Palaces of the Desert 271 



and in 1718 lie built a large mission on the 

 River St. Anthony, San Antonio of to-day, and 

 established the presidio of San Antonio de IJejar. 

 The mission was called San Antonio de Velero 

 and Padre Antonio Olivares was given charge, 

 removing his neophytes from the abandoned mis- 

 sion of San Francisco. Like his predecessors, 

 Alarcon soon made enemies. He visited the old 

 missions and those of Louise de St. Denis, plac- 

 ing small forces at each to keep the natives in 

 subjection; but his work did not satisfy the 

 friars, and he soon resigned. Then war between 

 France and Spain was declared, and the French 

 of Louisiana marched on Texas. In 1719 the 

 French, with a force of native allies, captured 

 the mission of San Miguel, and the natives, tak- 

 ing advantage of the trouble, destroyed many of 

 the missions, whose ruins I have located crum- 

 bling monuments of the times. The missions 

 or fean Antonio now became the centre of in- 

 terest, and virtually the Spanish capital, and in 

 1720 the friars established a new mission at 

 Bejar, calling it San Jose y San Miguel de Agu- 

 ayo, the building illustrating the indomitable 

 spirit which characterized these men. 



Following another French invasion, an expedi- 

 tion under the Marquis de Aguayo re-equipped the 

 deserted missions, five of which were destroyed, or 

 partly so, all being rehabilitated. At this time all 

 the missions except Concepcion had been de- 



