Spanish Settlements

Life in Spanish Texas

MISSIONS

Missions

Convert Natives to the Catholic faithFour walls, with lookout towers at the

cornersInside: priests’ offices, rooms for

weaving cloth, shops for different jobsChapel: not for formal Sunday services,

but for baptisms, weddings, and funerals

Daily Life in Missions

1. Morning prayer2. 30 minutes of instruction3. Reciting of the rosary4. Breakfast5. Work6. Evening meal7. Instruction and prayer8. Sleep

Failure of Missions

Women died giving birthEuropean diseases killed manyNew diet made them sickToo expensive for Spain to keep up with

PRESIDIOS

Presidios

Provided military support Protect colonists from Native Americans Return natives who ran away from missions

Rectangular with four tall walls and lookout points

Barracks for soldiers Chapel Storage rooms Only one entrance

Daily Life in Presidios

10 year commitmentHard work, constant dangerMany did not get along with priestsNot paid much, supplies were high cost

Often got second jobs to be able to afford basic supplies

PUEBLOS

Pueblos = Towns

Homes made from logs, adobe, and stone

Jacals: huts with thatched roof, walls covered in mud or clay

Built dams as a form of irrigation

Life in the Pueblos

Worked as gunsmiths, bakers, merchants, carpenters, etc.

Very limited education, only wealthy could afford books

Women: sewed, washed, midwives, teaching morals and values, owned property separate from husband

Alcalde: official acting as mayor, sheriff, and judge

Activities for Fun

Horse racingFestivals, outdoor activitiesTelling folktales, singing ballads

PROBLEMS:Unsanitary living conditionsDiseases, few doctors or medicinesRaids by Native Texans

RANCHES

Ranches

Supplied the towns with wool, animal hides, and other materials

Used fat to create soap and candlesHorses supplied to soldiers

Growth of the Cattle Industry

between San Antonio and the Guadalupe Rivers known as “cradle of Texas ranching”

Ranches

Vaqueros = cowhands or cowboysEasier than farming:

Cattle could stand the harsh climateCattle easier to move than cropsFarming required irrigationFarms had to compete with Missions for

workers