Spanish Expeditions into Texas, 1689-1768 / Edition 1

by William C. Foster

Overview

Mapping old trails has a romantic allure at least as great as the difficulty involved in doing it. In this book, William Foster produces the first highly accurate maps of the eleven Spanish expeditions from northeastern Mexico into what is now East Texas during the years 1689 to 1768.

Foster draws upon the detailed diaries that each expedition kept of its route, cross-checking the journals among themselves and against previously unused eighteenth-century Spanish maps, modern detailed topographic maps, aerial photographs, and on-site inspections. From these sources emerges a clear picture of where the Spanish explorers actually passed through Texas.

This information, which corrects many previous misinterpretations, will be widely valuable. Old names of rivers and landforms will be of interest to geographers. Anthropologists and archaeologists will find new information on encounters with some 139 named Indian tribes. Botanists and zoologists will see changes in the distribution of flora and fauna with increasing European habitation, and climatologists will learn more about the "Little Ice Age" along the Rio Grande.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780292724891
Publisher:	University of Texas Press
Publication date:	09/01/1995
Edition description:	1st ed
Pages:	351
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.74(d)

About the Author

The late William C. Foster was a partner in the law firm of Patton Boggs, L.L.P., in Washington, D.C., and wrote several books about Texas history.

Table of Contents

• Preface
• 1. Introduction
• 2. In Search of La Salle: Governor Alonso de Léon's 1689 Expedition
• 3. A Mission for the Tejas: Governor Alonso de Léon's 1690 Expedition
• 4. San Antonio de Padua: Governor Domingo Terán de los Ríos's Expedition, 1691-1692
• 5. To Resupply the Mission: Governor Gregorio de Salinas Varona's 1693 Expedition
• 6. New Road to the Colorado: The 1709 Expedition of Fray Isidro de Espinosa, Fray Antonio de Olivares, and Captain Pedro de Aguirre
• 7. In Quest of Commerce: Captain Domingo Ramón's 1716 Expedition with Espinosa and Saint-Denis
• 8. A Way Station at San Antonio: Governor Martín de Alarcón's 1718 Expedition
• 9. Back to the Bay: Governor Marqués de San Miguel de Aguayo's 1721-1722 Expedition
• 10. The Presidios Reviewed: Brigadier Pedro de Rivera's 1727 Inspection Tour
• 11. The French Threat Fades: The Marqués de Rubí's 1767 Inspection Tour
• 12. Review of the Zacatecan Missions in Texas: Fray Gaspar José de Solís's 1768 Inspection Tour
• 13. Conclusion
• Appendixes
• I. Wildlife Recorded on Spanish Expeditions into Texas, 1689-1768
• II. Trees, Shrubs, Bushes, Vines, Mosses, and Grasses Reported on Spanish Expeditions into Texas, 1689-1768
• III. Documented Epidemic Disease Episodes in Northeastern New Spain, 1577-1768
• IV. Indian Tribes Reported on Spanish Expeditions into Texas, 1689-1768
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index

Editorial Reviews

An illuminating history of early Spanish expeditions into Texas. . . . Foster does an excellent job sorting out his predecessors' fallacious interpretations of the significance and location of certain routes. . . . This book is a must-read for those interested in the Spanish presence in North America and Texas.

Colonial Latin American Historical Review

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