January 28-29, 2016
When in Texas, it would be difficult to avoid seeing and indeed visiting the numerous 18th century missions established by the colonial Spanish. Although not following the so-called "mission trail", we were interested in seeing some of these famous (some infamous) sites and Goliad was our first stop. The Mission Espiritu Sancto de Zuniga ("Zuniga's Holy Spirit") is conveniently located steps away from the park campground and a mile-long trail leads to the companion historical Presidio ("Fort") La Bahia.
The first series of photos are of the mission. The building has been in its present location since 1749. One of the main purposes of the original Spanish missions was to colonize the native people and convert them to catholicism. It was our feeling that, in the depictions of this process, the museum tended to minimize the brutality of the Spanish and its effect on the indigenous population.
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| Baptismal font |
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| Ornate portico details |
We were taken with this description of the Spanish hierarchical system of classification of various interracial mixes...
The fortification Presidio La Bahia was also established in 1749, in order to protect the mission. It was the home of soldiers for many years and the site of a multitude of battles. The most famous took place in 1836 during the Mexican-Texan war. Texan forces were defeated and surrendered to the Mexican general, but were later killed at a nearby site. Together with the defeat at the Alamo, the site marks a shame-filled moment in history for proud Texans. To this day, the cries of "Remember the Goliad! Remember the Alamo!" evoke a nationalist sentiment among the citizens.
The El Presidio buildings have been owned by the Catholic church since the mid-1850s and regular services are held in the chapel.
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