Mission Santa Cruz de San Sabá facts for kids
Mission Santa Cruz de San Sabá was one of the Spanish missions in Texas. It was built in April 1757, along with a fort called Presidio San Luis de las Amarillas. This was in what is now Menard County. The mission was located by the San Saba River. Its main goal was to teach the Lipan Apache tribe about Christianity.
Even though no Apache ever lived at the mission, its presence made the Comanche tribe angry. They believed the Spanish were helping their enemies, the Apache. In 1758, about 2,000 warriors from the Comanche, Tonkawa, Yojuane, Bidai and Hasinai tribes attacked the mission. They completely destroyed it. This was the only Spanish mission in Texas to be fully destroyed by Native Americans. The nearby fort was not attacked.
To get revenge, the Spanish government sent an army in 1759 to fight the Comanche. Colonel Diego Ortiz Parrilla led over 500 Spanish soldiers and Apache fighters into Comanche lands. Near the Red River, the Spanish found a Wichita village. It was very strong, with a moat and a wooden fence. The Wichita tricked Ortiz into an ambush. After a four-hour battle, the Spanish lost 19 soldiers. Ortiz and his troops had to retreat, leaving two cannons behind.
To remember the destruction of Mission Santa Cruz de San Sabá, a special painting was ordered in 1762. It was finished in 1765. This painting was the first artwork to show a historical event in Spanish Texas. Today, there is a historical marker near where the mission once stood. Also, archaeologists dug up the area in the 1990s to learn more.
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Why the Mission Was Built
In 1716, Spain decided to settle the area known as Spanish Texas. They wanted to stop French missionaries and traders from gaining too much power in nearby Louisiana. Over the next few years, Spanish missionaries built several Spanish missions in Texas. They mostly worked with the Hasinai and Coahuiltecan tribes. By 1731, many missions moved to the San Antonio River. The number of Spanish soldiers in Texas was also cut down.
Spain had strict rules about trade. All goods for Texas were supposed to come through Veracruz and then travel by land to San Antonio. This made things very expensive and hard to get. It was difficult for settlers or missionaries to buy items to trade with or give as gifts to the native tribes.
Native tribes could trade freely. Some tribes got French guns, while others traded for or stole Spanish horses. Tribes without these resources were at a disadvantage. The Lipan Apache were farmers who were pushed by the Comanche (who had horses) and the Wichita (who had guns). The Apache were old enemies of the Hasinai tribes in East Texas. They also became enemies of the Spanish because the Spanish were friends with the Hasinai. For many years, the Apache often attacked Spanish settlements.
The Apache also raided other tribes, like the Deadose and Tonkawa. In the 1740s, these weaker tribes asked for missions along the San Gabriel River. They hoped the Spanish could protect them from Apache attacks. Mission San Francisco Xavier was built in 1746 to help the Deadose, Mayeye, and Coco Indians. In 1748 alone, the Apache attacked this mission four times. Many Indians living there fled because of the danger. Even so, missionaries built two more missions nearby the next year. But within six months, all the potential converts at one mission had left. By 1755, these missions were moved to a new spot on the San Marcos River.
Building the Mission
In August 1749, the Apache and Spanish made peace. The Apache then started asking for Spanish missions. Spanish leaders often said no to these requests. They worried the Apache just wanted Spanish help to attack the Comanche. However, the Spanish thought that if they could convert the Apache and keep them peaceful, they could expand their missions northward. If a large area became peaceful, Spain might be able to create a land route to Santa Fe.
In 1752, Spanish leaders approved a trip to explore Apache land. They wanted to find a good place for a mission. The next year, a small group led by Juan Galván traveled northwest of San Antonio. They explored the Pedernales River, the Llano River, and the San Saba River. The San Saba River area looked the most promising. The soil was good, there seemed to be minerals, and local Apache promised to come to a mission. Galván suggested building a mission there. He also said a fort should be built nearby to protect the mission from the Comanche.
The viceroy (a high-ranking Spanish official) ordered a second trip to the area in 1754. The former governor of Texas, Pedro de Rábago y Terán, explored the same area. He agreed with Galván's idea. The people of San Antonio were excited about the plan. They hoped a new settlement to the north would protect their town from raids. The governor still hesitated. In 1756, he asked Lieutenant Governor Bernardo de Miranda to explore the area again. While exploring, Miranda heard rumors from the Apache about silver near San Sabá. He again suggested the area.
In 1757, the Spanish leaders finally approved the mission. For three years, a local mine owner named Pedro Romero de Terreros would pay for the mission. His cousin, Father Alonso Giraldo de Terreros, would run it. After three years, the government would pay the mission's costs. The government would also pay for the soldiers at the fort. The missions along the San Marcos River would close. All their supplies would be bought by Pedro Terreros and moved to the new mission. Unlike most missions, this one would report directly to the viceroy, not the governor.
Franciscan missionaries from two colleges were assigned to the mission. Spanish leaders also approved building a fort to protect the mission and its people. The missionaries were worried that Spanish soldiers might negatively influence their converts. So, they insisted the fort be built about 3 miles (5 km) away and on the other side of the river. The missionaries themselves had different opinions. Some supported Father Terreros. Others were upset that he was given charge over priests who had wanted an Apache mission for a long time. The commander of the fort, Colonel Ortiz Parrilla, also did not approve of Terreros's appointment. He also questioned the Apache's true intentions. He delayed the journey several times. The missionaries, soldiers, and their families finally left San Antonio for the San Saba River in April 1757. They brought 1,400 cattle and 700 sheep with them.
No Apache were waiting at the mission site. After five days of searching, Ortiz could not find any Apache. Ortiz tried to stop the expedition, but the six missionaries refused to leave. The mission was built near modern-day Menard. Presidio San Luis de las Amarillas was built at the same time. It was on the other side of the river and 3 miles away, as the priests had asked. Apache representatives would sometimes visit the mission. They promised they would move there soon, but none ever did. Three of the six missionaries eventually returned to San Antonio.
The Mission's Destruction
The mission's presence made Comanche leaders very angry. They saw San Sabá as proof that the Spanish and Apache were working together. The Apache encouraged this idea. They would leave Spanish-made items, like shoes, behind when they raided Comanche camps. Soon, the fort's soldiers heard rumors that hundreds of Comanche warriors were heading towards the mission. Ortiz asked the missionaries to move into the fort, but they refused. Because many women and children lived in the fort, Ortiz could only send a few soldiers to stay at the mission with the priests.
The Comanche teamed up with other tribes who were traditional enemies of the Apache. These included the Tonkawa and Hasinai. On March 16, 1758, this force of about 2,000 warriors attacked the mission. Spanish reports say that at least half of the warriors carried European guns. This was unusual at a time when most Native Americans fought with bows and arrows or hatchets.
Eight people died, including Father Terreros. The mission was burned to the ground. Almost every animal in the mission area was killed, including the cattle. One missionary and about 20 other people escaped to the fort. The Comanche gathered near the fort and tried to trick the soldiers into coming outside its wooden walls. When their tricks did not work, the Native Americans left on March 18. The San Sabá mission was the only Spanish mission in Texas to be completely destroyed by a Native American attack.
What Happened Next
This event showed that the French had become very influential with the Comanche and other northern tribes. It also showed that these tribes had learned European-style fighting methods. Many Spanish officials believed the French had caused the attack and helped the Comanche prepare. However, historians say there isn't enough clear proof for this.
Because the Comanche had more fighters and similar weapons to the Spanish, many Spanish soldiers started to fear for their safety. Several soldiers at the San Sabá fort asked to be moved. The commander of another fort wrote that "The enemy [is] so superior ... in firearms as well as in numbers, that our destruction seems probable." Spanish officials refused to close the San Sabá fort. They ordered it rebuilt with limestone and surrounded by a moat. For the next ten years, Comanche forces stayed nearby. They killed soldiers who went out in small groups. In 1769, the fort was finally closed. For many years after that, the Spanish made little effort to explore or settle in Comanche territory.
In 1762, Pedro Romero de Terreros ordered a painting to honor his cousin who died in the attack. The painting, called The Destruction of Mission San Sabá in the Province of Texas and the Martyrdom of the Fathers Alonso Giraldo de Terreros, Joseph Santiesteban, is the earliest known painting to show a historical event in Texas. According to the Handbook of Texas, it is "the only such work executed in Mexico in the mid-1700s that attempted to document a contemporary historical event". The painting caused some debate in the 1980s. United States Customs agents took it in Texas and returned it to Mexico.
In 1936, a historical monument was placed at a spot believed to be the mission grounds. In 1965, archaeologists began looking for the mission site. In 1993, they started digging about 1 mile (1.6 km) from the historical monument. They found over 300 Spanish artifacts.
