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Our Catholic Heritage in Texas
of State Lucas Alaman informed the J efe Polfri,co in Bexar that Refugio de la Garza had made known to the Government that there existed seven missions in Texas, long abandoned by the Indians; that the ayuntamientos of Bexar and La Bahia were requesting the distribution of the mission lands to the settlers who had no property; and that Garza had invoked, therefore, the enforcement of the decree of the Spanish Cortes of September 13, 1813, requiring all missions which had been in operation for ten years be turned over to the Ordinary of the Diocese. In view of these facts the Government ordered the matter submitted to the Provincial Deputation of Texas and the request carried ou·t if there were no objection. 27 The Provincial Deputation of Texas, composed of Jose Maria Zambrano, Miguel Arciniega, Maximo Rodriguez, Juan Martin de Verarnendi, Gaspar Flores and Ramon Musquiz, gave its consent on October 22, 1823, reasserting that the ten-year period had long since lapsed, that there were practically no Indians left in the missions, and that their rich lands lay fallow. They instructed the Political Chief to put the Spanish Cortes decree of September 13, 1813, into execution, but recommended that each mission be set up as an autonomous villa (village) with commons and lots for government buildings and jails. The lands of San Jose were to be kept as a unit to be administered by the municipality of Bexar, the revenue to be used to form a public welfare fund. 21 The decree of the Spanish Cortes of September 13, 1813, invoked by Father Garza and ordered carried out by the Supreme Executive Power with the consent of the Provincial Deputation, had provided for the immediate secularization of all missions ten years old or over and the distribution of their lands to private citizens after giving first choice to the mission Indians. 29 But it had not been carried out because all acts of the Cortes had been declared inoperative in 1814 upon the return of Ferdinand VII. In Mexico, however, when Iturbide was proclaimed emperor .jn 1822, all acts of the Cortes not affecting the sovereignty of the nation were again put in force until new laws were adopted. Garza availed himself of this action to demand the secularization 2.7Qrder of the Supreme Executive Power, Mexico City, September IS, I 823, transmitted by Alaman to Ramon Musquiz, Saltillo Archives, XVI, 67. :UQrden de la Diputacion Provincial de Tejas, Bexar, October 22, I 823, Saltillo Archives, XVI, 69; Notice to Jefe Politico, same date, Bexar ArcMves. 29Couccion de /os decretos y ordenes de las Cortes de Es,Pa1ia (Mexico, 1829), 106-107.
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