Goliad, the Missions and Presidio La Bahia

April 1& 2, 2021

Goliad State Park and Historic Site is much more than a camping area. Without ever leaving the campground there are plenty of things to do. There's an area to put in a canoe, hiking trails wildlife to watch, nature trails, and of course, the mission and all the history that surrounds it. 

Adjacent to the park office is the restored Mission Espiritu Santo, also known as the Aranama Mission or Mission La Bahia. It's full name is Espíritu Santo de Zuñiga Mission. When the area was still under Spanish rule it was moved in 1722 from Matagorda Bay to the lower Guadalupe River in order to serve the Aranama and Tamique tribes. In 1749 this mission was moved to the vicinity of present Goliad, and many Aranama followed it to the new location.

After Texas became a state the mission began to fall into disrepair. Local residents were allowed to take stones for their own building purposes, hardware and other items were removed too. 

The restoration of the grounds became a focus in 1931 when the state parks system engaged the Civilian Conservation Corp to replace and repair portions of the mission.The work done on the chapel and the granary resulted in them looking approximately as they had in the colonial period. Additional work was done around 1970. 

The mission granary contains information, historic items and a model of the mission as it was at the peak of it's occupation. It's helpful to see the entire collection of smaller outbuildings as they were at the time. It was a pretty large facility, designed to house, train and educate the local Indian populations. As many of the tribes in the area did not get along well with each other missions were often built to serve a single tribe or small group of tribes. This one served the Aranama and Tamique people, as they spoke the same language. These two culture groups have disappeared, having been absorbed by the Spaniards and other tribes in the area.

Much of the artistry demonstrated inside the mission was undoubtedly produced by these residents of the mission. Wall decorations, plaster sculpting, and wood carving were skills often taught at the missions. Some of the artwork is crude, much is amazingly skilled. Keeping in mind that large portions of this mission had to be restored it's difficult to know the actual age of any particular section of work. 

Anacua flowers

The grounds surrounding the mission are beautiful, especially this time of year. Surrounded by blooming anacua trees and flowers it is a peaceful view, and fragrant! The scent of the anacua flowers isn't overwhelming but very pleasant.

There is an especially large anacua tree at the entrance to the chapel. It was already a large tree when the CCC renovations began, but was allowed to survive the work that required its removal. The supervising architect, Raiford Stripling, had it remove and then replanted when the work was complete

The trailhead for the nature walk begins off the service road near the back of the mission. 

Entrance to the nature walk

The nature walk has some rather steep areas involving steps down to a revine and then back up to the original level. Watch had been having problems with his hip, so we turned around at that point and went back the way we had come.

There are several short access points leading from the campground to the  trail that parallels the river. The dogs and I followed that trail in both directions and it was fairly flat, and aside from the black calf  we encountered along the way there were no particular obstacles!  

Baby Blue Eyes on the river hiking trail

It was a beautiful hike - the portions of that river trail that lead back into the main camping loop were covered in swaths of blue wildflowers - Baby Blue Eyes they are called. They seem to thrive under the canopy of trees where not much sun seems to penetrate. 

Outside the camping area, east on hwy 183, is the Presidio La Bahia. It was to this presidio, which Col. Fannin had renamed Fort Defiance, that the men who survived the Battle of Coleto Creek were marched. 

Our Lady of Loreto Chapel behind the wall of the La Bahia Presidio

This presidio had originally been located in two other, different locations before being "moved" here. I doubt they moved those stone walls, but rebuilt it, abandoning the previous buildings for this particular use and moving the personnel and title of presidio to this location.

The presidio includes the Our Lady of Loreto Chapel, the entrance is shown here. In the niche above the door stands  the statue of Our Lady of Loreto. 

The statue was sculpted by Lincoln Borglum, of Mt. Rushmore fame. The First Declaration of Texas Independence was signed inside this chapel. I touch of irony, as it was also used to house Fannin's troops after their capture by the Mexican army.

Though the remainder of the presidio fell into disrepair over time, the chapel has seen continual use, so the artwork and the structure have received ongoing maintenance. Services are still held in the chapel on a weekly basis. 

The mural in the apse containing the altar was created in 1946 by artist Antonio E. Garcia of Corpus Christi, TX, and contains images of Mary, Archangel Gabriel, and several Texas images such as cactus and other native plants.

The doll posed in the center on the altar, dates back to 1722. It was moved three times, along with the presidio and the chapel furnishings. Left dirty and defaced in 1837-1936 the statue was rescued by a priest in charge of the chapel and taken to San Antonio to be restored.

The heavy wooden doors, massive iron hinges and decorations of classic Spanish architecture are seen throughout the presidio and chapel, as well as the typical limestone walls we still use here today.

Limestone is common in the area so makes for good, cheap building material. These stout walls were undoubtedly built by local Mexican and Indian residents of the mission.  Their artistic skills are also prominently displayed in the wall stencils and other paint and plaster decorations throughout these buildings. 

A portion of the presidio is devoted to use as a visitor center and gift shop. It includes historic artifacts found in the area, as well as several of the Texas Independence flags I mentioned in the previous post. 

They are mounted out of reach but in clear view over each of the doorways as one proceeds through the rooms displays of the visitor center. 

Two small cannon positioned near the chapel entrance and one caisson mounted cannon out on the parade grounds are the only weapons visible. Even so the stout walls and heavy doors are impressive and assure protection to the inhabitants. 

Last but certainly not least is the charming town of Goliad itself. 

In 1829, the name of the Mexican Texas village of La Bahía was changed to "Goliad", believed to be an anagram of Hidalgo (omitting the silent initial "H"), in honor of the  priest Miguel Hidalgo, who is considered the father of the Mexican War of Independence from Spain. 

The settlement has been in existence since the early 1700's so a variety of architecture styles are in evidence, including some very nice Victorian homes and business buildings and the courthouse. 

Mainstreet has a range of business, from services and dining to gifts and antique shops,  and the Marketplace museum houses historic items from the area. 

The current population of the town is around 2,000, including a lot of young children. We saw them gathered at the city park for the annual Easter egg hunt, all having a grand time decked out in holiday clothing and some wearing the bunny ears! 

Main street in Goliad

We'll say farewell to the state park tomorrow. We missed a few things in the area, including the El Camino Real interpretive center, so we'll fit that in during a future visit. 

The Goliad Massacre

March 30-31, 2021

We are lucky to have perfect spring days to explore the area around Goliad. Wildflowers are blooming everywhere, but it's been overcast every day, and will for the remainder of our stay so it's not so great for photographing. It's not too crowded with other tourists. It would have been a different story last weekend during the annual celebration and reenactment remembering the historic events that have taken place here. Camping reservations were not to be had for that weekend. 

Texas history is complicated, involving the governments of  France and then Spain as they both attempted to control Mexico. A little of the history leading up to the events in this area is important in order to understanding their importance.

The area that was to become the state of Texas was far from the center of government control, Mexico City, and some of the Indian tribes in the area weren't especially partial to newcomers.  Raids were common, and the soldiers assigned to the presidios out in these wilds to protect the settlers weren't all that enthused about being sent to the remote area. The missions were established under the Spanish government and served to educate and convert the native populations and thus were critical to control of the area. The many presidios (forts) along the well traveled El Camino Real (King's Highway) were necessary for their protection, as well as the protection of settlers in the area. 

In 1821 Mexico obtained their independence from Spain and formed a constitution modeled after that of the United States, guaranteeing citizens many of the same individual rights.

In the early days (1824-35) European and American colonists settling in this area were quite content to be citizens of Mexico.  Then around 1830 the Mexican government began to levy additional taxes and rescinded promised rights to the colonists, in addition to preventing any further immigration of Anglos. 

One of the new demands was that colonists agree to join the Catholic church. Many of the colonists had immigrated from Europe, primarily to avoid the religious persecution there, so this demand, among others, lead to a great deal of hostility. In 1832 the colonists began to rebel, eventually electing Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna as president 1833, but by 1834 he decided the people needed a "firmer hand and began implementing increasingly harsh policies. 

"Come and take it!"

October 1835 saw one of the earliest skirmishes, in the area of Gonzales, which is directly north a few miles from Goliad and east of San Antonio. Mexican forces were sent to retrieve a small cannon that had been given to the settlement so they could protect themselves from marauding Indians. The settlers didn't take kindly to that, and the fight was on. 

Though a relatively minor skirmish, this is considered the first battle in the long struggle for Texas independence. It gave birth to one of the first and most well known flags of this Texas struggle. 

In early 1836 the siege and the final assault on the Alamo took place. It is the most celebrated military engagement in Texas history, in part because so many historically famous  personalities were involved. In early March, after thirteen days of battle,the number of dead numbered possibly as many as 257 men, Texians and Tejanos. All killed by Mexican forces under the leadership of Santa Anna. The cruelty shown by Santa Anna's and his troops during the battle inspired many Texians and Tejanos to join the Texian Army. 

Emboldened by his success at the Alamo, Santa Anna  then cast his focus to the northeast, La Bahia (the bay). Santa Anna (by this time also known as The Napoleon of the West) had grown quite impressed with his own military accomplishments and envisioned expanding his dictatorial domain. Control of the ports on the Gulf of Mexico would be valuable strategically. 

While the events at the Alamo unfolded, a young and not very experienced Colonel James Fannin had been directed to defend presidio La Bahia, which he had renamed Fort Defiance. Fannin was instructed by Sam Houston to leave the fort and take his men east, to Victoria, closer to the gulf. He was certain reinforcements would arrive, so he delayed his departure. 

Word of the outcome of Texian forces at the Alamo had reached the men in Goliad who were protecting Fort Defiance (the Presidio La Bahia). Under the leadership of Colonel James Fannin these men had be expecting reinforcement from other rebels in the area, but that support never arrived. Ordered to abandon their defense of the fort, on March 19, the men abandoned the fort and started east, toward Victoria.

Fannin's forces made slow progress. About six miles from the fort, on Santa Anna's orders, General Urrea advanced and surrounded 300 men of the Texian Army on the open prairie, near La Bahia (Goliad).  

This engagement is known as the Battle of Coleto. 

Led to believe that they would be paroled and released into the United States, they were returned to the fort at Goliad, the same fort they had just abandoned. It would now be their prison. The captives were told they would be treated well, so they marched willingly to Fort Defiance (La Bahia).

The 14 acre Fannen Battelground has been designated a State Historic Site. Marked by an obelisk, it commemorates the Battle of Coleto Creek and the sacrifice of the men who died there. 

The location, marked by a granite obelisk, includes an interpretive exhibit, group pavilion, playground, and picnic area. 

The interpretive exhibit is housed in the a building created by enclosing the bandstand, which was built in 1923. The work to convert it to the interpretive center was just completed in 2019. It contains maps of the battle and other items and information specific to this site. 

Off to one side of the entrance road stands a large iron screw from a cotton gin. In 1894, Solomon Parks, Sr., a Goliad resident, used the large screw to mark the location identified by a pile of rocks years before by a survivor of the battle, William L. Hunter.

This particular battle, and the aftermath at Goliad, cemented the will of Texians and Tejanos to reject the oppressive Mexican government under the rule of Santa Ana.

The Goliad Massacre 

Unfortunately for the men held at La Bahia a decree that Santa Anna pressed the Mexican Congress to pass (December 30, 1835), required that armed foreigners taken in combat were to be treated as pirates and executed. 

At sunrise on Palm Sunday, March 27, 1836, the unwounded Texans were formed into three groups under heavy guard. The men were divided into three groups, told they were going out to gather firewood, and other "stories", then after arriving at a distance of about a mile from the fort they were summarily executed at close range. Out of 342 men 28 ran into the woods and escaped the firing squads, another 20 more were saved because they were doctors or orderlies. Fannin and a few others were held at the fort and executed there. Some of the escapees were later caught and executed.

After the executions the bodies were burned, the remains left exposed to weather, vultures, and coyotes. 

This situation was rectified on June 3, 1836, when Gen. Thomas J. Rusk, who had established his headquarters at Victoria after the battle of  San Jacinto, gathered the remains and buried them with military honors. Some of the survivors attended the ceremony. 

These remains lie under the mound that supports a  granite monument marking the site of the executions. The names of those who were killed by Santa Anna's troops are inscribed on the wall at the base of the monument.

While these men were held at the fort  as prisoners a mysterious Mexican woman began appearing in the prison, offering aid  to suffering Texian soldiers. 

Her name was Francisca Alvarez  but she would be remembered best as the “Angel of Goliad”. 

In this photo you can see the Fannin memorial behind and to the left. She is facing the presidio, just as she stood between those in authority and the prisoners so many years ago. 

In March 2004, the descendants of Mrs. Alvarez gathered to dedicate this statue in honor of her remarkable courage and compassion, and to memorialize her unique place in Texas history. The bricks on the path beneath the bronze statue bear imprints of the family members' names. A plaque nearby tells her story in more detail.

The outcome of Battle of Goliad, coming so shortly after the fall of the Alamo, cemented the determination to fight for independence in the minds of Texians and Tejanos alike. Against overwhelming odds and cruel punishments of the ruling government, in the minds of not only Americans but citizens of other countries, the price was worth it if they could succeed. 

Though it is not often repeated in full anymore, the full quotation shouted by freedom fighters for years after was "Remember the Alamo, Remember Goliad". 

The many flags that have flown over Texas provide a quick visual of the path traveled by the Texians seeking independence from Mexico. 

Seen here below the current Texas state flag, the Goliad or "Dimmitt flag", is known as the first flag of Texas Independence. It was designed and made by the Goliad garrison commander, Capt. Philip Dimmitt. Dimmitt. He was originally against the idea of independence, but when Santa Ana abolished the Mexico Constitution and began his rampages against the settlers he changed his mind. 

The flag design expresses the idea that "I would rather cut off my right arm, than live under tyranny." The  backstory to this and all the other flags that have flown over Texas is nicely summarized at the website for the Texas Flags Park, which is in Conroe, Texas. This one is unique in design compared to the others and may have been inspired by similar "severed arm" designs used by Irish rebels in their struggles against the British. 

An informative sign in front of the presidio La Bahia illustrates many of the "official" flags that were flown over Texas both before and during the fight for independence.

The slaughter of so many Texians and Tejanos at Goliad fired the determination of the men fighting at the Battle of San Jacinto which took place only a short time after Goliad. Victory there was the turning point for Texas. We'll be visiting that battleground on another trip. For now, we'll continue exploring the other sites around Goliad. More tomorrow!

Goliad State Park and Another Lesson Learned

Monday, March 29 

We left the house after lunch had a beautiful two and a half hour drive down hwy. 183 to Goliad. The sky was overcast but the patches of wildflowers along the road brightened up the view in spite of the overcast sky. 

Once we entered Gonzales County we began to see a lot more cattle in the pastures than we see up in the Hays/Travis area. We’ve been through here before but never noticed how many Brahma ranches there are, with a few short horns and miscellaneous breeds thrown in for color. With their cream colored hide they added a nice contrast as they munched along in those wildflower patches. 

Arriving at Goliad State Park, check-in was quick, our campsite, #13, is one of 21 spacious pull-thru’s in the Karankawa Camping area. It’s an appropriate name, as the Karankawa were a tribe that lived in the area. 

We ran through the usual set up routine, unhitching, connecting water and power etc. then leashed up the pooches for a walk around the loop. . . noting as we went which sites would be highly desirable, which wouldn’t and checking out the little screened enclosures that are also available for rent. 

They would be really nice for tent campers during the peak bug season. There are three other tent areas but none of them have these little screened enclosures. 

Set-up complete, we took the dogs for a short walk around the loop. We were probably gone from our site for about 15 minutes.

 As we rounded the corner, putting our site in vision, we heard running water, and as we got closer noticed water cascading like a little Niagara Falls all along the passenger side of the RV. 

Steve immediately shut off the water supply and unlocked the door, both of us expecting the worst. It seems "somebody" was on our side this time though. 

We had noticed when we put the jacks down that the rig was about an inch low on the passenger side, and that saved us a lot of potential problems, as the water ran out instead of into the interior. 

A connection on the pump under the kitchen sink had apparently blown apart, probably loosened on the rough road we’d just traveled over. Even though Steve had checked it before we left it couldn’t hold up to the vibration. 

We spent much of the remainder of the afternoon blotting up water (good thing we had a lot of towels available!) and running fans under the cabinets. 

We were prepared to turn around and go home when we first saw the situation, but it turned out to be salvageable. It took us three tries to get here (having had to cancel the first two reservations) and we certainly didn't want to have to give up now that we were finally here! 

Lesson learned here:

ALWAYS turn the water off before leaving the site for any length of time! 

We spent the remainder of the afternoon recuperating our nerves and checking out the immediate neighborhood. 

It turned out we had a lot of neighbors, tiny ones, tree trimming neighbors.... otherwise known as leaf cutter ants. 

There is a large colony of them, permanent residents I'm sure, not campers, just a couple of sites down. 

The woman in the campsite next to us pointed them out. She was taking photos of them climbing up and down the tree in another site.  They are fascinating little creatures and they worked all day at gathering their leaves. 

Their colony is quite extensive, and mostly looks like a dog has been digging from a distance. 

Close up you can see the entry hole and the fine soil they kick up. This colony is probably where the ants are taking the leaves they clip, on which they will grow microbes to feed their young, as far as 8-10 feet under the surface!

Not to be outdone by all the industry of the ants, we were also visited by a pair of wrens. 

Not just visited.... they wanted to move in! We sat in camp relaxing, enjoying a couple of "adult beverages" and noticed birds dashing in and out around the front end of the trailer, so we paid closer attention and discovered this pair was doing what a pair at home had attempted. . . trying to build a nest on our propane tanks!

They were swooping up under the tank cover, a large plastic covering for the two tanks that made the area nice and dark which is their preference for nesting. 

We dislodged them twice but they kept coming back so finally Steve opened  up the top piece on the plastic tank cover so it would be light inside and that stopped them. Well, actually, I think they moved over to a rig that had just arrived. Oh well, that's nature at work!

Tomorrow we'll visit The Presidio La Bahia where the Fannin Memorial is located. This will be a jump directly into the middle of the Texas battle for independence.

*Follow up note - the fans seem to have taken care of the interior moisture, and so far a check of the insulation from the underside seems to show no damage.