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| Welcome to the official website of | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| La Compania de Cavalleria del Real Presidio de San Antonio de Bejar | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Our unit represents the 18th Century Spanish colonial frontier military that once manned the cavalry outpost of Presidio San Antonio de Bejar, founded in May of 1718, & formerly located in the heart of present-day San Antonio, Texas. Though we are based in San Antonio, given that the Spanish military presence in Texas during colonial times was so widespread we've travelled far & wide to recreate these troopers at various sites where Spanish presidios, outposts, & missions once stood. To date, we've been to Menard, TX: site of Presidio San Saba; the site of Presidio Orcoquisac, just east of Houston, TX; and Presidio Los Adaes in northwestern Louisiana, former capital of the province of Texas until 1772 when the capital was moved to San Antonio. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Our unit, near the site of Fuerte de Santa Cruz del Cibolo, Established 1734-1737; Reestablished 1771-1782 |
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| Contact us at our new e-address: [email protected] |
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| The Men of the Company - The Soldado de Cuera | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Long a forgotten part of Texas' military history, the Spanish "soldados de cuera" or leather-armored cavalry played as much a vital part in the survival of the Villa de Bejar, as San Antonio was known then, as the part they played in helping found the town. Mounted on horse, these men were ideally armed with sword, a short carbine called an escopeta, an ammunition box kept at waist height, & a pair of pistols. His main weapon, however, was the long spear-like lance with which they charged against enemy Comanche & Apache like an armored knight. These men were particularly distinct by the buckskin leather armor they wore that Spanish officials said if made of enough buckskin layers would, theoretically, stop an Indian arrow. Most did not. |
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| Among their numerous duties, this unit of less than 100 men protected supply convoys & travelers between the Rio Grande & East Texas, stood guard at the various San Antonio missions as well as helped in teaching mission neophytes; protected horse herds; tended the presidio's fields; scouted; enforced the law, and, of course, fought the Commance & Apache. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Recreated cuera trooper, circa 1768 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| While the life was hard, the dangers great, supplies perpetually low, and the rewards small, in spite of being largely forgotten in the annals of Texan military history, the fact that the town they protected in its early days stands today as a Top 10 American city and tourist attraction is a testament to their mission's success. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| The Presidial officers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Though it was preferred that military officers be of pure Spanish stock, frontier officers were often of mixed Spanish & Indian blood out of sheer necessity. After years of service, it was plausible for a man to rise from the ranks to command. More formally dressed than the average trooper, officers rode into battle alongside their men. At a presidio, the officers were usually the captain, his lieutenant, and an ensign, or alferez in Spanish, charged with caring for and wielding the unit flag in battle with only a sword for protection. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Presidio San Antonio de Bejar, today | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Only one of the presidio's buildings remains from the 1700s, when a series of buildings surrounded the plaza where San Antonio's City Hall stands today. On the left side of the picture the commander's house, completed in 1756, now stands renamed "The Spanish Governor's Palace". | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Recreated officer, circa 1782 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Flag Aloft! - The Flag of Spain in colonialTexas | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Relatively unknown in Texas today, this white flag with red cross was a common sight in 1700s Texas. Symbolic of the Spanish military since the 1600s, the Burgundian Cross flag was adopted by the new Bourbon rulers of Spain as a symbol of their authority over their worldwide possessions, including Texas, in 1700. Further, in 1776 Spain's viceregal government in Mexico City designated Texas & parts of modern-day Coahuila, Mexico as "Las Provincias Internas" - the Interior Provinces, a special governmental department under direct military jurisdiction. As such, the representative flag for the province would have been the military's. Although the Spanish military used more elaborate versions, in Texas the cuera cavalry flew a simplfied version of the flag, as shown here. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Visiting the French outpost of Ft. St. Jean Baptiste in Natchitoches, Louisiana | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| While their mother countries were officially enemies and colonizing rivals, Spanish & French colonists on the Texas / Louisiana frontier tended to strike a mutually beneficial trade relationship: the Spanish providing a market for goods and source for priests, the French a source of goods and women folk. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||