Jose de Escandon

Jose de Escandon. Father of South Texas. , A native of Northern Spain, Jose de Escandon (1700 - 1770) came to New Spain (Mexico) at the age of fifteen where he joined a cavalry force in the Yucatan as a cadet. He pursued a military career, pacifying an uprising of 10,000 Indians at Queretaro in 1734. His military achievements prompted the highest court in New Spain to name him governor of a large unexplored province in the Gulf Coast that extended from Tampico Mexico to the San Antonio River in present day Texas. Spain's objectives in settling the Gulf Coast were to christianize the natives and to prevent English and French entry. After completing exploration in 1747, Escandon began colonization in December 1748. He named the new province Nuevo Santander in honor of his birthplace, and promptly founded twenty-one settlements. Escandon's colonizers of Camargo, Reynosa, Revilla, Mier, Rancho Dolores and Laredo received large land grants in what is now South Texas. These hard settlers, with the help of their vaqueros, introduced the ranching industry to the United States. The American cowboy adopted the vaquero's skills, attire, equipment and many of the trade's words. Today, the ranching and vaquero legacies are symbols of the American West. Proud descendants of Escandon's pioneers are now ranchers, entrepreneurs, professionals and political leaders across Texas and beyond.