Isidro de Espinosa
Encyclopedia
Isidro de Espinosa was a Spanish Franciscan
missionary who participated in some expeditionary missions in
Texas
.
, Mexico
, on November 26, 1679. His parents were Isidro de Espinosa and Gertrudis de Miraelrio Tovar. Espinoza had nine brother, of which only six of them lived to adulthood. On March 18, 1696, Isidro Félix de Espinosa joined the Franciscan Missionary College of Santa Cruz de Queretaro, and March 19, 1697, he began his career as a Franciscan. On December 17, 1703 Espinoza received holy orders and 26 February of that same year he became a priest. Espinosa is thought likely that he was assigned to Mission San Juan Bautista
at the end of 1703 or shortly thereafter.
On April 5, 1709, Espinosa, accompanied by Father Antonio de Olivares
, Captain Pedro de Aguirre, and fourteen soldiers, were
San Juan Bautista
to the future San Antonio. Here, the Franciscans were impressed by the availability of water and the prospects of Spanish settlement. Expedition Espinosa, Aguirre Olivares and moved past the San Antonio River
to the Colorado
, where they hoped to contact the Texas Indians who whispered that they had moved there. However, they did not find any member of this tribe and to know that the natives were still badly biased by the Spanish, the expedition returned to St. John the Baptist on April 28, 1709.
Espinosa soon returned to Queretaro and he remained there until he was named President of new missions were established in the
University Mission Texas. In 1716 he accompanied the expedition of Domingo Ramón, where he established three missions Queretaro in East Texas: Our Father San Francisco de los Teja, Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, and San Jose de los Nazonis.
Espinosa missionary activities in Texas
included participation in two other expeditions, Martín de Alarcón
(1718) and Marques of San Miguel de Aguayo
(1721).
In late 1721, Espinosa was renamed as the guardian of Texas Missionary University and he never returned to the province. In 1733 he was named President of the future Hospice of San Fernando in Mexico city
. In the last years of his life he returned to the University of Santa Cruz in Querétaro, where he died on February 14, 1755.
, called "the most important contemporary achievement Franciscans in Texas", the work was reprinted in 1964.
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
missionary who participated in some expeditionary missions in
Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
Biography
Isidro Félix de Espinosa was born in QuerétaroQuerétaro
Querétaro officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Querétaro de Arteaga is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 18 municipalities and its capital city is Santiago de Querétaro....
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, on November 26, 1679. His parents were Isidro de Espinosa and Gertrudis de Miraelrio Tovar. Espinoza had nine brother, of which only six of them lived to adulthood. On March 18, 1696, Isidro Félix de Espinosa joined the Franciscan Missionary College of Santa Cruz de Queretaro, and March 19, 1697, he began his career as a Franciscan. On December 17, 1703 Espinoza received holy orders and 26 February of that same year he became a priest. Espinosa is thought likely that he was assigned to Mission San Juan Bautista
Mission San Juan Bautista
Mission San Juan Bautista was founded on June 24, 1797 in what is now the San Juan Bautista Historic District of San Juan Bautista, California. Barracks for the soldiers, a nunnery, the Jose Castro House, and other buildings were constructed around a large grassy plaza in front of the church and...
at the end of 1703 or shortly thereafter.
On April 5, 1709, Espinosa, accompanied by Father Antonio de Olivares
Antonio de Olivares
Antonio de Olivares was a Spanish Franciscan known by officiate at the first Mass celebrated in Texas, for contributing to the founding of San Antonio and for his exploration in this city.-Biography:...
, Captain Pedro de Aguirre, and fourteen soldiers, were
San Juan Bautista
San Juan Bautista
San Juan Bautista is:* The Spanish-language name of Saint John the Baptist. See also the disambiguation page at San Juan. The name also may appear as a Spanish translation of the French Jean-Baptiste.As a toponym, San Juan Bautista may refer to:...
to the future San Antonio. Here, the Franciscans were impressed by the availability of water and the prospects of Spanish settlement. Expedition Espinosa, Aguirre Olivares and moved past the San Antonio River
San Antonio River
The San Antonio River is a major waterway that originates in central Texas in a cluster of springs in north central San Antonio, approximately four miles north of downtown, and follows a roughly southeastern path through the state. It eventually feeds into the Guadalupe River about ten miles from...
to the Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, where they hoped to contact the Texas Indians who whispered that they had moved there. However, they did not find any member of this tribe and to know that the natives were still badly biased by the Spanish, the expedition returned to St. John the Baptist on April 28, 1709.
Espinosa soon returned to Queretaro and he remained there until he was named President of new missions were established in the
University Mission Texas. In 1716 he accompanied the expedition of Domingo Ramón, where he established three missions Queretaro in East Texas: Our Father San Francisco de los Teja, Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, and San Jose de los Nazonis.
Espinosa missionary activities in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
included participation in two other expeditions, Martín de Alarcón
Martín de Alarcón
Martín de Alarcón was the governor of Spanish Texas from 1705 until 1708, and again from 1716 until 1719. He founded San Antonio, the first civilian settlement in Texas.-First term:...
(1718) and Marques of San Miguel de Aguayo
San Miguel de Aguayo
San Miguel de Aguayo can refer to:*San Miguel de Aguayo, Texas, also known as Mission San Jose*San Miguel de Aguayo, Cantabria, Spain*Marquis de San Miguel de Aguayo, Spanish nobility...
(1721).
In late 1721, Espinosa was renamed as the guardian of Texas Missionary University and he never returned to the province. In 1733 he was named President of the future Hospice of San Fernando in Mexico city
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
. In the last years of his life he returned to the University of Santa Cruz in Querétaro, where he died on February 14, 1755.
Chronicler of Texas
His contributions as a chronicler of the early history of Texas are without peer. He was called "The Julio Cesar de la Fé in New Spain" because he worked during the day and wrote by night. Espinosa left a remarkable collection of literature. This includes a biography of his friend, Antonio Margil of Jesus and the Chronicle of the Colleges of Propaganda Fide of New SpainNew Spain
New Spain, formally called the Viceroyalty of New Spain , was a viceroyalty of the Spanish colonial empire, comprising primarily territories in what was known then as 'América Septentrional' or North America. Its capital was Mexico City, formerly Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire...
, called "the most important contemporary achievement Franciscans in Texas", the work was reprinted in 1964.
External links
- VISIT MEXICO -:: Queretaro http://www.visitmexico.com/wb/Visitmexico/Visi_Queretaro_est (In Spanish)
- Querétanos ilustres (Queretaro illustrious) http://www.mx-qro.net/2010/01/panteon-de-los-queretanos-ilustres/ (In Spanish).
- Un panteón con historia (Translation: A tomb with a history) http://www.uaq.mx/fcps/tribuna/332/soc03.htm (In Spanish)