Ottr Catliolic Heritage in Texas
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of the Virgin carried by the expedition as its patroness. There were eighty persons living in the pueblo, but many from the surrounding ranclzerias came to welcome the Spaniards. The next day Trasvina Retis and his party moved down the river, and after going one league through cultivated fields, he came to the pueblo of the Cacalotes, which he called San Juan Bautista. Like the other, it had a stockade for protection and the houses were arranged around a plaza. There were one hundred sixty-five Indians living here and they all seemed very glad to see the Spaniards. The purpose of the expedition was explained to the natives and presents were distributd, after which the party moved on four leagues down the river to the Pueblo of San Francisco de los Conchos where a similar reception was accorded them. Trasvina wished to camp outside of the pueblo in order to avoid annoyance to the Indians, but the natives insisted in lodging him and his companions in the pueblo where a whole section had been vacated for the purpose. June 2 being Sunday, three Masses were said at San Francisco de los Conchos. The third was attended by Trasvina Retis with great pomp, in company with all the chiefs and principal men of the eight pueblos of La Junta, who had come to welcome him. Fray Ramirez, who knew the language of the natives, having been among them three times before, preached a sermon and reminded the Indians that the padres had come in answer to their request, which he himself had carried to the viceroy. He explained that two missionaries were going to stay to minister to them. Through a spokesman the Indians replied that they were very glad to hear the news, that they were very grateful to the viceroy for having sent the missionaries, and that they would obey and help the padres in everything. In anticipation of their coming, the Indians declared, they had already built a church. Trasvina Retis then addressed the crowd and summarized the events that had led to his coming with the missionaries. New thanks were given and new pledges were made of loyalty and friend- ship, whereupon Trasvina bade them farewell, urging them to construct a church of adobe and a monastery for the padres before the rains began. He also advised them to repair the roofs of the churches already built to stop leaks, and he tried to impress upon them that there should be a church in each pueblo. To all this the Indians agreed, but they asked for two more missionaries, alleging that two were not sufficient. They also said they wanted mission pueblos on the other side (Texas side) of the river and that they needed bells and furnishings for the churches, tools to dig irrigation ditches, and farming implements.
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