The discovery and occupation of the New World has been full of the most interesting accounts. With historic and most interesting individuals like ‘Juan Bautista de Anza’, one is able to review major historic formations in the New World. As it appears, there is a great deal reviewed about the New World when one observes the lives of great people like Juan Bautista de Anza, and this is because of the immense influence that people like him had one the geopolitical formations in the region.
Juan Bautista de Anza is known as the first European
to have planned and executed an overland journey
from Mexico through the Sonoran Desert, to the
Pacific coast of California. This route was a
tremendous achievement to the New World Spanish
due to the fact that such a route had been contemplated
for more than two centuries (Discovering the Anza
Trail, 2004).
Juan Bautista de Anza was the son of Juan Bautista de Anza (presidial captain) and Maria Rosa Bezerra Nieto of Fronteras, Sonora, Mexico. He was born in July 1736, but his exact place pf birth is not known. It is said that he might have been born at Fronteras but it his place of birth most probably was Cuquiarachi, Sonora (Dobyns, 2004).
Anza’s father was killed by Apaches in
May 1740. Anza was about 3 years old at that time.
In December 1951, perhaps driven by the death
of his father, Juan Bautista de Anza joined the
Spanish military at San Ignacio, Sonora, Mexico.
After three years of dedicated service, he became
a "cadete" in presidial cavalry; He
was under the mentorship of his brother-in-law,
Gabriel de Vildosola, at Fronteras, Sonora. In
about two years from then on, Anza went on to
become cavalry lieutenant at Fronteras in 1756
(Barncastle, 1992, 1-3).
In another three years, Anza was promoted to captain of the Tubac, Sonora (1759). It must be noted here that Tubac is what is known as Arizona today.
With all his acquired expertise in warring units, Anza became popular for his fighting abilities against the Apaches during the years 1766-1773. As a result of realizing his own skills, Anza asked for special permission to carry out a journey to Alta California. He wanted to discover a route (1772) right through, which was something his father had done in 1737 (Dobyns, 2004).
Unfortunately, it was during this route that his father lost his life to the Apaches. After being granted permission by the Viceroy, Anza led his expedition in January1774, beginning from Tubac and having successfully discovered the route to the Presidio of Monterey, arrived back there (Tubac) in May the same year. Soon after completing this mission successfully, Anza was promoted to lieutenant colonel by the King (Lumpkin, 1989, 40-47).
It is worth noting that during Anza's first journey,
the English referred to California, New Albion.
At this time, the Russians were feared, as they
navigated the region of the Pacific Northwest
coast. However, beginning in 1768, the Spaniards
achieved a series of presidios and missions. These
missions encompassed the region along the coast
of California, and stretched as far as north as
Monterey (Dobyns, 2004).
Coming back to Anza’s expeditions, there two major ones conducted by him, the second of which was based on the success of the first expedition. With the success of his first expedition on his side, Anza managed to attain permission from the Viceroy Bucareli in Mexico City, for his second expedition. In the fall of 1775, Anza began his journey (Dobyns, 2004).
This second expedition might have been the more organized one of the two because of the fact that this was an attempt to colonize the intended place of arrival. It was because of this that he began preparing by recruiting colonizers in Culiacan, Province of Sinaloa, Mexico in March 1775. This process was sustained in Sinaloa and El Fuerte in the months of March, April, and May. In addition to this, in the summer in Horcasitas, he trained his new recruits to face the tedious crossing of the Apache. From Horcasitas, he arrived back in Tubac by the middle of October, 1775, and kept the preparation for the expedition going (Williams, 1994, pp 1-3).
On the 23 rd of October, 1775 Anza departed from
Tubac with 300 people and 1000 head of livestock,
and all other vital supplies were loaded on pack
mules. This meant that they did not have wagons
with them, and thus saved them on the bulk and
the necessary effort required to carry the bulk
along (Dobyns, 2004).
After a torrid period, Anza arrived with his lot in Monterey, California in March, 1776. It was because of this successful mission that Anza was promoted commander of all the troops in that same year. The following year (1777) he was made Governor of New Mexico (Dobyns, 2004).
Undoubtedly, this was not only because of his military achievements but also because of his political thought that drove his missions and brought him and his country significant success (Garate, 1994, 6). This success especially refers to the colonization efforts that he initiated and carried through. However, this was not his final expedition, as Anza led another mission in 1778. With 500 men and 1500 horses he cut across New Mexico and went on to Colorado, and across the Arkansas River to confront the Comanche. At that time, the Comanche were under the leadership of Chief Cuerno Verde (Dobyns, 2004).
This chief was killed Anza’s campaign when the clashed killing several other important leaders in the tribe. It was this encounter that led to a treaty signed between the government and the tribe, and was in fact that longest lasting peace treaty ever signed between the tribe and any other governments of Spain, Mexico, or the United States (Dobyns, 2004).
At around the same fall in 1778, Anza went on
yet another expedition to Hopi. This was an attempt
to save the people there from prolonged drought
conditions. In addition to this, he led another
expedition in 1779, which was to discover a route
from Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Arizpe, Sonora;
this was achieved successfully (Dobyns, 2004).
Perhaps it was his desire to carry on leading missions to various parts of the region that caused him to resign from the post of Governor in 1786. He was released from this position in 1787. Soon after this, Anza was made commander of the Buenaventura Presidio the same year, perhaps indicating his will to remain in control of missions. He was also made commander of all troops present in Sonora, and also made commander of the Tucson Presidio 1788 (Dobyns, 2004).
After being promoted to commander in the fall of 1788, Anza reviewed the troops at Tucson, and went to his home in December that same year. On the December 19, 1788, Anza suddenly died. He was buried in the side chapel of Nuestra Senora de Loreto, which is in the cathedral at Arizpe (Dobyns, 2004).
Quite obviously, Juan Bautista de Anza led a whole life that was dedicated to his country. Not only did he dedicate himself to his country in the form of military and political services, but he served his country well, and brought success and pride to the Spanish in doing so. Certainly, Juan Bautista de Anza will always be remembered for the important historical figure he is, as it is through actions like his that colonization got under way to gradually build what developed into a free America. |