How Coahuiltecan families became Texas landowners in 1731 – then lost it all

Captain Almazán’s Historic Mission Transfer to Coahuiltecan Families

San Antonio’s missions hide a story most folks miss. On March 5, 1731, Captain Juan Pérez de Almazán did something bold.

He gave three missions – Concepción, San Juan, and Espada – to the Native families who built them. Coahuiltecan leaders walked the grounds, pulled weeds, and tossed stones to claim their land.

Just four days later, Spanish settlers from the Canary Islands showed up to start Texas’ first civil government. Yet somehow, Native Americans got their land rights first.

The San Antonio Missions National Historical Park now stands where this rare moment of colonial justice took place.

East Texas Missions Moved After French Threat Cooled Down

By 1730, the French in Louisiana weren’t scaring Spain anymore, making those East Texas missions less needed.

Three missions, San José de los Nazonis, Concepción, and Espada, couldn’t find enough converts in their remote spots. Spain got tired of wasting money on these failing outposts.

In 1730, the Viceroy told all three missions to move to the San Antonio River area to try their luck there.

Native Tribes Built Communities From Nothing

Families from several Coahuiltecan groups created entire communities along the San Antonio River.

The Venado, Tilijae, Pacao, Borrado, and Pajalat people cut limestone, built churches, dug irrigation ditches, and planted fields. By 1731, these native workers had lived in these missions for over ten years.

Different tribal groups slowly mixed through marriage and shared work, forming united communities that kept the missions running.

Spanish Leaders Made a Bold Move

Viceroy Marqués de Casafuerte sent unusual orders to Captain Juan Antonio Pérez de Almazán in 1731. He wanted the captain to give ownership of the missions to the Native people living there.

This broke tradition, since Spanish law usually kept mission lands under Franciscan control until much later. No one had tried this before in Spanish Texas.

The paperwork let Native communities hold official property titles within the Spanish system.

The Captain Held a Special Ceremony

Captain Pérez de Almazán gathered everyone at Mission San Juan Capistrano on March 5, 1731 for the official Acto de Posesión.

Franciscan Fray Joseph Urtado, Lieutenant Matheo Perez, Alférez Xavier Maldonado, and other Spanish officials watched Native leaders perform traditional Spanish property rituals.

They walked around the mission, pulled weeds, and threw stones in different directions to show ownership. The Spanish picked each mission spot for its “beauty, farmland, plenty of water, and grazing for animals.

Tribal Leaders Got Real Authority

The ceremony gave tribal captains actual legal power as governors of their mission communities.

The Captain of the Venado nation became the main governor, while the Captain of the Tilijae nation became his assistant.

These Native leaders got legal permission to “live in the political state” while keeping Christian practices.

Their new powers included overseeing farming, irrigation building, livestock care, and community leadership, all backed by Spanish law.

Three Mission Properties Changed Hands

Mission Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción de Acuña went to its Coahuiltecan families with full legal rights. The Venado and Tilijae nations got Mission San Juan Capistrano with complete ownership.

Mission San Francisco de la Espada became the legal property of the Pacao nation and their tribal friends.

The paperwork promised these Native Americans could not “be kicked out or have the title canceled to the lands, water, and grazing areas.

Spanish Settlers Were Already Coming

King Philip V had already started plans to set up the first official Spanish civil government in Texas. Fifty-six settlers from the Canary Islands were heading to San Antonio to create Villa de San Fernando de Béxar.

Spanish leaders felt rushed to secure Native land rights before these civilian settlers arrived. The timing wasn’t random.

Spanish officials wanted to make sure native property ownership was legally set up before the colonial government officially began.

Canary Islanders Arrived Just Four Days Later

Captain Pérez de Almazán welcomed fifty-six tired Spanish settlers from the Canary Islands on March 9, 1731. He helped them set up Villa de San Fernando de Béxar as the first official civil settlement in Texas.

The new town sat across the San Antonio River from Mission San Antonio de Valero (later the Alamo). These Canary Islanders got special treatment.

The King gave them noble status and big land grants for being the first civilian settlers in this remote frontier.

Texas Held Its First Election That Summer

Captain Pérez de Almazán watched over the first recorded election in Texas history on August 1, 1731. The Villa de San Fernando de Béxar residents voted for mayors and other city officials.

This set up the Spanish colonial civil government with Native Americans already legally owning their nearby mission lands.

The election created a system for civilian rule separate from military control at the presidio, laying groundwork for how Texas communities would govern themselves.

Native Americans Kept Their Land Rights Under Spanish Rule

The Acto de Posesión created something unique in North American colonial history, legal native property ownership recognized by European powers.

Native Americans held onto their land titles while Spanish civil government grew around them.

Coahuiltecan families kept growing crops, maintaining irrigation systems, and raising livestock under Spanish oversight.

Indigenous communities preserved many cultural practices while joining the colonial economy, creating a complex relationship with Spanish authorities.

Coahuiltecan Descendants Still Fight For Recognition Today

The land transfer of 1731 showed that colonial powers sometimes formally recognized Native American property rights.

Coahuiltecan descendants maintained connections to these mission lands throughout Spanish colonial times and beyond.

Today, the Tāp Pīlam Coahuiltecan Nation continues pushing for recognition of their historical land rights and cultural preservation.

The Acto de Posesión shows the complicated relationship between indigenous peoples and Spanish colonial authorities in early Texas, with effects that continue nearly 300 years later.

Visiting San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, Texas

San Antonio Missions National Historical Park lets you explore where the 1731 Acto de Posesión gave Native Americans formal land rights to three missions they built. There’s no entrance fee to visit all four missions.

The visitor center at Mission San José opens 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily at 6701 San Jose Drive.

You can join ranger tours at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. or bike the Mission Reach trails connecting all locations along the San Antonio River.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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