Our Catholic Heritage in Texas
the headwaters of the San Marcos and the settlement would still need a strong garrison for protection. There was another location at a group of springs on the west bank of the Guadalupe River, downstream, known as El Capote (present Seguin). This was about twenty-five leagues east of San Antonio. The water was not as abundant as at either of the two preceding sites mentioned, but there were good timber, excellent grazing land, wild horses and cattle, and traces of rich mineral deposits. But it was as exposed to Comanche raids as either the San Marcos or the Guadalupe. The members of the Cabildo said further that the new location on the Cibolo, where the Post of Santa Cruz had been established, might be suited for the purpose. But speaking frankly, there were not sufficient lands suitable for cultivation to insure the future development of the settlement and irrigation was impossible. First proposal for sec1elari::ation. Lastly, there was the possibility of settling the remaining Adaesa11os on the lands assigned to Mission Valero (present Alamo). This was unquestionably the best location and the solution to the problem. This old mission, the C abildo declared, had the best lands and its irrigation ditches were better than those of all the other missions and the Villa de San Fernando itself. In recent years the number of Indians had greatly decreased. In a census made in 1777, only forty-two persons had been listed. Of these sixteen were married, five were widowers, eight were bachelors, and thirteen were children. The total was less than in any other mission and such as were now in Valero were fully civilized. By secularizing this mission and giving its lands to the few remaining Indians and the unfortunate A daesanos now in San Antonio, the royal treasury would be saved the expense of maintaining two mission- aries and the greater drain of a new garrison, that of San Antonio being sufficient to protect the settlers in their new lands, with only the river between the old mission and the presidio. 5 Here is to be found the germ of the idea of secularization. While the C abildo strongly urged the settlement of the A daesanos on the mission lands of Valero, Captain Luis Cazorla of La Bahia favored a site on the Cibolo. He suggested that the A daesa11os be settled on the site occupied by the Post of Santa Cruz and that the garrison be moved to some other locality close to the same creek where the soldiers could protect more efficiently the ranches between the San Marcos and the 5/ bid., pp. 402-406; Census of inhabitants of Bucareli. A. G. M. Historia, Vol. S 1, p. 430.
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