"Oh, gay they rode with plume on crest and gilded spur at heel, With gonfalon of Aragon and banner of Castile!
While High Emprise and Joyous Youth, twin marshals of the throng. Awoke Sonora's mountain peaks with trumpet note and song.
**********
"Two thousand miles of hardship behind their banners lay.
And sadly fever, drought, and toil had lessened their array. When came a message fraught with hope to all the steadfast band: 'Good tidings from the northward, friends I Quivfra lies at hand'
"How joyously they spurred them! How sadly drew the rein!
There shone no golden palace, there blazed no jeweled fane!
Rude tents of hide of bison, dog-guarded, mst their view—
A squalid Indian village; the lodge® of the Sioux!"
For centuries Indian guile played Its mighty part. It the Spanish appear most In these.: quests It Is because their explor-
__________ vaster scale,. Before the Indians learned I.
finesse It was a faint but true talc that led CortOt to the riches of the Aztecs and Plznrro to the Incas of Peru” Surely there were other golden cities to be plundered; It was easy to listen and believe, and no rccourso except to explore and learn.
\ : -- - . VjVvAC.r-■ ••• ; fv.\	u/o-i \
"Yea, give me the land where the ruins are spread.
And the living tread light on the hearts of the dead.
*****
Yes, give me the land that hath legends and lays That tell of the memories of long vanished days;
Yes, give me a land that hath story and song!
Enshrine the strife of the right with the wrong!
* * * * *
'For out ojp the gloom future brightness is bom.
As after the night comes the sunrise of morn*”
1
-—Father Ryan, Mobile, A lab aim.
Mission Centers In tho United States From Florida to California there were five Spanish mission centers and one Frencb-Spanlsb.
1. Saint Augustine, Florida, beginning 25C5, with 38 missions In Florida and Georgia. No great mission structnres. wero built. Saint Augustine Is charmingly old Spaulsh. Old
World atmosphere is better preserved there than in any other city; its tropical character and ancient types are a reflection of Old Spain.
The old stone wall that encircled the settlement is gone but the ancient gateway is preserved. Old Fort Marco (now Fort Marion) is well preserved, an interesting example of medieval fortress and of Spanish refinements in architecture. It is the only Spanish fort along the Old Spanish Trail. “She old missions are the relics that remain with their story of Spanish efforts to win the Indians by Christian endeavor rather than by military prowess.
2. New Orleans—French and Spanish. The French founded Louisiana in 1009, settling at Biloxi, Mississippi. In/1711 tbey_ founded Mobile as tbelr capital, then In 1718, NouwslI©-OrlSon*. -Later (1703-1800) New Orleans became a Spanish capital and the Spanish years left their mark In buildings and traditions.
New Orleans as the frontier post on the mighty river that drains a half of the continent became the melting pot as all classes of people struggled for life, power or development in the North American country. . It is a city of varied types and unusual interest.
3. Northeast Texas beeinning 1000. San Antonio, beginning 1718. San Antonio became the Spanish capitafcrtn-1731, then followed five stately stone mission churches, a governors' palace, and a cathedral for the little city—the 'fifost notable collection of Spanish works of any city In the United States. One mission is now the historic Alamo. The mission San Jos6 de Miguel y dc Aguayo approached old world cathedrals In beauty and majesty. All remain In varying states of preservation. Two Irrigating systems, built before 1743, still function.
San Antonio was a southern continental crossroads. Old San Fernando Cathedralfwao a busy narket-place. Travelers, adventurers, overland coaches, nule-team freighters, the vaqueros of the ranges, life and commerce, met and changed. Mexico to the south; Gulf harbors and New Orleans to the east; the throbbing pioneer life to the north; the mines of the southwest andwealth for shipment to Europe; New Mexico, Arizona, California, to the west!
4 El Paso, Texas, beginning 1033—on the south side of. the lilo Grande. An Important post on the trail to Santa Fe, _
New Mexico. New Mexico was colonized In 1G9S and Santa Fe' founded lG09,*second oldest city In the United States. The Great Revolt'of Indians against the Santa fe'colonies In 1CS0 thrust the survivors back to l*aso del Norte (El Paso) and new mission settlements were established In the El Paso Valley.
East of El Paso 12 ml. Is Yaleta (founded 1GS3) the oldest
mission and town in Texas. There alao Socorro and San Elizario, other old
missions, and there also the irrigating systems started by the padres and now extending everywhere in the valley and transforming desert Bands into fields of green gold. Life there is an interesting mixture of the races for whom tho padres labored so earnestly andfthe American pioneers who have erected a metropolitan city in th«j valley of peaee of nearly three centuries ago.	'

Coronado sought the seven cities of Cibola (the Cities of Gold) In New Mexico, and reached Kansas-searching for tho Gran Quivlra where golden bells on tree branches made music for the Indian lord /and dishes were of silver and gold.
The Mission Establishments The missions were more than churches; they became communal establishments sustaining eyery need of life. The flrst buildings were 6lmplc structures/.Irrigating systems, farms and livestock were early needs. Churches of such Btatcllncsa required time to plan, to assemble materials, and to teach the nntlvcs the necessary arts. Construction Itself spread over many years.. Thc/'San Antonio/-churches, were under construction through 1745-1702 and later. The stately San Josd mission at San Antonio was begun In 1708; the equally majestic San Xavier del Bac at Tucson, In 1783. In 1745, the San Autonlo missions had over 0.000 bend of livestock. The missions In tbo United Stntes later showed livestock herds totaling millions.
Through the missions tho Government and tho nndrea sought to reduce the country to peaceful pursuits; n more humane policy than conquests by armies and bold thefts of lands. Indian converts did not readily give up their old carefree life and many tribes remained hostile. Colonists and ndventurers were guilty of many Injustices. A bcuovolont dcs-
Rotlsm and often harsh measures ruled tho converts. Through ; nil the padres developed great establishments.
After 300 years, wnrs for Independence crumbled Spanish power. The missions fell prey to vaudnls and to Indian lios-tilos. A new civilization slowly arose. The old missions. Borne restored, others preserved In noble ruins, old dams nud Irrigating systems and other Spanish works, remuln today vlslblo