te, as water could easily flow through the favored lands.
This fiber art piece, Fruits of the River, represents some of the elements of life dependent on water and critical to the citizens and residents of the villa: corn, mesquite beans, chilies, acorns, pecans, cotton and wool.
1763 Catherine Cisneros
Some reports describe the broad plains of San Antonio de Padua as the most beautiful in New Spain with grass as high as a horse’s chest. Although by 1763 the five Missions were established in San Antonio, San Antonio was still surrounded by broad plains the most beautiful in New Spain and in many places the grass was as high as a horse’s chest, the stars were breathtakingly brilliant and the fireflies were a wonder to behold.
1764 Joseph Duarte
Maestro is the story of the laborers who worked on the Missions.
1766 Casey Galloway
In researching 1766, I was struck by the amount of conflict between many of the native tribes in central/south Texas. Exacerbated by the growing numbers of European settlers and shrinking unoccupied land, clashes between the Coahuiltecan and Apache caused many to seek refuge in the newly established Spanish Missions. The purpose of these missions, according to the authorities, was to educate and Christianize the Natives in order to make them productive Spanish citizens. The native peoples who sought refuge supplied the labor in the construction of the missions, the acequias, and the farms that fed the community. This work is dedicated to them.
1767 Ramin Samandari
1767 was the year of arrival of Marques De Rubi to San Antonio. Rubi was sent by King Charles III of Spain to inspect the presidios of New Spain. Rubi’s report suggested that all the small Texas missions be closed except the one in Goliad and the missions of San Antonio.