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For a revolution we call American, its cast of characters was remarkably international, involving the French, the Spanish, Spanish Texans, and Mission Indians.
The Spanish missions were already prosperous with crops and cattle by the late 18th century.
The Spanish colonial governor of Louisiana, Bernardo de Gálvez, was ordered by King Charles III to launch a military campaign against the British after Spain declared war on Britain in 1779.
Gálvez sent for Texas cattle and supplies to feed his troops.
Maria Zentella is a sociocultural anthropologist based in San Antonio. She asks: Who drove those cattle from Texas to Louisiana?
"We found out that the Coahuiltecans, all the tribes that were living in the missions, were vaqueros, very good vaqueros, because they learned from vaqueros that the Franciscans brought to teach them," said Zentella.
Zentella said Gálvez and the Tejanos have overshadowed the other vital figures in history.
"And we were wondering…the workers of the missions are the Coahuiltecans. They knew saddlery, they knew the trade. And the population was very, very few of Tejanos at that time. So who would take the herds of the cattle to Louisiana doing a long, long difficult trip?" asked Zentella.
"It had to be the Coahuiltecans, the indigenous people. Otherwise it would have been impossible. The ranchers wouldn't leave their ranches. But they would take the vaqueros of the missions."
Maria Zentella’s daughter, folklorist Binisa Zentella, said it’s likely the American Revolution would have turned out differently if not for the contributions and skills of the Mission Indian vaqueros.
"It's not common knowledge," said Zentella. "We are really wanting for there to be that value in contribution. Not only is it a contribution by the indigenous Coahuiltecans, but it is a contribution by all the Tejanos in extension, and so it is something really important to reconsider and acknowledge what was done, because had it not been for further participation, things would have gone very differently on that side of the battle."
Maria Zentella says the Coahuiltecan piece of the Revolutionary War puzzle is still hard to find, but the story cannot be told without it.
"Little by little we hope to make people aware of this piece of history," she said, "and the importance of the Coahuiltecans during this time helping to win this American Revolutionary War. And also maybe, hopefully, there will be more research and access to the archives. We've been looking into that for many years."
Maria & Binisa Zentella will join with the 3rd generation of Zentellas, Binisa’s son Jonathan, to present their 7th annual “Coahuiltecans and Tejanos in the American Independence Revolution.”
Their family musical group Los Inocentes will share the history and the music that would have been sung during this time to connect it to our contemporary view of American history, and to reframe the Coahuiltecans from supporting, often invisible, roles to main players.
The program is Saturday, July 4, at noon inside Mission Concepción. If you miss it, you can catch it later on Los Inocentes’ YouTube page.
Hear Los Inocentes performing music of the Revolutionary War era: "La Petenera Antigua":
Los Inocentes perform "Saeta Arreando al Cuerno Largo" in a musical reconstruction by Maria Zentella and Binisa Zentella:
