Ottr Catliolic Heritage in Texas
Fray ltta,i Larios in Coahttila. The central figure in the new advance, in which the missionaries were to precede the soldiers in penetrating the hostile lands of the fierce natives that had long raided the rich outposts of New Spain, was a humble and gentle Franciscan. "The pioneers in this advance were the missionaries; their leader was Father Juan Larios, a Franciscan friar of the Province of Santiago de Jalisco, whose head- quarters were at Guadalajara," very fittingly declares Professor Bolton. 3 A native of the pueblo of Zautlan, Fray Juan had joined the Order in Mexico and had attained a reputation for his virtuous and zealous life. In the year 1670, the good Padre was the Guardian of the Franciscan house at Atoyac, a small town about sixty miles south of Guadalajara. While here he received a letter from his only sister, who lived in Durango, begging him to pay her a visit. Having obtained permission from his Provincial, he went to Durango, where he spent a few days before he started back to Atoyac.' While on his return journey, Father Larios was much surprised at the end of his second day's travel to find himself suddenly surrounded by a .host of Indians. The poor friar thought his hour had come and pre- pared to die, but greater still was his surprise to find that the Indians instead of falling upon him with their arms, came up to him and devoutly kissed his garments and asked his blessing. After a conversation in the conventional sign language, there being no interpreter, Father Larios was given to understand that they were his friends, that all they wanted was for him to accompany them to their land to teach them and baptize t_heir people. "They made him understand," says Mota Padilla, "that they were from a distant country, where there were many Indians, all of them friendly; that they had good lands; and that they begged him to go with them, because they wanted him to put water on their heads." 5 But the direction in which their country was located seemed to be to the north, according to the signs, while the road of the dutiful missionary was to the southwest. He was much puzzled what he should do. His priestly heart naturally inclined him to comply with the request of the 3 Bolton, Spanish Exploration in t/1e Southwest, 284. 4 Mota Padllla, Conq11ista del Reino de la N11eva Galicia, 37 5. Frejes, Historia Breve de la Conquista . . . (Mexico, 1838) says Father Larios was born in Sayula. SMota Padilla, op. cit., 37 5. In this account it says only two Indian warriors appeared to him, but Frejes, who had access to other manuscript sources in the Fran- ciscan archives, says many Indians. In the course of this summary, the two accounts will be used. Frejes, op. cit., 1 34. There is another edition of Frejes' work, which is equally rare, published in Guadalajara, in 1878, but the text is identical.
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