The word presidio is Spanish for “fort.”
Spanish settlements in the Far North during the Spanish colonization of the Americas usually centered on a mission church protected by soldiers in a presidio. The priests of the mission would try to convert the local Native Americans.
One of the best-known mission priests was Junipero Serra (1713-1784), who founded many missions in California. Famous mission buildings include the Alamo in San Antonio, which later figured prominently in Mexican American history.
The Spanish presidio in San Francisco later became a U.S. military base called the Presidio, and is now part of a national park.
Related Posts
-
Where in the Americas did the Spanish first settle and What does Hispaniola mean in Spanish?
On his first voyage in 1492, Christopher Columbus discovered both Cuba and Hispaniola, two of the four large West Indian islands known as the Greater Antilles. The other two are Jamaica and Puerto…
-
What was a Spanish mission and Why did Spanish priests move to California?
A mission was a complex of buildings that housed Spanish priests of a particular Catholic order. These priests came to California to convert Native Americans to Christianity. The missions included quarters for new…
-
What did the Spanish do about the Aztec religion after the Spanish conquest?
The Spanish were fervent Catholics who felt that any other religion was not only wrong but satanic. They had only to look at the Aztec practice of human sacrifice to be convinced that…
-
Why didn’t Brazil become a Spanish colony during the Spanish colonization of the Americas?
In January 1500, Spanish explorer Vicente Yafiez Pinz6n (c. 1460–c. 1523) became the first known European to reach Brazil. By doing so, he beat Portuguese explorer Pedro Alvares Cabral (c. 1468-1520), who did…
-
When did the Spanish conquer Central America and What was the first long term Spanish colony?
The Spanish conquered Central America around the same time they were conquering South America. Spanish conquistador Vasco Nutiez de Balboa (1475-1519) founded the first lasting Spanish colony in Central America at Darien, in…
-
How many Spanish dialects are there and Do all Hispanic Americans speak Spanish the same way?
There are many variations in Spanish dialect. In New Mexico, a relatively pure form of sixteenth and seventeenth-century Spanish has been preserved from the days before the region was conquered by the United…
