Miguel Costansó facts for kids

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Miguel Costansó (1741–1814), whose original name was Miquel Constançó, was a talented Catalan engineer and mapmaker. He was also a cosmographer, someone who studied and mapped the universe. Miguel joined a major trip to explore Alta California. This expedition was led by Gaspar de Portolá and Junípero Serra. Miguel worked on the ship as a mapmaker and on land as an engineer.

Biography of Miguel Costansó
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Biography of Miguel Costansó

Miguel Costansó was born in Barcelona, Spain, in 1741. He first served in the Spanish army in coastal Catalonia and Granada. In 1762, he joined the military engineers.

In 1764, Costansó traveled from Spain to Veracruz, Mexico. There, he and six other military engineers formed a special team. From 1764 to 1767, Costansó mapped the coast of the Gulf of Mexico from Veracruz.

He later asked to go to Sonora to work as an engineer. He joined an expedition led by Brigadier Domingo Elizondo. Their goal was to stop Native American rebels. Costansó spent about a year on this mission. He drew battle plans and measured the land for future maps.

José de Gálvez, a powerful inspector general in Mexico, called Costansó from Sonora. In 1768, Costansó traveled to San Blas for an important meeting. They planned Spanish trips by land and sea to Alta California. Gálvez wanted to make San Blas a main supply base. He asked Costansó to draw maps and plans of San Blas. These drawings were sent to the viceroy in Mexico City.

Gálvez and Costansó then sailed across the Sea of Cortés to Baja California. They landed in areas where Jesuit priests had recently left. Gálvez sent Costansó to the area north of Cabo San Lucas. There, he made detailed drawings and plans of the cape, La Paz Bay, and Isla Cerralvo.

Voyage from Baja California to San Diego

Costansó joined the expedition led by Gaspar de Portolá. This trip aimed to expand Spanish control into Alta California. Costansó discussed the details of the sea and land trips with José de Gálvez.

On January 9, 1769, in La Paz, Costansó boarded the Spanish ship San Carlos. He served as the ship's mapmaker and engineer. Also on board were Captain Vicente Vila, Franciscan friar Fernando Parrón, Lieutenant Pedro Fages, and a surgeon. There were also 25 soldiers and a crew of sailors.

Observations of Kumeyaay Indians

After recovering from the long sea journey, Costansó began his work. He followed instructions from José de Gálvez. Along with Pedro Fages, he explored the port and inland areas of San Diego.

In a letter to Gálvez, Costansó described the local Kumeyaay Indians. He noted they were "docile but inclined toward robbery." He observed their skill in weaving nets from a fiber called ixtle, which came from a small plant like maguey. These nets were used as belts and for fishing and hunting. They also made large woven bags.

Costansó also wrote about their boats. "There are no thick tree trunks in this land," he said. So, the Kumeyaay made rafts from cattails. They tied the reeds together with ixtle fiber. They used short, double-bladed paddles to move these rafts quickly. Each raft could hold only one person.

Costansó and Fages explored a canyon with friars Juan Crespí and Juan Vizcaíno and six soldiers. They wanted to see how far it went inland. They found an Indian village with about 75 families. Costansó wrote that these people were very happy to see them. They offered to find rabbits and hares for the explorers. In return, they asked for clothes. The Indians quickly brought a lot of game, which the explorers traded for cloth.

Portolá expedition up the California coast

On July 14, 1769, Costansó left San Diego with 74 men. This was the Portolá expedition to find Monterey Bay. The group included Lieutenant Pedro Fages and his Catalan soldiers. Captain Fernando Rivera and other soldiers also joined. Christian Indians from Baja California and friars Juan Crespí and Francisco Gómez were part of the team.

The group did not find Monterey Bay at first. According to Governor Portolá, Costansó, Fages, and Rivera urged him to keep searching north. Costansó's determination helped them reach San Francisco Bay. He became the first person to professionally map this bay.

During the journey, Costansó observed plants, animals, and the stars. He wrote his findings in his diary. He also noted details about the customs of the Native Americans. His reports were later published widely, even translated into English and German. On January 24, 1770, the 74 hungry and tired men of the Portolá expedition returned to San Diego. They received a warm welcome from their fellow soldiers and friars.

Voyage to Monterey

On April 16, 1770, Costansó boarded the ship San Antonio in San Diego Bay. He sailed for Monterey with friar Junípero Serra and Captain Juan Pérez. The next day, Portolá led a new group overland to Monterey. Their goal was to set up a mission and a military fort (presidio).

The San Antonio faced strong winds. It was blown south to Baja California. Then it was pushed as far north as the Farallon Islands, which are 100 miles (160 km) northwest of Monterey. Several sailors became sick with scurvy. Finally, the San Antonio sailed into Monterey Bay on May 31. Portolá's group had arrived a week earlier and welcomed them.

Return to Mexico

On July 9, 1770, Costansó and Portolá boarded the San Antonio in Monterey Bay to sail back to Mexico. There, Costansó reported to Viceroy De Croix and Inspector General Gálvez. He told them about the successful Spanish occupation of Alta California.

In 1772, a new viceroy, Bucareli, received a request from Juan Bautista de Anza. De Anza wanted to open a land route from Sonora to Alta California. Bucareli asked Costansó if this route was possible. The route aimed to help more settlers, including women, move to the new Spanish outposts in California. Costansó correctly estimated the distance between Tubac and San Diego. He believed the route was possible, even with mountains. King Carlos III approved the plan. De Anza began his first exploration in 1774.

In 1776, Costansó asked for permission to marry, as was required by military rules. A little over a year later, his superiors allowed him to marry Manuela de Aso y Otal. She came from a wealthy family in Mexico.

Design and construction projects in Mexico

After settling back in Mexico, Costansó worked as an engineer for over 40 years. He oversaw the building of the Hospital General de San Andrés. In 1772, he started a project to build a new royal currency house (mint). This project took him eight years.

Costansó also helped strengthen Mexico's military defenses. He inspected damage to the Fort of San Diego at Acapulco Bay after an earthquake in 1776. His design for a new fort was approved in 1777. This fort became the main defense for Mexico's Pacific coast.

In 1779, Costansó began work on a new gunpowder factory near Mexico City. This project lasted over two years. He also drew plans for roads and supervised the paving of streets in Mexico. He advised on draining Lake Chalco to provide water for Mexico City. He designed a tobacco factory, a cock-fighting arena, and botanical gardens. He also designed fountains for Mexico City's main plazas. He helped design the Academy of San Carlos for fine arts, where he taught geometry.

Plan to settle artisans in coastal California

In the late 1780s, officials in Mexico asked Costansó for ideas. They wanted to help the small groups of people who had moved from Mexico to live near the new Catholic missions in California. The missions and towns in California especially needed skilled workers.

Costansó suggested that each skilled immigrant worker should teach Native Americans at the missions for at least four years. They would receive a salary and food for themselves and their families. After four years, Costansó suggested they should get land, cattle, and other goods. This would encourage them to stay in California permanently. He also recommended sending workers with their families and encouraging single workers to marry.

Following Costansó's idea, about 20 skilled workers were sent to California starting in 1792. A few stayed in California, but most returned to Mexico after their contracts ended. The Franciscan friars who ran the missions said they didn't have enough money. They insisted the artisan-teachers work for very little pay. So, Costansó's plan to increase the Spanish/Mexican population in California did not fully succeed.

Vision of Indian assimilation into Hispanic society

In 1794, Costansó wrote a report about strengthening the military forts in California. He worried about British naval attacks and colonization. Costansó believed that the small number of Spanish/Mexican settlers in California made Spain weak there.

He also noted that many Catholic missions in Mexico were not growing as planned. He wrote that some missions were over a hundred years old. Yet, they still needed priests and military guards, just like in the beginning. This was because most inhabitants were Native Americans. Their "inconstancy" meant they needed constant watching to prevent them from leaving and causing trouble.

Costansó urged the viceroy to encourage more Spanish/Mexican civilians to move to California. He suggested the king provide these settlers with tools and farming equipment. Costansó believed this would help Native Americans. He thought they would learn skills and become "useful vassals" (citizens) of the Spanish empire.

Costansó imagined that Native Americans in the missions would become part of Spanish society. He thought they would intermarry with Spaniards and learn the Spanish language and culture. He wrote that Spanish and mixed-race families had more children than Native American families. He believed that when Native Americans lived a more "civilized life" or married Spaniards, their future generations would become more like Spaniards. He thought their language, habits, and customs would become similar to Spanish ones.