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.