01'r Catholic Heritage in Texas
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noon the rigs were put together again and the trip to New Mexico was started by following the Rio Grande [upstream] ." 34 On May 14, I 736, Captain Alonso Rubin de Celis was appointed commander of Presidio del Paso del Norte to succeed Jose Valentin Aganza. He had already seen service for several years at this outpost as lieutenant of its garrison. The presidio at this time was under the jurisdiction of New Mexico. But it was transferred to that of Nueva Vizcaya (Chihuahua) before 1753. In that year Captain Rubin de Celis was moved to Chihuahua and Manuel Antonio San Juan de Santa Cruz took his place on March 11. It is to be remembered that Rubin de Celis was commissioned in 1759 to found the new Presidio del Norte de la Junta de los Rios, also in the jurisdiction of Nueva Vizcaya. Manuel San Juan de Santa Cruz, whose appointment was confirmed by the king, was a former captain of militia. He was entrusted to wage war against the Apaches, to help reduce the inhabitants at La Junta to mission life, and to try to induce civil settlers to establish themselves there and at El Paso. He served creditably until the time of his death in 1764. 35 During his term of office the Apaches were extremely active, but his energetic attitude finally curbed the vigor of the enemy. In November, 1762, he consulted the viceroy as to the policy of exchanging prisoners. The viceroy instructed him to barter Apache prisoners for Spanish captives held by the Indians and to adopt this as a general policy in the future. 36 It is curious to note that in that same year the viceroy warned Captain San Juan de Santa. Cruz to be on the alert against a possible invasion by the English. He expressed a hope that the commander would use a part of his force to check such a menace without leaving the settlement unprotected. He ordered the captain to keep him informed of any developments in order to be able to send him such aid as he might need. 37 Life at El Paso. The exact day of the death of San Juan de Santa Cruz is not known, but he must have died before June, 1764, for on June 6 of that year "Notkla general y descripclon la mas puntual y caval que ~a p~dido colectar : .. Dn Pedro Tamar6n, Obispo de Durango ... A. G. I., Aud,enc,a de Guadala7ara, 104-7-30, pp. 246-254. ISA, G. I., Audiencia de Guadalajara, 104-6-7 (Commission of Military Officers of the Presidio del Norte in New Spain. 16Santa Cruz to the Viceroy, November 6, 1762; the Viceroy to Santa Cruz, February 19, 176 3 . A. G. M., Provincias /nternas, v. 102, PP· 39, 34, 35. 17A. G. M., Pr()Vincias /nlernas, v. 102, P· 41.
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