CONTACT OF CIVILIZATIONS

Chapter One

Contact of Civilizations

Origins of Texas date back 30,000 years Ice Age Migration

Land Bridge across the Bering SeaAsiatic nomads; hunted for plants and

animals Agriculture Develops

Roughly 7000 B.C.E.Regional distinctions in cultural and

linguistics develop as a result

Early Indian Migration

Pre-Columbian Cultures 12 million people migrate to North America

Iroquois (Northeast Woodlands)○ Recognized warriors○ Created the “League of the Iroquois” – alliance that

ended conflicts among member tribes“Five Civilized Tribes” – adopted European cultural

ways (Atlantic Coast to Mississippi Valley)○ Choctaws, Seminoles, Chickasaws, Creeks, and

CherokeesPueblos (West Texas to Arizona)

○ Lived similarly to European peasants○ Built adobe villages on rock walls for defense purposes

Pueblo Settlement (Arizona)

Pre-Columbian Cultures Central American Indians

Mayans○ Most intellectually advanced

Cipher coding, architecture, astronomy, and calendars

○ Speculation on the reasons for their declineDisease, food shortages, and/or social revolution

Aztecs○ Capital in present-day Mexico City known as

“Tenochtitlan”○ War-like culture, but had an efficient political and

legal system○ Excelled in the arts and architecture

Inca Civilization

Pre-Columbian Cultures

Central American IndiansIncas

○ Capital in Cuzco (present-day Peru)○ Efficient system of civil administration and road

system superior to any in Europe at the time○ Best architectural skills of any Native American

civilizationDesigned structures that could withstand earthquakes

○ Advanced scientific skillsPossibly had success in performing brain surgeries

Inca Architecture at Cuzco

Indigenous Peoples of Texas Coastal Tribes

Karankawa (Matagorda to Corpus Christi)○ Migrated on and off the coast for a constant food supply○ Practiced ritual cannibalism○ Acknowledged three gender roles

Male, Female, and berdache (men who took on female roles)

Coahuiltecan (Gulf Coast Plain/South TX)○ Hunted and gathered in South Texas during the summer months

Commonality Both groups had common roots in Northern Mexico Lacked political organization Religion was primitive and animistic Both groups moved frequently

○ Used dome-shaped wigwams covered by animal skins for shelter

Karankawas

Indigenous Peoples of Texas Caddos (Northeast Texas)

Originated from the Mississippi River ValleyDome-shaped housing made of grass and

canePrimarily an agricultural group; planted twice a

yearCaddo chiefs were known as xinesi

○ Served as political and religious leadersA stable group that traded extensively

○ Bartered baskets, tools, ceramics, art, and weapons

Caddo Housing

Indigenous Peoples of Texas Jumanos (Trans-Pecos area)

People of a shared cultural background, primarily with a common language or specific livelihood

Indigenous to modern-day Arizona and New Mexico

Fairly nomadic tribe that hunted primarily along the West Texas plains

Some permanent agricultural settlementsKnown as accomplished merchants

Indigenous Peoples of Texas Plains Indians

Apaches, Comanches, Kiowas, and TonkawasHad a secondary role in Texas history during the 18th and

19th centuriesApaches related to tribes from Alaska and CanadaThese tribes utilized the horse after its introduction by

Spaniards in the 17th centuryWarfare led to the tribes migration to TexasDependant on buffalo fro almost all living essentialsThe family was the primary social structure

○ Families loosely cooperated under a chief○ No political structure

Religion allowed for individual relationships with deities

The First Europeans

The Spanish ReconquistaEarly Spain was controlled by Muslims from

Northern AfricaSpain was in a constant state of warfare to

oust Muslims that were viewed as intrudersReconquista – general term used to recognize

the centuries of struggle to regain Spain from Muslim control○ Kings were typically responsible for this

However, Spain benefitted economically from Muslim control

Castile and the Reconquista

The First Europeans

Castile and the ReconquistaCastile’s Reconquista was essentially a

religious crusade○ 900 A.D. – Spainards believed they found the

burial site of apostle Santiago (St. James)○ Inspired religious fervor in Spain and

essentially made the Catholic Church a crucial ally to the Spanish Crown

Catholic religious orders such as the Franciscans and Dominicans began proselytizing in the 13th century

The First Europeans Agrarian Castile

Reconquista encouraged the raising of sheep in rural areas of Castile○ Higher and quicker profits than crops

Cattle raising flourished in southern CastileVaqueros – mounted cattle herders that drove

cattle cross-country from northern grazing lands to southern pastures seasonally○ Began cattle ranching traditions, the rodeo, cattle

branding○ This later was transplanted to North America under

areas of Spanish control

Vaquero

The First Europeans “Los Reyes Catolicos” The Catholic Kings

Iberian kingdoms of Castile and Aragon united in 1479 under Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon

Wanted to consolidate their power over the entire Iberian peninsula They first had to pacify the kingdoms, especially the nobles, Catholic

Church, and military○ These groups had gained power during the final days of the Spanish

Reconquista Isabella used the institution of the hermandad (brotherhoods

responsible for maintaining the peace) to pacify the nobles○ Also used influence at the local level for a grass-roots approach to regain

control After regaining peace and control of the Iberian peninsula, the Catholic

monarchs focused their attention on foreign policy Spain had to compete with Portugal who was technologically

advanced and already sending Prince Henry the Navigator to the African coast

New World Contacts Christopher Columbus

Italian navigator that convinced Queen Isabella to fund his journey to the “West Indies”

Columbus was motivated by economic and political gain

Landed in Hispaniola on 12 October 1492 (modern-day Bahamas)

Named the first island San Salvador (Holy Savior)

He did not find the West Indies, but reported that he had discovered a new continent

Christopher Columbus

New World Contacts The Conquistadors

After Columbus’s discovery, Spain quickly sent explorers to make the country rich

Vasco Nunez de Balboa – crossed the Central American Isthmus and claimed the Pacific Ocean for Spain in 1513

Juan Ponce de Leon – reached Florida and claimed the peninsula for Spain, but the Spanish did not successfully settle until the 1560s

Hernan Cortes – conquered the Aztec empire and paved the way for Spanish domination of present-day Mexico

Francisco Pizarro – conquered the Inca empire in present-day Peru

New World Contacts Fortune in Texas

Cabeza de Vaca was involved in an expedition to Florida in search of gold○ Pillaged a native tribe and became stranded on Florida’s west

coast○ Sailed to the Gulf of Mexico, captured by the Karankawa Indians,

and finally escaped after years of captivity○ Sailed around the Rio Grande and finally made it to Mexico

Friar Marcos de Niza was sent by the Spanish Crown to investigate de Vaca’s claims in 1539○ Later traveled to western New Mexico and discovered a “glittering

city of silver and gold”○ Actually a Pueblo village with quartz imbedded in the walls of the

adobe structures○ de Niza somehow convinced the Crown that he had evidence of

the Seven Cities of Gold

Coronado’s Expedition

New World Contacts Vasquez de Coronado’s Expeditions

Assigned to explore Texas and the Southwest after de Niza’s report to the Crown

Discovered that de Niza’s “city of gold” was just an adobe complex Refused to be discouraged and traveled for two years throughout the

Southwest and Texas Panhandle, but did not find anything of value to the Crown

Discouraged explorations to the north for another 50 years Hernando de Soto’s Expedition

Traveled from Florida to Alabama, and later to the Mississippi Valley looking for the cities of gold

Did not find anything and later died from fever His party traveled onward to eastern Texas, near present-day Houston

County and as far west as the Trinity River de Soto and his party’s reports later reinforced the Spanish Crown’s

decisions to stop exploration in Texas

New World Contacts Northern Competition

French○ Founded Quebec in Canada○ Began occupying Nova Scotia○ Traveled as far south as present-day Wisconsin

Dutch○ Claimed the Hudson Valley and New Netherlands, which

later became New YorkEnglish

○ Explored along the Atlantic Coast○ By the 1640s, the English had possession of the Atlantic

seaboard between Spanish controlled Florida and New England

Colonization Process in Spanish Texas Three structures crucial to colonization

The Presidio

The Mission

Settlements

Colonization Process in Spanish Texas

The Spanish Crown attempted to bring Indian lands into Spanish influence by an orderly process of expansion and settlement

The Presidio○ Usually the first structure established○ Served numerous functions

PrisonGarrison to train soldiers for warfareProtected the missionWalled courtyard to conduct peace talks with Indians

Colonization Process in Spanish Texas

The Mission○ Priests staffed the mission and attempted to

perform functions relevant to exploration, conquest, and Christianization

○ Attempted to convert the Indians to CatholicismTried to maintain friendly relations with hostile tribes

○ Assisted in maintaining conquered territories

Mission San Jose, San Antonio

Colonization Process in Spanish Texas Settlements

Civilian Settlements○ Another way to hold conquered territory; used during

the reconquista○ Used to populate the frontier and integrate their

resources into the Spanish colonization system○ Settlers were known as Pobladores

Ranchos (ranches)○ Provided settlements with resources such as beef,

pork, wool, and byproducts such as hide and tallow on the frontier

○ Played a supporting role in Christianizing Indians○ Furnished soldiers with live animals

Spanish Texas Western Texas

Jumano Indians invited the Spanish to visit after a miraculous visit by the “Lady in Blue”○ Spanish nun Madre Maria de Agreda takes credit for her spiritual

visit Spanish explorers were primarily interested in freshwater pearls

and buffalo; also saw it as a base of trade with the Caddo Indians Pueblo Revolt of 1680

○ Pueblo tribes attacked and destroyed Spanish settlements of the upper Rio Grande

○ Many displaced settlers came to El Paso Spanish Return

○ Jumano Chief requested priests (and explorers followed)○ Jumanos were secretly seeking protection from the Apaches○ Spanish fended off the Apaches, hunted countless buffalo, and

promised to return again

Spanish Texas

Eastern Texas: The French ThreatFrench explorer La Salle wanted to stake a

claim in the Mississippi Valley; travelled down the river to present-day Matagorda Bay○ Was marooned and established Fort St. Louis

near present-day Vanderbilt, Texas○ Explored Texas, but attempted to meet up with

other Frenchmen coming down the Mississippi○ His settlers later killed him○ Indians killed the remaining survivors at Fort

St. Louis and destroyed the fort

Spanish Texas Eastern Texas: The Caddos

Spain responded to the French threat by sending Alonso de Leon on several expeditions○ Explored Fort St. Louis and then made contact with the Caddos○ Seen as the “great kingdom of Tejas” to the Spanish; Tejas –

friend○ Caddos accepted the Europeans as potential allies and trading

partners○ de Leon and missionaries set up two missions

However, the Caddos were not willing converts○ Christianity clashed with their religion○ Spanish disrupted their traditional way of life○ They did not like the “unruly” Spanish soldiers○ Became resentful and attacked Spanish livestock○ Spanish later retreat and leave East Texas in 1693

Spanish Texas Eastern Texas: The French and Spanish Alliance

French Canadian Louis Jucherau de St. Denis came to the Spanish on the Rio Grande looking for trade○ Arrested and later convinced the Spanish that the

Caddo wanted missionaries○ The Spanish viceroy ordered Spanish Captain Domingo

Ramon to convert East Texas into a buffer zone Rebuild Spanish missionaries Assigned St. Denis as his second in command

Somewhat uneasy alliance, but the Spanish benefitted from St. Denis’s knowledge of Texas terrain, command of Indian languages, and his ability to befriend the Indians

San Antonio de Bexar

Spanish Texas Settlements

San Antonio de Bexar (present-day San Antonio)○ Served to Christianize the Coahuiltecan Indians○ Also, the midway point between Rio Grande and

East Texas; served as a supply station○ By the 1730s, a presidio, municipality, and five

missions constituted the San Antonio complexPresidio de La Bahia

○ Initially established as a Gulf Coast deterrent to the French

○ Moved inland toward the San Antonio River to present-day Goliad

Presidio de La Bahia (Goliad)

Spanish Texas Failed Settlements

San Gabriel River settlement (near Rockdale)○ Established to convert the Tonkawas○ Given little attention, abandoned in 1755

San Saba River settlement (near Menard)○ Established to convert the Apaches○ Failed due to Indian attacks; abandoned in 1769

IncorporationThe Spanish colonization system would be crucial to

the success of Spain in the Texas frontierTwo choices for dealing with Indians

○ Assimilate or annihilate