Life in Towns and on Ranches

Life in Towns and on Ranches

Section 2

Life in Towns and on Ranches

Spanish Towns Develop

Civil Settlements{village made up of people [pobladores] who were neither priest nor soldiers}

  • San Antonio de Béxar
  • La Bahía
  • Nacogdoches
  • Laredo

Used materials {logs, adobe, stone}

from surroundings to build permanent

dwellings …

If materials were not available, built

Jacals {huts with thatched roof and walls

Made from upright poles covered with mud or

clay}

Pobladores built dams and acequias (canal or ditch used for irrigation) to bring water to towns and fields

Life in the Towns

Life was routine…much like presidios and missions

  • Blacksmiths…Gunsmiths…Masons…Bakers…Tailors…Shoemakers
  • Cart drivers {transporting goods from one town to another}
  • Merchants {operated general stores, sold food, clothing, tools, other goods}
  • Carpenters {built houses, barns, stores}
  • Laborers {planting and harvesting crops; odd jobs}

Education and intellectual life limited…

  • Few teachers
  • Only wealthy families owned books
  • Literacy {ability to read and write} was limited to priests, government officials and wealthy families {tutors and books}
  • Government officials and military commanders enjoyed a higher standard of living
  • Average settler worked hard for little money and lived a simple lifestyle
Women’s Roles

Women worked very hard…

…in stores

…on farms and ranches

…prepared food

…sewed

…washed

…repaired family clothing

…made household items (soap)

…midwives (delivered babies)

Responsible for teaching morals and

values to children

Defended homes from native attacks

Women in the Spanish colonies held quite a bit of power

  • Married women kept the property they owned before marriage
  • Women were able to own property and investments separately from their husbands
  • Women could file lawsuits in the courts

Governing the People

Relations between the pobladores and viceroy in Mexico City were strained…

…Spanish government made it illegal to trade with theFrench…settlers needed goods…traded with French…made Spanish officials angry

Frontier towns had complex government…

Alcalde {mayor, sheriff, judge in civil and criminal cases; local law}

Ayuntamiento {local governing body of a town}…carried out royal orders and planned the town’s growth

Leisure Activities

…Horse racing

…Dancing (fandangos)

…Festivals

…Telling folktales

…Singing corridos {ballads}

Problems in the Towns

Life in the towns was not always pleasant…

No running water

No sewage services

…unclean living conditions led to deadly epidemics

  • Cholera
  • Smallpox

…Muddy streets and standing water breeding ground for disease carrying mosquitos

Few doctors

Little medicine

Lacked basic necessities

***Threat of attack by

Native Texans

***Outlaws and smugglers

…Towns grew slowly

Ranches Develop on the Frontier

Some colonists lived outside of the settlements on ranchos{ranches and farms} but remained nearby for protection…

Raised cattle, horses, mules, sheep, goats and hogs

Provided food and supplies colonists needed to survive

  • Wool, animal hide
  • Fat (used to make soap and candles)
  • Horses (soldiers)

The Cattle Industry Begins in Texas

Cattle and other livestock were brought to Texas during Spain’s first attempt to colonize the Americas

  • Animals multiplied rapidly
  • Herds of wild horses and cattle roamed Texas
  • Unowned, wild animals {mesteños…used for transportation, heavy labor and food} captured by Native Texans, soldiers, and settlers

Mid 1700s…area between San Antonio and the Guadalupe Rivers was the most productive ranching region in Texas…

”cradle of Texas ranching”

Vaqueros {livestock herder or cowhand}

  • Rounded up cattle
  • Worked herds from horseback
  • Roped livestock
  • Drove cattle to market

Ranching Versus Farming

Farming was limited in the semi-arid regions of Texas…people turned to ranching…

  • Took a small number of people to run (few workers available on the frontier)
  • Longhorn well-suited to the area
  • Withstand extreme weather
  • Live on sparse grasses
  • Could be moved to safer area if

Native Texans were too hostile…

Most colonists tried to make a living farming…farming the land was hard…

  • Grew crops for their own use (corn, beans, chiles, pumpkins)
  • No profit in selling food
  • Had to compete with missions for workers
  • Had to clear a great deal of land
  • Needed ditches and canals for irrigation
  • Shipping crops costly

Most farms were only large enough to feed a single family…

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