The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 36, July 1932 - April, 1933 Page: 3
328 p. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Forerunners of De Leon's Expedition to Texas
From the available records it is not possible to determine where
this first mission in northern Coahuila was located. Very probably
it lay some thirty miles north of the present city of Monclova.'
Certain it is that from this central mission Larios made trips to
other tribes and that on one of these trips, accompanied by five
Catzale Indians, he came to where in later years the Mission of
the Holy Name of Jesus was founded.6 This was at a place called
Peyotes, about fifty leagues from Monclova, almost due north, be-
tween the Rio de las Sabinas and the Rio Grande.7 Here, on the
very threshold of Texas, an incident occurred which shows to
what dangers Larios exposed himself on such trips and to what
extent he succeeded in winning the friendship of his Indian
neophytes. On reaching the place called Peyotes, Larios and his
five Catzale companions were stopped by three hundred Tobosos,
long known as a fierce and warlike tribe. With devilish glee they
invited the Catzales to take part in the mitote or head-dance
which they would celebrate and for which they would use the head
of the missionary. But the Catzales objected, eloquently protest-
ing that the unoffending friar was their father who loved them
more than he loved himself; that he had befriended them in time
of need, established peace between them and their enemies, and
instructed them in Christianity. Then they suggested that, in
place of the head-dance, five of the Tobosos challenge the five
Catzales to a game of ball. "If you win, the Father will be-
long to you," they stipulated; "but if we win, he must go free."
To this the Tobosos agreed. While these were selecting their
five players, the Catzales brought Larios to a huge tree in the
hollow of which they insisted that he hide himself. Thereupon
they began the game of ball. Realizing after a time that he and
his four tribesmen were losing, the captain of the Catzales boldly
stepped forward and declared: "By the game we have lost the
life of our Father; but we are determined to lose our own life
'Larios and his companion traveled northeast for twenty days. Taking
six leagues as the average distance covered per day, the total distance
would be one hundred and twenty leagues or about three hundred miles.
Their point of departure was two days distant, apparently southeast,
from Durango.
BThis mission, named Mision del Dulee Norbre Jesus de Peyotes, was
founded in 1698. See Estevan Portillo, Apuntes para la historia de
Coahuila y Tejas (Saltillo, 1886), p. 142.
'See Portillo, Apuntes, p. 274. The present town of Peyotes is about
ninety miles north of Monclova.
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 36, July 1932 - April, 1933, periodical, 1933; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101093/m1/11/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.