Texas and Northeastern Mexico, 1630-1690

by Juan Bautista Chapa, William C. Foster, Ned F. Brierley

Overview

An English translation of Chapa's Historia de Nuevo León, the first history of the region that eventually became Texas and northeastern Mexico.

Winner, Presidio La Bahía Award, Sons of the Republic of Texas

In the seventeenth century, South Texas and Northeastern Mexico formed El Nuevo Reino de León, a frontier province of New Spain. In 1690, Juan Bautista Chapa penned a richly detailed history of Nuevo León for the years 1630 to 1690. Although his Historia de Nuevo León was not published until 1909, it has since been acclaimed as the key contemporary document for any historical study of Spanish colonial Texas.

This book offers the only accurate and annotated English translation of Chapa's Historia. In addition to the translation, William C. Foster also summarizes the Discourses of Alonso de León (the elder), which cover the years 1580 to 1649. In the appendix, Foster includes a translation of Alonso (the younger) de León's previously unpublished revised diary of the 1690 expedition to East Texas and an alphabetical listing of over 80 Indian tribes identified in this book.

Chapa was also an authority on the local Indians, and his Historia lists the names and locations of over 300 Indian tribes. This information, together with descriptions of the vegetation, wildlife, and climate in seventeenth-century Texas, make this book essential reading for ethnographers, anthropologists, and biogeographers, as well as students and scholars of Spanish borderlands history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780292717954
Publisher:	University of Texas Press
Publication date:	02/01/1997
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	247
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

William C. Foster is a partner in the law firm of Patton Boggs, L.L.P., in Washington, D.C.

Table of Contents

• Preface
• Introduction
• Historia del Nuevo Reino de León by Juan Bautista Chapa
• To the Devout Reader
• 1. The History of Nuevo León from 1650
• 2. Indians Attack Alonso de León's House
• 3. Governor Zavala Requests the Establishment of Two Presidios
• 4. The Events after 1653
• 5. Punishment of Indians Who Committed the Murders
• 6. Captain Alonso de León Represents Governor Zavala before the Royal Council
• 7. Other Military Action in Nuevo Leon
• 8. Indian Nations of the North
• 9. The Death of Governor Don Martin de Zavala
• 10. The Government after Governor Zavala's Death
• 11. Developments in 1665
• 12. Other Developments in 1665
• 13. Two Other Strange Occurrences
• 15. Developments in the Province in 1667
• 16. The Indians of the North Continue Their Incursions
• 17. Tetecoara Indian Attack
• 18. Success in Capturing the Indians
• 19. The Request from the Municipal Council of Monterrey to the Governor
• 20. The Opinion of Fray Francisco de Ribera
• 21. Fray Ribera's Opinion Continues
• 22. The Governor Submits This Opinion to the City of San Luis Potosí
• 23. Other Skirmishes That Took Place in Nuevo León
• 24. A Great Uprising in the San Antonio Valley
• 25. Don Domingo de Pruneda Is Appointed Governor
• 26. The Administration of Don Domingo de Vidagaray
• 27. Juan de Echeverría Is Appointed Governor
• 28. A List of Indian Nations That Were in Nuevo León but Have Vanished
• 29. Indian Nations Added by the Spaniards
• 30. The Death of Governor Juan de Echeverría and the Administration of Governor Alonso de León
• 31. The Beginning of the Marquis of San Miguel de Aguayo's Administration as Governor of Nuevo León
• 32. The Continuation of Governor Aguayo's Administration
• 33. Governor Alonso de León Captures a Frenchman Living among the Indians
• 34. The French Prisoner Explains Why He Lived with the Indians
• 35. His Excellency Orders an Expedition to Locate the French Settlement
• 36. Governor Alonso de León Discovers the French Settlement and the Bay of Espíritu Santo
• 37. The Expedition Continues
• 38. Arrival at the French Settlement
• 39. The Discovery and Naming of the San Marcos River
• 40. Governor Alonso de León Locates the Two Frenchmen
• 41. Uprisings in Nuevo León in 1689
• 42. The Exploration and Settlement of the Rio Blanco
• 43. The Exploration of the Province of the Tejas Continues
• 44. The Journey to the Tejas Continues
• 45. The Expedition to the Tejas Concludes
• Appendix A. Governor Alonso de León's Revised1690 Expedition Diary
• Appendix B. Indian Tribes Reported in Captain Alonso de León's Discourses, Juan Bautista Chapa's Historia, and General Alonso de León's Revised 1690 Expedition Diary
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index