 hen Hernando Cortez in 1519 set out from Cuba to
seize the hoarded wealth of the civilized Aztecs, he
carried with him to the new continent the Franciscan
friars. By 1522 Cortez had seized the Aztec gold and
treasure, and henceforth Mexico served as the base for
Spanish expeditions that explored and colonized the lands
to the north. The Spanish adventurers hoped to find
hoards of gold, silver, and other treasure in these lands.
The Franciscan padres who accompanied them sought
only souls to Christianize and minds to civilize; for
to these intrepid people the human soul was the most
precious possession in life. The Spaniards found only
brown and mostly barren lands and, in most instances,
hostile Indians. The Franciscans found what they came
seeking.
When the Spanish withdrew never to return; they
left little more than their language and the mark of the
conquistadores' sword. But the Franciscan friars planted
the cross in Texas and their labors have propagated and
bear an ever increasing abundance of the fruit of their
wonderful heritage. Missions built by the barefoot,
brown-robed Little Brothers intent on saving souls,
still stand as monuments to their patience, their culture
and to their zeal.
James Wakefield Burke
Missions of Old Texas
1971
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