The Architecture of Fear: San Sabá’s Lasting Impact on Spanish Colonial Mission Construction as Exemplified at Mission San Lorenzo in Real County, Texas.

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Plus Ultra: An examination of current research in Spanish Colonial/Iberian Underwater and Terrestrial Archaeology in the Western Hemisphere." , at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

The destruction of Mission San Sabá in 1757 by the Comanche and their allies marked a shift in the Texas Mission System. The attack and subsequent deaths of several soldiers and two priests foreshadowed the beginning of the end of the missionary enterprise in Spanish Texas.  These events induced fear across the frontier and resulted in policy changes and enhanced defenses at colonial settlements.  Arguably, missions experienced some of the most significant physical changes. Mission San Lorenzo (1762-1769), for example, was built after the attack and the lessons learned from San Sabá’s tragic ending are manifested in San Lorenzo’s architecture and layout. Recent excavations at San Lorenzo defined several building features that reflect a hybridization of presidio and mission architecture with an emphasis on defensive features. Significantly, these hybrid elements can be seen in other regions such as California where numerous missions were established after the Franciscans withdrew from Texas.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2020   •
• Plus Ultra: An examination of current research in Spanish Colonial/Iberian Underwater and Terrestrial Archaeology in the Western Hemisphere.

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 912