Preparing to Weatleer the Storm, 1790-1800
That fall all the settlements in Texas were thrown into consternation by persistent rumors that the Comanches, the Tawakonis, and the Tao- vayas, urged by foreign agents, were holding meetings to plan the destruction of the Spaniards. The governor warned the commander of La Bahia and ordered him to double the vigilance against surprise, to move the garrison horses as near to the presidio as possible, and dis- tribute ammunition and arms to the settlers and to the friendly Indians who could be counted upon to aid in repelling an attack. He was to report by special messenger any news. 42 There were good grounds for the alarm as will be seen in the subsequent chapters. The Mission of Espiritu Santo had been practically abandoned before 1790. Father Reyes had attempted to revive it in 1789. It was during the following year that Father Garza and Father Silva came. The former reported to Governor Munoz in June, 1791, that a group of thirty-two Jaranames, former inmates of Mission Espiritu Santo, had told him that if he would go with them to the San Xavier River, ninety-seven more would return with him to join their former mission. Governor Munoz immediately authorized Father Garza to go to the San Xavier River and furnished him an escort on June 29. Mission Espiritu Santo and tlee Jaranames. After a sojourn of almost a month, Father Garza left for La Bahia with fifty-eight apostate Jaranames who agreed to return to Mission Espiritu Santo. Fray Luis Mariano de Cardenas, who was then in charge, welcomed the wayward neophytes with open arms and the mission obtained a new lease on life. 43 On March 1, 1794, Father Fray Juan Jose Aguilar was appointed to take charge of Espiritu Santo, but he was unable to leave Zacatecas until the 17th. It was not until early in April that he arrived at La Bahia. He was still caring for the mission at the end of 1797." Exemption granted Mission Espiritu Santo. It was Fray Aguilar who requested Governor Munoz to dispense Mission Espiritu Santo from the payment of the mestefia tax (tax paid on wild or unbranded cattle killed). He explained that the mission was too poor to pay this impost 42 Governor to Uranga, October 5, 1801. Bexar Arc/rrves. 43 Manuel Munoz to Revillagigedo, July 14, and August 29, 1791. Bexar Arc/rrves. 44 Juan Jose Aguilar to Manuel Munoz, February 23, and July 30, 1795: Aguilar to Elguezabal, May 11, 1797. Bexar Arcnives.
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