Our Catlwlic ff eritage in Texas
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whose proper designation was Presidio de la Junta del Rio del Norte y Conchos, appears to have been reestablished at its original location in the vicinity of present Presidio, Texas, in 1773, and was still there at the close of the century. Among its various officers were Juan Fernandez de Carmona, who was appointed lieutenant on July 29, 1775, formerly a lieutenant of the militia regiment of merchants of Mexico City; Dionisio Valles, who was appointed alferez on August 18, 1783; Francisco Xavier Uranga, who succeeded Fernandez de Carmona as lieutenant on August 18, 1783; Alonso Maines, who was appointed lieutenant to succeed Uranga on October I, 1788; Nicolas Villareal, who became alferez on December 23, 1788; Domingo Diaz, who was appointed captain on July 1, 1789; Juan Francisco Granados, who became lieutenant on November 3, 1793; and Blas Aramburu, who succeeded Diaz after his death in office as captain on November 9, 1797. 32 Bishop Benito of Durango had an unpleasant experience in 1731, while making the visita- tion of his diocese. In his former visita a few years before, he had been enthusiastically welcomed by the Franciscan missionaries in this region. This time they not only failed to welcome him, but they even tried to prevent him from continuing to New Mexico. In this the good bishop says they disregarded all civility and Christian charity. The only expb· nation given to the prelate was that they had strict instructions from their Commissary General to act in the manner they did. The reason for the changed attitude, however, is to be found in the report of the bishop of a few years before on the condition of the missions in his extended diocese. At that time he had frankly informed the king in a confidential report, that all the missions entrusted to Jesuit missionaries were far in advance temporally and spiritually of those in the care of Franciscans. Conditions in El Paso del Norte, 1731-1760. With regard to El Paso at this time (1731), he said that it consisted of a settlement of Spaniards and five missions. He declared that in the former visita he had found many Zuma Indians who wished to be con- gregated in a separate mission at El Paso. He had told th~m they would have to give more concrete evidence of the firmness of their purpose. At this time ( 173r) he found many of them were congregated there by
-:-2A G I A d" • • • .,
· d G dala1·ara 1 04-6-8 (Commissions of military officers
u 1enc,a e 11a
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f h P "d" d l N t · N Spai·n) It is of interest to note the frequent confusion o t e res1 10 e orem ew • . . "d" d l p d 1 N t and that of La Junta. In the transcript cited are of Pres1 10 e aso e or e included many officers of Paso del Norte.
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