José de Escandón
May 19, 1700–September 10, 1770
José de Escandón was one of the most renowned colonizers in Spanish North America. In the mid-eighteenth century, he pioneered the colony of Nuevo Santander, which reached from Corpus Christi Bay to Tampico, Mexico, nearly five hundred miles to the south.
Born in Spain in 1700, Escandón left for the Yucatán at fifteen seeking a military career. He advanced quickly, earning a reputation as a fair, forceful leader on Mexico’s northern frontier. In 1746, Spanish officials invited him to explore and govern a new province along the Gulf coast.Escandón enticed settlers from the Mexican interior at a time when the missions and presidios of Texas struggled to do so. By 1755, he had established more than twenty communities including Reynosa, Mier, and Laredo. The origins of South Texas ranching trace back to these thriving settlements on both sides of the Rio Grande.
Escandón’s activities drew envy, and adversaries accused him of exploiting both Spanish settlers and the region’s natives. Escandón died while under investigation, his legacy in doubt. But Spanish officials ultimately dismissed the charges and made his son the province’s new governor.
Today in the Rio Grande Valley, Escandón stands as a founding figure, on par with better-known empresarios such as Martín De León and Stephen F. Austin. Statues and historical markers throughout the region describe Escandón as the "Father of South Texas."
For More about José de Escandón
Materials relating to José de Escandón can be found in the Spanish Collection Research Subject Files in the archives of the Texas General Land Office. Other documents can be found in the Bexar Archives Online, a project of the Briscoe Center for American History.
A number of South Texas schools and other sites carry Escandón’s name, and historical markers related to his settlements can be found throughout the Valley, in Tamaulipas, and even in Soto de la Marina, Spain. One of the more prominent statues was erected in Alice, Texas, in 1999. A 2017 article in the Corpus Christi Caller Times features the Alice monument and the family that commissioned it.
In 1950, engineers planned to dam the Rio Grande and create the Falcon Reservoir, named for one of José de Escandón’s most important allies and settlers. University of Texas archaeologists explored the area soon to be flooded. In particular, they were interested in the ranchos who settled as a consequence of Escandón’s efforts. UT’s Texas Beyond History website allows virtual visitors to explore the archaeological findings and the history that they uncovered.
Selected Bibliography
Alonzo, Armando C. Tejano Legacy: Rancheros and Settlers in South Texas, 1734–1900. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1998.
Chipman, Donald E. and Harriett Denise Joseph. Notable Men and Women of Spanish Texas. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1999: 132–135.
Chipman, Donald E. and Harriett Denise Joseph. Spanish Texas, 1519–1821. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2010.
Flores, Manuel. "José Escandón: The Father of South Texas." Corpus Christi Caller Times, April 12, 2017.
Miller, Hubert. José de Escandón, Colonizer of Nuevo Santander. Edinburg: New Santander Press, 1980.
Weddle, Robert. The French Thorn: Rival Explorers in the Spanish Sea, 1682–1762. College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 1991.
Spanish Translation
Download the Spanish translation of this Texas Originals script.
Statue of Jose de Escandón in Alice, Texas. Courtesy of the Historical Marker Database. Photo by Larry D. Moore, 2021.