Chapter 6: The Spanish Missions Section 1: Spanish Settlements on the Frontier
Chapter 6: The Spanish Missions
Section 1: Spanish Settlements on the Frontier
The Mission System
•At first Spain the only European country with North American settlements.
•By the 1600s, Spain was no longer the only European power in North America.
The Mission System
•Wanted to protect New Spain’s northern border
•Missionaries sent to borderlands to establish missions
The Mission System
•Missions—religious communities
The Mission System
Reasons for establishing missions.
Converting Indians
Develop borderlands
Represent Spanish government in
borderlands
The Mission System
•Built near water sources
•Included many amenities
The Mission System
•The Spanish wanted local Indians to live inside the mission walls.
The Mission System
•Taught Indians about Catholicism and agriculture
•Some Indians resisted
The Mission System
•Presidio—military base
The Mission System
•Civilians built near missions and presidios
•Grew into owns
•Ranchos—ranches
New Missions Along the Rio Grande
•1600s: Spanish establish missions south of Rio Grande and in New Mexico
•Life hard in missions
New Missions Along the Rio Grande
•1680: Pueblo Indians revolt
•Revolt—Revolution
New Missions Along the Rio Grande
•Pueblo Revolt occurs because Spaniards tried to force Indians to give up their spiritual beliefs.
New Missions Along the Rio Grande
•Pueblo revolt forces Spanish out of New Mexico
•Spain looks to give settlers a place to live and a base to retake New Mexico
New Missions Along the Rio Grande
•Corpus Christi de la Islate was the first Spanish mission in Texas
•Near present-day El Paso
New Missions Along the Rio Grande
•Town grew up at site
•Called “Ysleta” by Tigua Indians
•Oldest European town in Texas
•Spanish founded other forts