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In December of 1859, a group of settlers from San Antonio, Texas arrived at the junction of the Rio Grande and the Rio San Diego. They were led by captain Manuel Leal. The settlement they founded was named "Resurrección", present-day Jiménez, Coahuila. Captain Manuel Leal is a kind of enigma, he was a descendant of the Canary Islanders who were sent to San Antonio in the 1730's to colonize Texas by the Spanish Crown. Captain Leal was also a veteran of the Texas war of Independence from Mexico. He had fought alongside Juan N. Seguin and his Tejano volunteers during the seige and capture of San Antonio in December of 1835. Having come with Salvador Flores and about forty Tejano volunteers from ranches below town in mid October, a few days after Seguin and Placido Benavides had gathered almost 70 men to aid Austin. He fought with Seguin at the Battle of San Jacinto as well, and after Texas was independent , served as a scout on several campaigns against hostile Indians, serving under various officers, including John C. "Jack" Hays, and his Texas Rangers. In 1842 when Gen. Adrian Woll invaded Texas, Juan Seguin was this time fighting AGAINST Texas, on the side of the Mexican army. Fighting alongside Seguin was captain Manuel Leal, and their "Bexar Defenders Brigade". In the mid 1850's captain Manuel Leal is collecting a pension from the Republic of Texas for his "services to the Republic against Mexico during the Revolution." In late 1861, Resurrección was attacked by a large force of Indians. There were some casualties, as well as over 500 head of cattle taken by the Indians, and a large group of children kidnapped in this fierce attack. This naturally demoralized some colonists, who abandoned the settlement for the safety of the more established towns in the area. The commander of the "colonia militar " of Guerrero, went in pursuit of the Indians in an effort to recapture the stolen cattle and rescue the captives, to no avail since the hostiles had crossed the Rio Grande into Texas. Two captive boys, Simon Montalvo and Antonio "Cortes" ( Conde?) did manage to escape three months later and returned to Jiménez. The rest of the captives were not rescued until six years later. During these first few years, captain Manuel Leal was absent quite often on "personal matters" and for long periods of time, leaving many projects at a standstill, with the constant threat of further attacks from the Indians who were camped on the opposite side of the Rio Grande. The settlement desperately needed an "acequia" to bring water into the settlement. In 1865 the colonists, led by Rumualdo Martinez & Justo Guerra, petitioned the governor of Coahuila, for authorization to begin the constructin of the acequia, and that word be sent out to the mayors of the surrounding towns for potential new settlers, guaranteeing land grants to those who would move to Resurrección. It was during around this time that captain Manuel Leal, died. He had become ill on his return to Resurrección, and succumbed to his illness. Sometime between 1861 and 1865, there had been an exodus by many of the first settlers from San Antonio, who returned because of their properties they had abandoned due to what the archives list as a "Revolution of that nation", which could mean the outbreak of the U.S. - Mexico war or Civil War in the U.S. Nevertheless, the call for new settlers succeeded in keeping the settlement from dimishing even more. With the new settlers from Muzquiz, Abasolo, San Buenaventura, Cienegas, and others, Resurrección prospered. In May, 1869 the governor of Coahuila commisioned Gaspar Cadena, a surveyor from Piedras Negras to survey and issue titles to the settlers. This was accomplished on January 14, 1870. The people listed here would become the Founders of Jiménez. |
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