celebration with food and drinks, Alsate's group was attacked. The few who could fight were killed. The rest were captured and forced into labor. Alsate and his war chiefs, Colorado and Zorillo, were killed at Ojinaga.
