San Antonio de Valero and Missionary Activity, I7I6-I7I9 71
(the Colorado River) in search of the Tejas Indians. Ever since that time, he had nursed a hidden desire to found a mission at the head- waters of the San Antonio River, where he and Father Espinosa had observed how suitable the location was for this purpose. Before going to Mexico City, he had studied with care and much profit, as his report shows, all the data sent by the various missionaries and officials who had visited the country since the time of De Leon and Father Massanet, concerning the habits and customs of the numerous tribes of the region, the character of. the land, the fertility of the soil, the abundance and variety of edible fruits and game, and the possible presence of rich minerals, all of which he used to advantage in convincing the viceroy of the urgent need of taking appropriate measures to strengthen the hold already gained in this important area by extending the missionary activities of the Franciscans. By these means many new friends and loyal subjects could be won for the king and thousands of souls saved from eternal damnation. Deeply impressed by the earnestness of the aged missionary, the viceroy, after a number of verbal conferences, ordered him to reduce to writing everything he knew about the Indians of the province of the Tejas and their land. "It is impossible," declares Father Olivares, "to exaggerate the pleasant character, the beauty, and the fertility of the province of the Tejas (or Asinai) from the Rio Grande, where our missions begin, to the [location] of the new ones which the zeal of Your Excellency desires to establish." He then described vividly the untold quantity of flax that grew there, the richness of the grapes of all kinds, the quality of the mulberry trees which surpassed those of Murcia and Granada, the abundance of nuts, more tasty than those of Castile, and with shells so thin that the Indians cracked them with ease, the variety of birds of all classes and colors, and the large number of wild turkeys and deer, to say nothing of the herds of numberless buffalo. More than fifty different Indian tribes were known to the Spaniards and missionaries, and there were numerous others with whom they had had no dealings. The majority of those known were of pleasing appearance, being kind and willing to help the Padres and to share with them whatever they had. They were very fond of Spanish goods and liked Spanish clothes in particular. On numerous occasions they had expressed a desire to become Christians; they had no serious vices; and they showed many virtues that would make their conversion to our holy faith relatively easy. With tact and shrewdness, he pointed out that there were many indications of rich
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