Lost 18th-century Spanish mission found in Texas after decades of searching
Kyiv • UNN
Archaeologists and students from Texas Tech University have discovered the remains of an 18th-century Spanish mission in Jackson County, Texas. This discovery fills a gap in the historical records of early Texas.
In southeastern Texas, archaeologists and students from Texas Tech University (TTU) have discovered remains belonging to Mission Nuestra Señora del Espíritu Santo (Mission of Our Lady of the Holy Spirit), an abandoned 18th-century settlement in Jackson County. This was reported by Fox News, writes UNN.
Details
Thus, archaeologists have found evidence of the existence of a lost site. The University emphasized that it "fills a long-standing gap in the historical records of early Texas."
Excavation leader Tamra Walter, an associate professor of archaeology at TTU, said her team found numerous artifacts during the excavation. They found lead shot and a sprue that came from mines in Boca de Leones in the Mexican state of Nuevo León. They also found rose-headed nails and parts of a copper kettle. The team also found pottery, fired clay, and daub from the clay huts of the time, as well as brass trade rings, part of a pair of scissors, and "several as yet unidentified items."
The mission was associated with the Spanish fort Presidio La Bahía and Fort Saint Louis, a colony founded by the French explorer René-Robert Cavelier. These were times when Spain was trying to establish control over the region.
The religious settlement existed only from 1721 to 1725. The professor said that one of the main reasons for its early decline was difficulties with Native Americans who did not want to work at the mission. The local environment was challenging - hot, the area was full of mosquitoes, and alligators lived in the nearby stream. The weather combined with the difficulties of surviving in clay huts forced the missionaries to move west to Goliad, Texas, to establish a new site.
What makes the mission's remains special is their rarity. Mission Espíritu Santo was "one of the earliest definitively found Spanish missions in Texas."
She added that the excavations "help provide a rare, undisturbed snapshot of daily life on the Spanish frontier in the early 18th century." She noted that the events that unfolded there helped change the course of Texas history.