Our Catholic Heritage, Volume III

E:1:ploratio11s and Settlements A long the Rio Grande

225

Apaches. A league from the abandoned site were two small springs which were called San And res. Although Idoyaga and his men traveled eleven leagues, or approxi- mately thirty miles, the distance actually covered by their march in a straight line southeast was probably less than half this number. The probable site of the old Pueblo of the Tapakomes, more recently occupied by the Pescados, was, therefore, somewhere between present Presidio and Cienega Creek.* On December 2, 1747, Idoyaga and his men visited Mission San Cristobal, also on the Texas side, about two leagues (five or six miles) southeast of Mission Guadalupe. This would place San Cristobal four or five miles north of present day Presidio. To do this they had retraced their steps from the old Pueblo of Tapalcomes. On their arrival they found the Indians had all gathered to welcome them. Idoyaga talked to them and urged the convenience of their moving to the west side of the river, where Father Sanchez, now living at Guadalupe, could minister to them more effectively. He pointed out the danger ·to the sick, par- ticularly in being taken across the river, when the missionary could not come to their pueblo. From the reply made by the Indians it seems that Father Sanchez had not always been willing to cross the river when it was high. The Indians explained, however, that the Padre was not afraid any more to cross the river in a canoe when the water was high. They said that several years before Father Fray Andres Varo, their resident missionary then, had tried to move the mission to the west bank, but had not found room for it. In the present location they raised corn, wheat, pumpkins, and other products but their crops were hardly sufficient for their needs and they often had to resort to the chase and to fishing for a livelihood. There were forty-nine families living regularly at the mission. Captain Idoyaga decided to visit the site of the former ra11clter1a of the Cibolos. On December 4 he set out from San Cristobal and following a general northern course, he traveled approximately nine leagues (some twenty or twenty-five miles) and came to a deep ravine with no water and little timber where he camped that day at sunset. The next day he changed his course slightly to the northeast and went about three leao-ues (eight miles) before coming to the goal of his quest. The site or°the old Pueblo of the Cibolos was in a deep creek that ran north and south - •Perhap~ this ma_y have bee~ the site of Mission San Pedro Alcantara, about which very little information except its name has been found in the available records.

Powered by