The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 29, July 1925 - April, 1926 Page: 251
330 p. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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A Trip to Texas in 1828
little inclined to work. The women, who are, as a general rule,
good-looking, are ardently fond of luxury and leisure; they have
rather loose ideas of morality, which cause the greater part of
them to have shameful relations openly, especially with the offi-
cers, both because they are more numerous and spend their salary
freely, and because they are more skillful in the art of seduction.
The garrison of the presidio consists of a company of more than
one hundred men, but, in spite of this fact, the place has not
prospered, nor do its inhabitants try to increase its prosperity.
The streets are straight and long; all the buildings are covered
with grass; and the houses have no conveniences. A desolate air
envelops the entire city, and there is not a single tree to gladden
the eye as the vegetation of this arid land consists of small
mesquites and huisache with cactus scattered here and there. Food
is extremely scarce; the little corn which is cultivated by the
inhabitants is planted near the city in tracts which are over-
flooded by the river in time of high water because the scarcity of
rain does not permit planting it in other places. Each farmer
gathers his crop, which often does not suffice his own family for
half of the time between crops. Therefore the few who have
beasts of burden and wish to make some profit undertake a trip
to Candela or some other point and bring back corn, flour, brown
sugar, and cane alcohol [vino mezcal], all of which they sell at
very high prices. Often these goods cannot be secured at any
price. Beef, which is the only kind of meat I have seen here, is
secured with great difficulty, because the animals must be brought
from long distances, often at the risk of life from attack by wild
Indians. Having to undertake the trip to San Antonio [de]
Bejar through uninhabited country, I had to order for our entire
company what they call bastimento [provisions] in this part of
the country. This consists of a sort of corn cakes resembling
corn bread; toasted and ground corn with brown sugar, anis seed,
or cinnamon, called pinole, which is used to make mush or may
be taken with water during the hot part of the day; and dry
beef, salted to keep it from spoiling.
One day, while we were staying in Laredo, the Lipan tribe
came for a visit, commanded by their chief, Cuelgas de Castro,
who at present holds a commission from the Supreme Government
as lieutenant colonel and receives a salary. At any rate, he consid-
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 29, July 1925 - April, 1926, periodical, 1926; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117141/m1/277/: accessed April 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.