Near Routes of Alonso de Leon Expeditions

Near Routes of Alonso de Leon Expeditions (HMCQD)

Location: San Benito, TX 78586 Cameron County
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Country: United States of America
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N 26° 3.716', W 97° 47.044'

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Inscription
Spain's desire to colonize this area of the New World in the late 17th century was spurred by the fear that French adventurer Rene La Salle, who had landed on the Texas coast in 1864, was claiming vast areas for its bitter rival, France. In 1685, Spain's Mexican Viceroy directed Alonso de Leon to lead expeditions against French encroachment and protect Spain's claim by initiating the colonization of Texas.

De Leon's first expedition in 1686 followed the Rio San Juan to the mouth of the Rio Grande. In 1687 his second expedition crossed the Rio Grande near present-day Roma, made its way to the river's mouth, and proceeded up the coast to near Los Olmos Creek and Baffin Bay.

On his third expedition in 1688 de Leon captured Frenchman Jean Henri near present-day Bracketville. Convinced that the French had settled in Texas, de Leon led a military expedition in 1689 that crossed the Guadalupe river near present-day Victoria before discovering and destroying what remained of La Salle's Fort St. Louis settlement in the Matagorda Bay area.

De Leon led an expedition into southeast Texas in 1690 that established the area's first Spanish mission, San Francisco de Los Tejas, and eventually led to Spain's Great Enterprise of colonizing Texas.
Details
HM NumberHMCQD
Tags
Year Placed1995
Placed ByTexas Historical Commission
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Wednesday, September 10th, 2014 at 3:02am PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)14R E 621629 N 2883109
Decimal Degrees26.06193333, -97.78406667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 26° 3.716', W 97° 47.044'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds26° 3' 42.96" N, 97° 47' 2.64" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)956
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 14662 Military Hwy, San Benito TX 78586, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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