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Ottr Catliolic Heritage in Texas
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mineral deposits in the land, such as the silver mountain (Cerro de la Plata}, the tracings of gold found in some of the rivers, and the heavy green rocks used by the natives to make green paint, which were evidently silver and copper alloy. 2 Proposed mission on tlee San Antonio. This report, in which there is evident exaggeration in spite of the assurances to the contrary by Father Olivares, who allows himself to be carried away by his enthusiasm and missionary zeal, was ordered transmitted to the Fiscal for his study and consideration on November 20,.1716. But it must have been in the hands of the viceroy long before this time, because on that same date, Father Olivares handed him another report and a long list of everything needed for the establishment of a mission on the River San Antonio de Padua (present San Antonio River), of which Father Olivares himself was to be the founder. It is safe to say then, that subject to the approval of the Real A ctterdo, that is, the council of all the principal government officials with whom the viceroy had to consult before acting in a matter as important as this, he had in fact decided upon the establishment of the mission proposed by Father Olivares verbally, as there is no mention of the plan in his first report. It seems most probable that after his first report he was called by the viceroy to discuss the subject more in detail and that at that time the enthusiastic missionary had seen his oppor- tunity to put into effect his long cherished dream of a mission on the San Antonio River.' The plan as proposed by Father Olivares and approved in principle by the viceroy was to move the few remaining Jarame Indians of the Mission of San Francisco Solano, founded by the same missionary on the Rio Grande near the Presidio of San Juan Bautista,' ·to the San Antonio River. The neophytes of San Francisco Solano would serve as teachers, 1 1nfonne de Fray Antonio Olivares sobre las naciones y lo que hay en tierras de la Provincia de Texas. San Francisco el Grande Archive, VIII, II 7-120. A copy is also found in Provincias lnternas, Vol. 181, pp. 127-130. 1 The exact words of Father Olivares' second report are: "Mandame Vexa. le diga los menesteres y Cossas nesesarias que son Conduzentes ala fundazon. de la Mision del rrio de Sn. Antto. de Padua; en que manda Vexa. sea mi Ynutil persona; fundador Yo mismo de ella." Provincias lnternas, Vol. 181, p. 131. 'The Mission of San Francisco Solano was founded in 1700 by Father Olivares on the Rio Grande near the Presidio of San Juan Bautista and the mission of that name. The Indians congregated for the purpose were Jarames, Payaguas, Papanacs and Siaguans. The Acta d, Fundacion is found in Provincias /nternas, Vol. 28 (Bolton Transcripts, University of Texas).
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