Presidio San Antonio de Béxar
Main and Military Plazas Historic District | |
Location | San Antonio, Texas United States |
---|---|
Coordinates | 29°25′27″N 98°29′37″W / 29.42417°N 98.49361°W |
Built | 1718 |
NRHP reference No. | 79002914 |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | June 11, 1979[1] |
Designated HD | April 15, 1970[2] |
Presidio de Béxar was a Spanish
Establishment
From the Convent of
In 1709, Olivares participated in the expedition headed by
In 1716, Fray
Fray Antonio's perseverance eventually paid off, and the
Fray
The operating complex was completed with the construction of the Presidio San Antonio de Béxar, on the west side of the San Antonio River, approximately one-half mile from the mission.[3] It was designed to protect the system of missions and civilian settlements in central Texas and to secure Spanish claims in the region against possible encroachment by other European powers. The presidio consisted of an adobe building, thatched with grass, with soldiers and their families quartered in brush huts. As settlers concentrated around the presidio complex and mission, it began to form the town of Béjar or Béxar, which became the cornerstone of Spanish Tejas or Texas. Being located in the center of several operating systems, mission Béxar did not suffer the needs and anxieties of other presidios. Despite occasional Indian attacks, the defenses of the presidio walls were never completed or were deemed necessary, as the mission was partially completed and later converted into the main unit of walled defense.
On May 5, the Presidio San Antonio de Béxar was founded on the west side of the
In 1726, there were 45 soldiers in the fort and 4 families living nearby; nine soldiers were spread between the missions and the total civilian population was 200 people. Soldiers' quarters and the Spanish Governor's Palace were completed in 1749 to house the military garrison's commanding officer. The location became known as the Plaza de Armas. In 1763, there were 22 soldiers in the presidio, entrusted to defend all five nearby missions. The soldiers at times were used as escorts, and to prevent cattle rustling and smuggling. In 1772, other forts in the area were closed; Presidio San Antonio de Béxar, however, was left open and became the principal defense in Texas, with a command of 80 soldiers. Béxar was made the capital of Texas and the presidio captain served as regional governor. In 1790, plans were made to renovate the fort, but were never realized.[5]
In 1803, 100 men from the Second Flying Company of San Carlos de Parras (Álamo de Parras) were sent to reinforce the presidio, from Parras de la Fuente in southern Coahuila. Under the jurisdiction of the clergy of the Villa de San Fernando de Béxar and the Bishop of Nuevo León, they occupied the presidio Plaza de Armas (military Plaza) and the secularized mission of San Antonio de Valero.[6]
Although stockade walls were begun in 1805 on the north side of the city, a fort was no longer believed necessary. By 1806, all the troops had moved into the former Alamo Mission, by then a fort.[7]
In 1811, retired militia officer,
In 1825, Erasmo Seguín was appointed quartermaster of San Antonio, a position he held for a decade.[9] During the Mexican and Texan wars of independence, the presidio garrison actively participated in numerous military engagements.
In 1835
See also
- Father Antonio de Olivares
- Alamo Plaza Historic District
- Alamo Mission in San Antonio
- Main and Military Plazas Historic District
- Acequia Madre de bexar
Citations
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
- ^ Snell and Heintzelman (May 1975). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Spanish Governor's Palace". National Park Service.
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: Cite journal requires|journal=
(help) and https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NHLS/70000741_photos - ^ Adina Emilia De Zavala (December 8, 1917). "History and legends of The Alamo and others missions in and around San Antonio". History legends of de Zarichs Online. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
- ISBN 978-1-55885-181-8.
indian people payaya.
- ^ "SAN ANTONIO DE BEXAR PRESIDIO," Handbook of Texas Online (https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/uqs02), accessed April 23, 2011. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
- ^ Randell G. Tarín, "SECOND FLYING COMPANY OF SAN CARLOS DE PARRAS," Handbook of Texas Online (https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/qhs01), accessed April 27, 2011. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
- ^ Susan Prendergast Schoelwer, "SAN ANTONIO DE VALERO MISSION," Handbook of Texas Online (https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/uqs08), accessed April 27, 2011. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
- ^ Almaráz, p. 118.
- ^ de la Teja (1991), p. 5.
References
- del la Teja, Jesus (1991), A Revolution Remembered: The Memoirs and Selected Correspondence of Juan N. Seguin, Austin, TX: State House Press, ISBN 0-938349-68-6
- Almaráz, Félix D. Jr. (1971), Tragic Cavalier: Governor Manuel Salcedo of Texas, 1808–1813 (2nd ed.), ISBN 0-89096-503-X
- Edmondson, J.R. (2000), The Alamo Story-From History to Current Conflicts, ISBN 1-55622-678-0