Our Cat/1olic Heritage in Texas
their raiding activities, naturally would oppose strongly such a move. But with the aid of the neighboring presidios all resistance should be over- come and the site reoccupied. From La Junta to San Fernando de Austria, located in the vicinity of the old Presidio de Santa Rosa, some forty miles north of San Juan Bautista, the line of presidios was to follow the little known course of the Rio Grande. The river flowed through deep canyons, Rubi observed, that cut the Santa Rosa mountain range all the way to Coahuila. This range had long since been the refuge of the Tobosa Indians, but in more recent years had been occupied by the Natages and Salineros. Just before the Rio Grande emerged from the mountainous country, it was joined by the Pecos River from the east and below this by several smaller streams on the west such as San Diego and San Rodrigo. Although the distance between the two points mentioned was calculated to be one hundred ten leagues by the most direct line, the nature of the country made it much longer. Presidios along tlie Rfo Grande. Along this area, to the east of the Rio Grande, roamed the Mescalero- Apaches, close kinsmen of the Natages. These Indians were in fact variously called Mescaleros, Carlanes and Salineros as one went up the river towards New Mexico. They communicated with the distant Jicarillas in the upper Pecos, who lived in that province, by going behind the Sandia mountains. Since these various tribes or nations were kinsmen and spoke similar dialects, they constituted the most dangerous menace to the Spanish settlement west of the Rio Grande. It was the Lipan-Apaches, also of the same family, who lived south and east of La Junta, who guided the others to the Spanish settlements. For this reason they were generally called "entregadores" (deliverers). These Indians, under the guise of friendship, treacherously preyed on the Spaniards and committed severe depredations, leading their friends in their devastating raids. The lack of fortifications along this area made the Rio Grande an open door to these perfidious enemies. Between La Junta and San Fernando de Austria, therefore, Rubi proposed the establishment of three presidios, to be located approximately forty leagues apart and as near to the Rio Grande as possible in order to erect an effective barrier to Indian raids and depredations in Nueva Vizcaya, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and Texas. He suggested the use of the garrisons stationed at Cerro Gordo, Monclova, and San Saba for this
Powered by FlippingBook