Author Note

Little is known about Fernando del Bosque other than that he was a soldier and the lieutenant governor of the province of Coahuila.

Bosque-Larios Expedition of 1675

Fernando del Bosque mounted an expedition in 1675 to explore lands north of the Rio Grande, convert the Indians to Christianity, and take possession of the region for Spain. The expedition started April 30, 1675, from Guadalupe near Monclova, Mexico. Bosque proceeded north and crossed the Salado River near Sabinas. From there the expedition continued to the Rio Grande, crossed it, and advanced to San Pablo, which was probably in present-day Edwards County, Texas.

The Bosque-Larios expedition is the first authenticated missionary expedition to cross the Rio Grande from the south at any point below the Pecos River and to travel into Texas. This diary describes the route of the expedition, the names that Bosque assigned to settlements and rivers, the geography of these sites, and the distances between them. Bosque also describes the Native Americans that lived north of the Rio Grande and the wildlife the party encountered, including fish, trees and plants, and buffalo. The party returned to Guadelupe in June 1675. As a result of the reports and recommendations of Bosque and Father Larios, the Spanish established several missions in the Coahuila district to serve Native Americans living near the Rio Grande.

Document Note

The original copy of this diary is in the Archivo de la Secretaría de Gobierno del Estado de Coahuila in Saltillo, Mexico. It was printed in Spanish in Esteban L. Portillo, Apuntes para la Historia Antigua de Coahuila y Texas (1888). This English translation is from Herbert Eugene Bolton, ed., Spanish Exploration in the Southwest, 1542-1706 (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1916).

Other Internet and Reference Sources

Chipman, Donald E. "Bosque, Fernando del." The Handbook of Texas Online. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fboaj