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Our Catholic Heritage in Texas
the Reverend Father Fray Antonio Margil de Jesus, President of the Zacatecas missions, appointed the governor of the Indians and other officials, and distributed gifts. The next day he left to establish the Mis- sion of San Jose. Father Margil stayed at Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe with the three missionaries from the College of Zacatecas: Fathers Fray Matias Saenz de San Antonio, Fray Pedro de Santa Maria y Mendoza, and Fray Agustin Patron, this being the only mission established at this time by the Zacatecan friars. It was twenty-three leagues farther east than the first mission founded by the Spaniards in 1690. Founding Mission San Jose. The Mission of San Jose, founded for the Nazoni and Nadaco tribes, 49 in the village of the first of these, was located on an arroyo that flowed north, about fifteen or sixteen miles northeast of the Hainai village, where the Mission of La Purisima Con- cepcion was established, on present day Bill's Creek, near the north line of Nacogdoches County. 50 Ramon and Father Espinosa went to the village of the Nazoni by different routes. The former started from Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe and the latter from Concepcion Mission. Ramon says he traveled ten leagues west-northwest from the village of the Nac- ogdoche to the Nazoni, over a country thickly settled by Indians, who welcomed him with great joy and gave him presents of all the things they had. Father Espinosa, in company with St. Denis who had stayed behind at the Hainai, traveled seven leagues, going northeast from this village to reach the site of the new mission. Like Ramon, he found many 1'anclzos on the way and numerous streams suitable for settlement. Arriving a ·day before Captain Ramon:, he had time to choose the site of the new establishment with Father Fray Benito Sanchez, minister of this mission. A governor for the Indian pueblo was named, alcaldes and regidores were chosen, and gifts distributed, while the Indians began immediately to build a church and dwellings for the Padres. 51 Ramon remarks that the Indians of this nation have particularly pleasing features. Having 49Letters of Father Hidalgo to Father Mezquia, Oct. 6, 1716. Provincias Internas, Vol. 181, p. 215. SOBolton, "Native Tribes," Tlte Quarterly, XI, 267-268; Buckley, o-p. cit., 48. S1Ram6n in his Diary, says: "On the I Ith, steps were taken to build a church and dwellings and I proceeded to appoint a Cabildo.'' He does not say when he put the missionaries in possession but Father Espinosa clearly states in his Diary, entry for July IO: "The Captain gave me possession of the Mission of San Jose," and this being the last entry, implies he was put in possession on this day. Cf. Diaries of Ramon and Espinosa in Provincias Internas, Vol. 181, pp. 87, 120; also San Francisco el Grande Archive, VIII, 88, 113.
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