OUR TRIBUTE TO THE FOUNDING CANARIANS OF SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS

Rancho Texas Lanzarote Park was born as a tribute to all the Canarian families who emigrated and ended up founding what is now known as San Antonio, Texas

This theme park has long ago begun to collect all the information possible so that the history of all the Canarians who, leaving their homes and lands, embarked towards the New World , to end up forming the first civil settlement in the state of Texas.

After the first constitution of the first municipal government, everything had to be done. The houses, the streets, the square, the church. This was the great work to be carried out by all those who managed to reach those lands.

San Antonio de Texas was founded by 10 Canarian families (seven from Lanzarote and three from Gran Canaria, Tenerife and La Palma). In total, 55 people of which 43 were from Lanzarote.

On August 1, 1731, the following people, who would pass on to posterity, were organized as the first municipal government of Texas from those elected, all from the Canary Islands:

  • Juan Leal Goraz . First councilor (Dean Councilor and first mayor of first vote)
  • Juan Curbelo. Second councilor
  • Antonio Santos. Third councilor
  • Salvador Rodríguez. Fourth councilor
  • Manuel Ruiz Fifth councilor
  • Juan Leal Alvarez . Sixth councilor
  • Francisco Arocha. Notary of the Public Council
  • Antonio Rodríguez. Butler
  • Vicente Alvarez Travieso, Senior Constable

Our park was born with the hope of honoring the people of Lanzarote who left Teguise on February 20, 1730 for the first time in their lives and embarked on a sloop to the island of Tenerife first, from there on March 15 of the same year to Havana in Cuba. Afterwards, they sailed to Veracruz in Mexico and begin by land in a caravan, enduring all kinds of suffering and hardship, a long journey to settle and found what we know today as San Antonio de Texas.

This tribute that we pay is worth it so that the value, effort, courage and all the hardships that the Canarian families who emigrated and created what was believed to be impossible at that time had to go through are not forgotten.

We quote an excerpt from the book “Crónicas canarias en Texas” by the writer Armando Curbelo Fuentes, which reflects the reason for our tribute. In this fragment, a Lanzarote native, María Curbelo Perdomo, in 1800, expresses her concern about the danger that the Canarian legacy was in the United States.
His words capture the spirit of what the islanders of the US and those here feel today:

«(…) the city that the Canarian families founded with so much interest and effort, little by little is losing its original identity (…) this great Canarian work in America must pass to posterity (…) what they have done will be lost in time made the canaries and I (…) write this diary as a testimony of
recognition to my companions so that future generations, from here and there, truly know what we humble canaries who came from so far away to these lands of promise have done»

In this century the Canarian Archipelago suffers a spectacular emigration by its people to America.
The main contributor was the fact that from 1720 to 1730, especially in the year 21, one of the deepest agrarian crises in memory occurred, which made it necessary to allocate vineyard lands to the cultivation of cereals.

The antecedents of this important crisis can be found in the 17th century, and it was the consequence of the extensive specialization of the Canarian economy on wine.


From 1620 to 1630, due to the approval of a regulation that prevented the trade of wine to its American colonies, the Canarian product had to look for other markets in the Portuguese colonies, but this solution did not last long because in 1640 the Portuguese Crown stopped belonging to Spain and, therefore, its colonies. Due to this event, relations deteriorate until this market closes.


Despite the decline in the wine trade, it is possible to continue trading towards Europe through a single distribution channel through the English, but relations between Spain and England are unstable and the marketing of the product worsens even more.
From 1684 to 1688 the progressive collapse of the market occurred, which was reduced to English control. Relations with England become complicated because the English begin to buy wine from Portugal and Madeira (much cheaper compared to Canarian wine that had a high price due to its quality) and a marketing period also ends with this market.


Due to this situation, a subsistence economy based on cereal develops.


The situation is aggravated because poor harvests mean that production is not even enough to feed the population, so the Crown was forced to export 250,000 bushels of wheat duty-free. This situation is more serious in the eastern islands, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, because they were specialized in a single product. Hunger and mortality force the population to emigrate, not only to America but also to other islands, especially Tenerife and Gran Canaria, aggravating the situation of these central islands as well.

The situation in the Canary Islands, as we have seen, was one of such hardship and famine that it evidently favored emigration, and many families found themselves involved in an adventure in which they left behind their birthplaces, lineage and land. In 1729, in a Royal Office Addressed to the judge of Commerce of the Indies in the Canary Islands, the King states his concern about a possible attack on Texas from French Louisiana .

In this way, it became necessary to send families to populate and maintain the province of Texas, which was one of the richest and most valuable in America due to the fertility and richness of the soil. At least 400 people should be sent to go by boat to Havana in groups of ten or eleven.


• This Royal Office ordered that the will of Philip V be made known and those families who wanted to voluntarily go to Cuba be taken into consideration.
Upon receiving it, the judge of Commerce of the Indies in the Canary Islands notifies its contents to all the Town Councils of the islands that would like to contribute families to populate the Indies.


• The first to respond was the city council of Teguise, in Lanzarote, and it was Juan Leal Goraz , one of its councilors who would become the first president of the Cabildo of San Antonio, who encouraged seven of the ten families that were going to enlist. start a trip.


• In total there were: seven families from Lanzarote, one from La Palma, one from Tenerife and one family and one bachelor from Gran Canaria. Although the initial condition was that only families would be sent, Antonio Rodríguez was allowed to board because his girlfriend was in the group and also because they would get married during the trip, which was the case.

  • Almost a year passed from the moment the Canarian families left Tenerife on March 27, 1730 until they arrived in San Antonio. We can divide this time between trips and stays into three stops or moments.
  • FIRST STAGE . SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE – CUBA
  • Don Bartolomé de Casabuena , the mayor of Trade with the Indies in the Canary Islands, ordered that the ship “Santísima Trinidad y Nuestra Señora del Rosario” be assigned for the trip from the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife to Veracruz via Havana.
    From the remaining islands they arrived at Tenerife on the sloop “San Telmo”.
  • On March 3, the first visit was made to the ship to be loaded the next day with provisions and supplies for the trip. No family was lacking the corresponding bushels of gofio.

    The departure to Havana took longer than expected due to rough seas and seeing enemy ships, so the families, not being prepared for such a long stay, even had to spend part of the food they brought for the trip.

  • On March 26, the ship was loaded with belongings and left on March 27, 1730.
  • They arrived in Havana on May 10 and were received by its governor. Here they stayed for a time, staying in a fortress adapted for this purpose. They are treated by a doctor and given clothing and food.
    During this stay they are joined by two Canarians who have lived in the city for a long time.
  • On July 9, the “Holy Trinity and Our Lady of the Rosary” heads to Veracruz.

  • SECOND STAGE . VERACRUZ

  • This journey lasts 10 days due to the calm prevailing during the trip, 84 days having already passed since they left the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. In Veracruz they were received by the mayor on behalf of the viceroy of New Spain.
  • The viceroy Don Juan de Acuña, Marquis of Casa Fuerte, already knew of the arrival of the Canarian families through the Royal Dispatch of 1729, which ordered their transfer to the area of Texas advised by the forger, Marquis of San Miguel de Aguayo.
    For this reason, he met with Brigadier Don Pedro Rivera, an expert in the northern and northeastern areas due to his many trips, and commissioned him to study Aguayo’s proposal to take the Canarian families by boat from Veracruz to the Bahía del Espíritu Santo.
  • Rivera’s negative response in this regard was quite clear and concise, since from his experience he knew that it was impossible to reach that place, much less survive.

    The Brigadier then finds himself with a great dilemma: send all the families to the designated place with the consequent danger to their lives or not comply with the King’s order and expose himself to a possible judicial demand for responsibility.
  • Meanwhile, oblivious to all this, the Canarian families remain in Veracruz for 13 more days.

  • THIRD STAGE. VERACRUZ – SAN ANTONIO

  • In the end, this journey did not turn out to be what they expected, which was initially to travel by boat. On the contrary, the viceroy, advised by Rivera, had decided that the trip would be made by land.
  • Once the decision was made to go by land, the mayor of Veracruz was ordered to make a guide, Francisco Duval, horses and also mules and carts available to the Canarians.

    Canarian families receive the news with concern, knowing the dangers and difficulties they could encounter: attack by Indians, passing through mountainous, rugged and inhospitable areas, etc. They would go from desert areas to high mountains, with cold and snow. To all these difficulties we must add the lack of skill of the Canarians when it came to bridling and harnessing horses and mules, which meant that a lot of time was lost in those areas.
  • The first objective was to reach Cuautitlán, a town northwest of Mexico City where they will be given clothing, tools and money. They passed through Texcoco and then Cholula to reach Cuautitlán on the afternoon of August 27, 1730, after 26 days.
  • After everything they had been through, Cuautitlán was a paradise for them and, in addition, they received all kinds of attention from the mayor who provided them with food, housing and clothing during their stay.
  • Juan Leal and guide Duval are appointed leaders of the group, responsible for solving any problems that may arise. But even though the route and the conditions for the trip were planned, after spending two and a half months in Cuautitlán, the Canarian families, who had experienced the difficulties of the road and heard what awaited them, insisted more and more frequently on staying.
  • Finally, they left on November 15 to avoid desertions.
  • The route from here is as follows: Cuautitlán to Tepexi del Río, Ruano, San Juan del Río, Coyotillos Chicos, Amascala , Puerto Pinto, Carboneras, San Luis de la Paz, Sauceda de Los Mulatos, Valle de San Francisco, San Luís de Potosí, Las Bocas, La Diana, El Venado, Laguna Seca, Arroyo Seco, Matehuala, El Cedral, Pozo Nuevo, Aguadulce, Cieneguilla, Encarnación, Agua Nueva and El Saltillo.
  • They were not to deviate from the path, and always camp on the outskirts of the towns with their consent. A person would go in front who would anticipate the arrival of the families. The person who abandoned the caravan would be considered a deserter and, as such, would be persecuted and brought to justice.
  • From El Saltillo to San Antonio the dangers increased as they entered Comanche territory, towards the northwest. The first attack surprised them at night when trying to cross the Rio Grande, but luckily no human life was lost.
  • After going through several difficulties along the journey, they finally arrived in San Antonio at dawn on March 9, 1731, after more than eight months of caravan and almost a year since they left the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The families settled in the houses of the prison soldiers in huts and carriages.
  • The captain of the prison had orders from the Viceroy to distribute the lands among the families by assigning them to lots, but it was not easy and many disputes arose, so it was decided to leave it for later and for the moment to plant together an area already cleared by the military and their families.
  • Thanks to the harvest they were able to survive on their own since royal aid had run out.
    At the beginning of July, the streets begin to be laid out, for which stones and stakes are given to the families. The land is distributed in a flat area and the pasture areas are delimited. The city was located between the San Antonio River and the San Pedro Arroyo, and before the families arrived, five Franciscan missions already existed on the site. The closest was San Antonio Valero, which will be known to this day as El Álamo. Between this mission and the San Antonio prison was where the city was founded with a municipal government called Cabildo.

As we stated in other sections of this website, from this theme park we want to pay an emotional tribute to our island ancestors who founded San Antonio de Texas.
The following is a list of the fifty members of the fifteen families, plus four celibate men, who left Cuatlitlán on November 15, 1730 and who left for, at that time, San Fernando de Béxar to found San Antonio de Texas on the 1 August 1731. To the historical memory of these heroes

1. Juan Leal Goraz . Son of Antonio and María Pérez, native of Lanzarote Island, 54 years old, tall, long face, thick beard, shield complexion, sharp nose, slant in one eye, black beard and hair, light gray eyes .

2. Vicente Leal. Son of the above and Catalina Rodríguez, native of Lanzarote, 18 years old, medium height, broad shoulders, long face, no beard, aquiline nose, light gray eyes, black curly hair, black eyebrows and shield complexion.

3. Bernardo Leal. Native Lanzarote, round face, 13 years old , flat nose, light gray eyes, brown hair and eyebrows.

4. Juan Curbelo. Son of Domingo Curbelo and María Martín Enríquez, native of Lanzarote, 50 years old, tall, broad-shouldered, full face, white complexion , thick beard, light gray eyes, black eyebrows, quite bald and with a sharp nose.

5. Gracia Umpiérrez Perdomo. Wife of the above, daughter of Marcos Umpiérrez Perdomo and María Cabrera, native of Lanzarote, 46 years old , average height, large face, shield complexion, black eyes, aquiline nose, black hair and eyebrows.

6. José Curbelo. Native of Lanzarote, medium height, 25 years old , broad shoulders, full face, no beard, smallpox-shaped scars, sharp nose, light gray eyes, brown hair and eyebrows.

7. Juan Francisco Curbelo. Son of Juan above, native of the Island of La Palma, 9 years old, white complexion , round face, light gray eyes, brown hair and eyebrows, and thick eyelids.

8. María Curbelo. Juan’s daughter, 13 years old , small body, round face, shield complexion, red nose

9. Juan Leal Jr , son of Juan Leal of the first family, native of Lanzarote, 30 years old, medium height, broad shoulders, shield complexion, long face, thick beard, sharp nose, close eyebrow, curly hair, Black eyebrows and hair, almost gray eyes , full lips.

10. Gracia González de Acosta (Leal) (also called María de Acosta), wife above, daughter of Pedro González Cabezas and Francisca De Acosta, native of Tenerife, 30 years old, tall, full face, white complexion , dark eyes light gray, black hair and eyebrows, pointed nose.

11. Manuel Leal. Son of above, he is a native of Lanzarote, round face, two years old, shield complexion, aquiline nose , light gray eyes, curly brown hair, scar above the eyebrow.

12. Miguel Leal. Son above, native of Fuerteventura, round face, 10 years old, large gray eyes, close-set eyebrows, light brown hair, thin nose , scar at the end of the left eyebrow, full lips, curly hair.13. Sunday Leal. Son above, native of the island of La Palma, round face, seven years old , fair complexion, black eyes, reddish hair, flat nose, freckled face.

14. María Leal. Daughter above, native of Fuerteventura, 6 years old , round face, shield complexion, gray eyes, black hair and eyebrows.

15. Antonio Santos. Son of Simón Santos and Ana Rodríguez, native of Lanzarote, 50 years old , more or less, medium height, broad shoulders, round face, shield complexion, large nose, black eyes, thin, black beard and hair, gray and quite wasted , black eyebrows.

16. Isabel Rodríguez (Santos). Wife of the previous one, daughter of Domingo de Vargas and Leonor Rodríguez. 34 years old, native of Lanzarote, tall, white complexion and thin nose, round face , light gray eyes, eyebrows and black hair.

17. Miguel Santos. Son of above, he is a native of Lanzarote, more or less 17 years old , medium height, broad shoulders, round face, shield complexion, flat nose, light gray eyes, eyebrows and black, curly hair.

18. Catalina Santos. Daughter from above, she is a native of Lanzarote, 12 years old , more or less, round face, shield complexion, flat nose, smallpox scars.

19. María Santos. Daughter of above, native of La Palma, about 7 years old, long face, coat complexion, gray eyes, thin nose , light brown hair and eyebrows.

20. Josefa Santos. Daughter above, native of Lanzarote, about two years old , round face, flat nose, light gray eyes, brown hair and eyebrows.

21. José Padrón. Native of La Palma, about 22 years old , good figure, long face, shield complexion, black eyes, black hair and eyebrows, black beard and thin.

22. Maria Francisca Sanabria (Padrón). Wife of the above, daughter of Luis Sanabria and Francisca Lagarda (Sanabria), native of Lanzarote, about 22 years old, medium height, thin face, thin nose, light gray eyes, white complexion, brown hair and eyebrows.

23. Manuel de Niz (also called Manuel de Nistrosa ). Son of Juan de Niz and Andrea Mireles (de Niz), he is a native of Canaria Grande, more or less 50 years old , medium height, broad shoulders, long face, shield complexion, thin, flat nose, light gray eyes, black beard and hair, quite bald, black eyebrows.

24. Sebastiana de la Peña (from Niz). Wife of the previous one, daughter of Domingo de León and Gregoria Suárez de la Peña, 42 years old , good figure, shield complexion, black hair, eyes and eyebrows, flat nose.

25. Vicente Alvarez Travieso. Son of Juan Álvarez Travieso and Catalina Cayetano (Álvarez), native of Tenerife, medium height, 25 years old, broad shoulders, round face, thin nose , light gray eyes, thick beard, white complexion , curly brown hair.

26. Ana María Curbelo (Álvarez). Wife of the above, daughter of Juan Curbelo and Gracia Perdomo Umpiérrez (Curbelo), native of Lanzarote, about 18 years old, medium height, broad shoulders, white complexion, elongated face, light gray eyes, black hair and eyebrows , thin nose

  1. Salvador Rodríguez. Son of Francisco Rodríguez and Isabel de los Reyes (Rodríguez), he is a native of Lanzarote, about 42 years old , good figure, wide face, shield complexion, green eyes, thick beard, quite gray, black hair.
  2. María Pérez Cabrera. Wife of the previous one, daughter of Domingo Cabrera and María Pérez, native of Lanzarote, about 42 years old , good figure, long face, shield complexion, thin nose, light gray eyes, black hair and eyebrows.
  3. Aparicio Rodríguez. Son of above, native of Lanzarote, more or less 15 years old , medium height, thin, shield complexion, light gray eyes, skinny face, brown hair and eyebrows.

30. Francisco de Arocha. Son of Simón de Arocha and Ángela Francisca (Arocha), native of La Palma, 27 years old , tall, long face, gray eyes, shield complexion, close-knit eyebrow, thick beard, thin nose, black hair.

31. Juana Curbelo (from Arocha). Wife of the above, daughter of Juan Curbelo Perdomo and Gracia de Umpiérrez (Curbelo), native of Lanzarote, 14 years old , shield complexion, gray eyes, black hair and eyebrows, flat nose.

32. Antonio Rodríguez Mederos. Son of Juan Rodríguez and María del Carmen (Rodríguez), native of Gran Canaria, 18 years old or so, medium height, broad shoulders, light complexion, faced with smallpox, flat nose, gray eyes, hair and brown eyebrows, mole on right cheek.

33. Josefa de Niz (Rodríguez). Daughter of Manuel de Niz and Sebastiana de la Peña (de Niz), wife above, native of Gran Canaria, 19 years old , faced with smallpox, black eyes, hair and eyebrows, thin nose, shield complexion.

34. José Leal. Son of Juan Leal Goraz and Luisa Hernández (Leal), native of Lanzarote, 22 years old , good figure, long face, shield complexion, thick beard, black hair and eyebrows, meeting eyebrows, thin nose.

35. Ana Santos. Wife of the above, daughter of Antonio Santos and Isabel Rodríguez (Santos), native of Lanzarote, about 16 years old , medium height, shield complexion, flat nose, gray eyes, black hair and eyebrows.

36. Juan Delgado. Son of Luis Delgado and María Melean (Delgado), native of Lanzarote, about 19 years old , broad shoulders, round face, shield complexion, close-knit eyebrow , little beard.

37. Catalina Leal. Daughter of Juan Leal and Louisa Hernández (Leal), wife above, is a native of Lanzarote, about 16 years old , medium height, shield complexion, flat face, flat nose, lively gray eyes, black hair and eyebrows.

38. José Cabrera. Son of Manuel Cabrera and María Rodríguez (Cabrera), native of Lanzarote, around 50 years old , medium height, broad shoulders, shield complexion, round face, flat nose, faced with smallpox, gray eyes, brown hair and eyebrows, full lips.

39. Marcos de Cabrera. Son above, native Lanzarote, approximately 6 years old , shield complexion, round face, black eyes, hair and eyebrows, flat nose.

40. Ana Cabrera. Daughter above, native Lanzarote, approximately 13 years old, medium height, slim, long face, dark face, light gray eyes, brown hair and eyebrows.

41. María Robayna Rodríguez. Widow of Juan Granadillo Rodríguez, daughter of Manual Robayna and Paula Umpiérrez ( Robayna ), native of Lanzarote, around 27 years old , good figure, long face, fair complexion, black eyebrows and hair, thin nose.

42. Pedro Granadillo Rodríguez. Son of Juan Rodríguez and María, native of Lanzarote, about 13 years old, good figure, slim, white complexion, broad shoulders, light gray eyes, thin nose, brown hair and eyebrows, boned with smallpox.

43. Manuel Francisco Rodríguez Granadillo. Son of Juan Rodríguez and María above, native of Lanzarote, about 3 years old, white complexion , reddish hair, blue eyes.

44. Josefa Rodríguez Granadillo. Daughter of Juan Rodríguez and María Above, she is a native of Lanzarote, about 10 years old , flat and reddish nose, brown hair.

45. Paula Rodríguez Granadillo. Daughter of Juan Rodríguez and María above, she is a native of Lanzarote, white complexion , flat nose, round face, black eyes, hair and eyebrows.

46. Juan de Acuña Granadillo Rodríguez. Son of Juan Rodríguez and María above, native of Cuautitlan (Mexico), about one month old, round face, white complexion , blue eyes, reddish hair and eyebrows, flat nose.

47. Mariana Meleano (Delgado) (also Maria Meleano ). Widow of Lucas Delgado, daughter of Francisco Meleano and Inés De Hoyos, native of Lanzarote, about 30 years old, tall, white complexion , long face, black eyes, hair and eyebrows.

48. Francisco Delgado. Son of Lucas and Mariana above, native of Lanzarote, about 16 years old , medium height, white complexion , thin nose, light gray eyes, brown hair and eyebrows, two moles on the right cheek.

49. Domingo Delgado. Son of Lucas and Mariana above, he is a native of Lanzarote, 2 years old, white complexion , round face, reddish hair, thin nose, green eyes.

50. Leonor Delgado. Daughter of Lucas and above Mariana, about 4 years old , native of Lanzarote, round face, fair complexion, big black eyes, black hair and eyebrows.

Consists of four celibate men

51. Felipe Pérez, son of Domingo Pérez and María Granados (Pérez), native of Tenerife, 20 years old , medium height, broad shoulders, long face, shield complexion, thin nose, blue eyes, black hair and eyebrows, large forehead.

52. José Antonio Pérez. Brother of a previous son and the same parents, native of Tenerife, 19 years old , good height, long face , thin nose, black hair, eyes and eyebrows.

53. Martín Lorenzo de Armas. Son of Roque Lorenzo de Armas and Teresa de Avilés (Lorenzo de Armas), native of the Canary Islands, around 20 years old , good height, broad shoulders, flat face, shield complexion, flat nose, long eyebrows, brown eyes. gray color, black beard, eyebrows and hair, three moles on the left cheek towards the nose.

54. Ignacio Lorenzo de Armas. Brother of the previous one and therefore of the parents, he is a native of the Canary Islands, around 22 years old , good height, shield complexion, thin nose, black eyes, beard, black eyebrows and hair, faced with smallpox, several moles between nose and left cheek.

OUR TRIBUTE TO THE FOUNDING CANARIANS OF SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS

Rancho Texas Lanzarote Park was born as a tribute to all the Canarian families who emigrated and ended up founding what is now known as San Antonio, Texas

This theme park has long ago begun to collect all the information possible so that the history of all the Canarians who, leaving their homes and lands, embarked towards the New World , to end up forming the first civil settlement in the state of Texas.

After the first constitution of the first municipal government, everything had to be done. The houses, the streets, the square, the church. This was the great work to be carried out by all those who managed to reach those lands.

San Antonio de Texas was founded by 10 Canarian families (seven from Lanzarote and three from Gran Canaria, Tenerife and La Palma). In total, 55 people of which 43 were from Lanzarote.

On August 1, 1731, the following people, who would pass on to posterity, were organized as the first municipal government of Texas from those elected, all from the Canary Islands:

  • Juan Leal Goraz . First councilor (Dean Councilor and first mayor of first vote)
  • Juan Curbelo. Second councilor
  • Antonio Santos. Third councilor
  • Salvador Rodríguez. Fourth councilor
  • Manuel Ruiz Fifth councilor
  • Juan Leal Alvarez . Sixth councilor
  • Francisco Arocha. Notary of the Public Council
  • Antonio Rodríguez. Butler
  • Vicente Alvarez Travieso, Senior Constable

Our park was born with the hope of honoring the people of Lanzarote who left Teguise on February 20, 1730 for the first time in their lives and embarked on a sloop to the island of Tenerife first, from there on March 15 of the same year to Havana in Cuba. Afterwards, they sailed to Veracruz in Mexico and begin by land in a caravan, enduring all kinds of suffering and hardship, a long journey to settle and found what we know today as San Antonio de Texas.

This tribute that we pay is worth it so that the value, effort, courage and all the hardships that the Canarian families who emigrated and created what was believed to be impossible at that time had to go through are not forgotten.

We quote an excerpt from the book “Crónicas canarias en Texas” by the writer Armando Curbelo Fuentes, which reflects the reason for our tribute. In this fragment, a Lanzarote native, María Curbelo Perdomo, in 1800, expresses her concern about the danger that the Canarian legacy was in the United States.
His words capture the spirit of what the islanders of the US and those here feel today:

«(…) the city that the Canarian families founded with so much interest and effort, little by little is losing its original identity (…) this great Canarian work in America must pass to posterity (…) what they have done will be lost in time made the canaries and I (…) write this diary as a testimony of
recognition to my companions so that future generations, from here and there, truly know what we humble canaries who came from so far away to these lands of promise have done»

In this century the Canarian Archipelago suffers a spectacular emigration by its people to America.
The main contributor was the fact that from 1720 to 1730, especially in the year 21, one of the deepest agrarian crises in memory occurred, which made it necessary to allocate vineyard lands to the cultivation of cereals.

The antecedents of this important crisis can be found in the 17th century, and it was the consequence of the extensive specialization of the Canarian economy on wine.


From 1620 to 1630, due to the approval of a regulation that prevented the trade of wine to its American colonies, the Canarian product had to look for other markets in the Portuguese colonies, but this solution did not last long because in 1640 the Portuguese Crown stopped belonging to Spain and, therefore, its colonies. Due to this event, relations deteriorate until this market closes.


Despite the decline in the wine trade, it is possible to continue trading towards Europe through a single distribution channel through the English, but relations between Spain and England are unstable and the marketing of the product worsens even more.
From 1684 to 1688 the progressive collapse of the market occurred, which was reduced to English control. Relations with England become complicated because the English begin to buy wine from Portugal and Madeira (much cheaper compared to Canarian wine that had a high price due to its quality) and a marketing period also ends with this market.


Due to this situation, a subsistence economy based on cereal develops.


The situation is aggravated because poor harvests mean that production is not even enough to feed the population, so the Crown was forced to export 250,000 bushels of wheat duty-free. This situation is more serious in the eastern islands, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, because they were specialized in a single product. Hunger and mortality force the population to emigrate, not only to America but also to other islands, especially Tenerife and Gran Canaria, aggravating the situation of these central islands as well.

The situation in the Canary Islands, as we have seen, was one of such hardship and famine that it evidently favored emigration, and many families found themselves involved in an adventure in which they left behind their birthplaces, lineage and land. In 1729, in a Royal Office Addressed to the judge of Commerce of the Indies in the Canary Islands, the King states his concern about a possible attack on Texas from French Louisiana .

In this way, it became necessary to send families to populate and maintain the province of Texas, which was one of the richest and most valuable in America due to the fertility and richness of the soil. At least 400 people should be sent to go by boat to Havana in groups of ten or eleven.


• This Royal Office ordered that the will of Philip V be made known and those families who wanted to voluntarily go to Cuba be taken into consideration.
Upon receiving it, the judge of Commerce of the Indies in the Canary Islands notifies its contents to all the Town Councils of the islands that would like to contribute families to populate the Indies.


• The first to respond was the city council of Teguise, in Lanzarote, and it was Juan Leal Goraz , one of its councilors who would become the first president of the Cabildo of San Antonio, who encouraged seven of the ten families that were going to enlist. start a trip.


• In total there were: seven families from Lanzarote, one from La Palma, one from Tenerife and one family and one bachelor from Gran Canaria. Although the initial condition was that only families would be sent, Antonio Rodríguez was allowed to board because his girlfriend was in the group and also because they would get married during the trip, which was the case.

  • Almost a year passed from the moment the Canarian families left Tenerife on March 27, 1730 until they arrived in San Antonio. We can divide this time between trips and stays into three stops or moments.

  • FIRST STAGE . SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE – CUBA

  • Don Bartolomé de Casabuena , the mayor of Trade with the Indies in the Canary Islands, ordered that the ship “Santísima Trinidad y Nuestra Señora del Rosario” be assigned for the trip from the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife to Veracruz via Havana.
    From the remaining islands they arrived at Tenerife on the sloop “San Telmo”.
  • On March 3, the first visit was made to the ship to be loaded the next day with provisions and supplies for the trip. No family was lacking the corresponding bushels of gofio.

    The departure to Havana took longer than expected due to rough seas and seeing enemy ships, so the families, not being prepared for such a long stay, even had to spend part of the food they brought for the trip.

  • On March 26, the ship was loaded with belongings and left on March 27, 1730.
  • They arrived in Havana on May 10 and were received by its governor. Here they stayed for a time, staying in a fortress adapted for this purpose. They are treated by a doctor and given clothing and food.
    During this stay they are joined by two Canarians who have lived in the city for a long time.
  • On July 9, the “Holy Trinity and Our Lady of the Rosary” heads to Veracruz.

  • SECOND STAGE . VERACRUZ

  • This journey lasts 10 days due to the calm prevailing during the trip, 84 days having already passed since they left the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. In Veracruz they were received by the mayor on behalf of the viceroy of New Spain.
  • The viceroy Don Juan de Acuña, Marquis of Casa Fuerte, already knew of the arrival of the Canarian families through the Royal Dispatch of 1729, which ordered their transfer to the area of Texas advised by the forger, Marquis of San Miguel de Aguayo.
    For this reason, he met with Brigadier Don Pedro Rivera, an expert in the northern and northeastern areas due to his many trips, and commissioned him to study Aguayo’s proposal to take the Canarian families by boat from Veracruz to the Bahía del Espíritu Santo.
  • Rivera’s negative response in this regard was quite clear and concise, since from his experience he knew that it was impossible to reach that place, much less survive.

    The Brigadier then finds himself with a great dilemma: send all the families to the designated place with the consequent danger to their lives or not comply with the King’s order and expose himself to a possible judicial demand for responsibility.
  • Meanwhile, oblivious to all this, the Canarian families remain in Veracruz for 13 more days.

  • THIRD STAGE. VERACRUZ – SAN ANTONIO

  • In the end, this journey did not turn out to be what they expected, which was initially to travel by boat. On the contrary, the viceroy, advised by Rivera, had decided that the trip would be made by land.
  • Once the decision was made to go by land, the mayor of Veracruz was ordered to make a guide, Francisco Duval, horses and also mules and carts available to the Canarians.

    Canarian families receive the news with concern, knowing the dangers and difficulties they could encounter: attack by Indians, passing through mountainous, rugged and inhospitable areas, etc. They would go from desert areas to high mountains, with cold and snow. To all these difficulties we must add the lack of skill of the Canarians when it came to bridling and harnessing horses and mules, which meant that a lot of time was lost in those areas.
  • The first objective was to reach Cuautitlán, a town northwest of Mexico City where they will be given clothing, tools and money. They passed through Texcoco and then Cholula to reach Cuautitlán on the afternoon of August 27, 1730, after 26 days.
  • After everything they had been through, Cuautitlán was a paradise for them and, in addition, they received all kinds of attention from the mayor who provided them with food, housing and clothing during their stay.
  • Juan Leal and guide Duval are appointed leaders of the group, responsible for solving any problems that may arise. But even though the route and the conditions for the trip were planned, after spending two and a half months in Cuautitlán, the Canarian families, who had experienced the difficulties of the road and heard what awaited them, insisted more and more frequently on staying.
  • Finally, they left on November 15 to avoid desertions.
  • The route from here is as follows: Cuautitlán to Tepexi del Río, Ruano, San Juan del Río, Coyotillos Chicos, Amascala , Puerto Pinto, Carboneras, San Luis de la Paz, Sauceda de Los Mulatos, Valle de San Francisco, San Luís de Potosí, Las Bocas, La Diana, El Venado, Laguna Seca, Arroyo Seco, Matehuala, El Cedral, Pozo Nuevo, Aguadulce, Cieneguilla, Encarnación, Agua Nueva and El Saltillo.
  • They were not to deviate from the path, and always camp on the outskirts of the towns with their consent. A person would go in front who would anticipate the arrival of the families. The person who abandoned the caravan would be considered a deserter and, as such, would be persecuted and brought to justice.
  • From El Saltillo to San Antonio the dangers increased as they entered Comanche territory, towards the northwest. The first attack surprised them at night when trying to cross the Rio Grande, but luckily no human life was lost.
  • After going through several difficulties along the journey, they finally arrived in San Antonio at dawn on March 9, 1731, after more than eight months of caravan and almost a year since they left the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The families settled in the houses of the prison soldiers in huts and carriages.
  • The captain of the prison had orders from the Viceroy to distribute the lands among the families by assigning them to lots, but it was not easy and many disputes arose, so it was decided to leave it for later and for the moment to plant together an area already cleared by the military and their families.
  • Thanks to the harvest they were able to survive on their own since royal aid had run out.
    At the beginning of July, the streets begin to be laid out, for which stones and stakes are given to the families. The land is distributed in a flat area and the pasture areas are delimited. The city was located between the San Antonio River and the San Pedro Arroyo, and before the families arrived, five Franciscan missions already existed on the site. The closest was San Antonio Valero, which will be known to this day as El Álamo. Between this mission and the San Antonio prison was where the city was founded with a municipal government called Cabildo.

As we stated in other sections of this website, from this theme park we want to pay an emotional tribute to our island ancestors who founded San Antonio de Texas.
The following is a list of the fifty members of the fifteen families, plus four celibate men, who left Cuatlitlán on November 15, 1730 and who left for, at that time, San Fernando de Béxar to found San Antonio de Texas on the 1 August 1731. To the historical memory of these heroes

1. Juan Leal Goraz . Son of Antonio and María Pérez, native of Lanzarote Island, 54 years old, tall, long face, thick beard, shield complexion, sharp nose, slant in one eye, black beard and hair, light gray eyes .

2. Vicente Leal. Son of the above and Catalina Rodríguez, native of Lanzarote, 18 years old, medium height, broad shoulders, long face, no beard, aquiline nose, light gray eyes, black curly hair, black eyebrows and shield complexion.

3. Bernardo Leal. Native Lanzarote, round face, 13 years old , flat nose, light gray eyes, brown hair and eyebrows.

4. Juan Curbelo. Son of Domingo Curbelo and María Martín Enríquez, native of Lanzarote, 50 years old, tall, broad-shouldered, full face, white complexion , thick beard, light gray eyes, black eyebrows, quite bald and with a sharp nose.

5. Gracia Umpiérrez Perdomo. Wife of the above, daughter of Marcos Umpiérrez Perdomo and María Cabrera, native of Lanzarote, 46 years old , average height, large face, shield complexion, black eyes, aquiline nose, black hair and eyebrows.

6. José Curbelo. Native of Lanzarote, medium height, 25 years old , broad shoulders, full face, no beard, smallpox-shaped scars, sharp nose, light gray eyes, brown hair and eyebrows.

7. Juan Francisco Curbelo. Son of Juan above, native of the Island of La Palma, 9 years old, white complexion , round face, light gray eyes, brown hair and eyebrows, and thick eyelids.

8. María Curbelo. Juan’s daughter, 13 years old , small body, round face, shield complexion, red nose

9. Juan Leal Jr , son of Juan Leal of the first family, native of Lanzarote, 30 years old, medium height, broad shoulders, shield complexion, long face, thick beard, sharp nose, close eyebrow, curly hair, Black eyebrows and hair, almost gray eyes , full lips.

10. Gracia González de Acosta (Leal) (also called María de Acosta), wife above, daughter of Pedro González Cabezas and Francisca De Acosta, native of Tenerife, 30 years old, tall, full face, white complexion , dark eyes light gray, black hair and eyebrows, pointed nose.

11. Manuel Leal. Son of above, he is a native of Lanzarote, round face, two years old, shield complexion, aquiline nose , light gray eyes, curly brown hair, scar above the eyebrow.

12. Miguel Leal. Son above, native of Fuerteventura, round face, 10 years old, large gray eyes, close-set eyebrows, light brown hair, thin nose , scar at the end of the left eyebrow, full lips, curly hair.13. Sunday Leal. Son above, native of the island of La Palma, round face, seven years old , fair complexion, black eyes, reddish hair, flat nose, freckled face.

14. María Leal. Daughter above, native of Fuerteventura, 6 years old , round face, shield complexion, gray eyes, black hair and eyebrows.

15. Antonio Santos. Son of Simón Santos and Ana Rodríguez, native of Lanzarote, 50 years old , more or less, medium height, broad shoulders, round face, shield complexion, large nose, black eyes, thin, black beard and hair, gray and quite wasted , black eyebrows.

16. Isabel Rodríguez (Santos). Wife of the previous one, daughter of Domingo de Vargas and Leonor Rodríguez. 34 years old, native of Lanzarote, tall, white complexion and thin nose, round face , light gray eyes, eyebrows and black hair.

17. Miguel Santos. Son of above, he is a native of Lanzarote, more or less 17 years old , medium height, broad shoulders, round face, shield complexion, flat nose, light gray eyes, eyebrows and black, curly hair.

18. Catalina Santos. Daughter from above, she is a native of Lanzarote, 12 years old , more or less, round face, shield complexion, flat nose, smallpox scars.

19. María Santos. Daughter of above, native of La Palma, about 7 years old, long face, coat complexion, gray eyes, thin nose , light brown hair and eyebrows.

20. Josefa Santos. Daughter above, native of Lanzarote, about two years old , round face, flat nose, light gray eyes, brown hair and eyebrows.

21. José Padrón. Native of La Palma, about 22 years old , good figure, long face, shield complexion, black eyes, black hair and eyebrows, black beard and thin.

22. Maria Francisca Sanabria (Padrón). Wife of the above, daughter of Luis Sanabria and Francisca Lagarda (Sanabria), native of Lanzarote, about 22 years old, medium height, thin face, thin nose, light gray eyes, white complexion, brown hair and eyebrows.

23. Manuel de Niz (also called Manuel de Nistrosa ). Son of Juan de Niz and Andrea Mireles (de Niz), he is a native of Canaria Grande, more or less 50 years old , medium height, broad shoulders, long face, shield complexion, thin, flat nose, light gray eyes, black beard and hair, quite bald, black eyebrows.

24. Sebastiana de la Peña (from Niz). Wife of the previous one, daughter of Domingo de León and Gregoria Suárez de la Peña, 42 years old , good figure, shield complexion, black hair, eyes and eyebrows, flat nose.

25. Vicente Alvarez Travieso. Son of Juan Álvarez Travieso and Catalina Cayetano (Álvarez), native of Tenerife, medium height, 25 years old, broad shoulders, round face, thin nose , light gray eyes, thick beard, white complexion , curly brown hair.

26. Ana María Curbelo (Álvarez). Wife of the above, daughter of Juan Curbelo and Gracia Perdomo Umpiérrez (Curbelo), native of Lanzarote, about 18 years old, medium height, broad shoulders, white complexion, elongated face, light gray eyes, black hair and eyebrows , thin nose

  1. Salvador Rodríguez. Son of Francisco Rodríguez and Isabel de los Reyes (Rodríguez), he is a native of Lanzarote, about 42 years old , good figure, wide face, shield complexion, green eyes, thick beard, quite gray, black hair.
  2. María Pérez Cabrera. Wife of the previous one, daughter of Domingo Cabrera and María Pérez, native of Lanzarote, about 42 years old , good figure, long face, shield complexion, thin nose, light gray eyes, black hair and eyebrows.
  3. Aparicio Rodríguez. Son of above, native of Lanzarote, more or less 15 years old , medium height, thin, shield complexion, light gray eyes, skinny face, brown hair and eyebrows.

30. Francisco de Arocha. Son of Simón de Arocha and Ángela Francisca (Arocha), native of La Palma, 27 years old , tall, long face, gray eyes, shield complexion, close-knit eyebrow, thick beard, thin nose, black hair.

31. Juana Curbelo (from Arocha). Wife of the above, daughter of Juan Curbelo Perdomo and Gracia de Umpiérrez (Curbelo), native of Lanzarote, 14 years old , shield complexion, gray eyes, black hair and eyebrows, flat nose.

32. Antonio Rodríguez Mederos. Son of Juan Rodríguez and María del Carmen (Rodríguez), native of Gran Canaria, 18 years old or so, medium height, broad shoulders, light complexion, faced with smallpox, flat nose, gray eyes, hair and brown eyebrows, mole on right cheek.

33. Josefa de Niz (Rodríguez). Daughter of Manuel de Niz and Sebastiana de la Peña (de Niz), wife above, native of Gran Canaria, 19 years old , faced with smallpox, black eyes, hair and eyebrows, thin nose, shield complexion.

34. José Leal. Son of Juan Leal Goraz and Luisa Hernández (Leal), native of Lanzarote, 22 years old , good figure, long face, shield complexion, thick beard, black hair and eyebrows, meeting eyebrows, thin nose.

35. Ana Santos. Wife of the above, daughter of Antonio Santos and Isabel Rodríguez (Santos), native of Lanzarote, about 16 years old , medium height, shield complexion, flat nose, gray eyes, black hair and eyebrows.

36. Juan Delgado. Son of Luis Delgado and María Melean (Delgado), native of Lanzarote, about 19 years old , broad shoulders, round face, shield complexion, close-knit eyebrow , little beard.

37. Catalina Leal. Daughter of Juan Leal and Louisa Hernández (Leal), wife above, is a native of Lanzarote, about 16 years old , medium height, shield complexion, flat face, flat nose, lively gray eyes, black hair and eyebrows.

38. José Cabrera. Son of Manuel Cabrera and María Rodríguez (Cabrera), native of Lanzarote, around 50 years old , medium height, broad shoulders, shield complexion, round face, flat nose, faced with smallpox, gray eyes, brown hair and eyebrows, full lips.

39. Marcos de Cabrera. Son above, native Lanzarote, approximately 6 years old , shield complexion, round face, black eyes, hair and eyebrows, flat nose.

40. Ana Cabrera. Daughter above, native Lanzarote, approximately 13 years old, medium height, slim, long face, dark face, light gray eyes, brown hair and eyebrows.

41. María Robayna Rodríguez. Widow of Juan Granadillo Rodríguez, daughter of Manual Robayna and Paula Umpiérrez ( Robayna ), native of Lanzarote, around 27 years old , good figure, long face, fair complexion, black eyebrows and hair, thin nose.

42. Pedro Granadillo Rodríguez. Son of Juan Rodríguez and María, native of Lanzarote, about 13 years old, good figure, slim, white complexion, broad shoulders, light gray eyes, thin nose, brown hair and eyebrows, boned with smallpox.

43. Manuel Francisco Rodríguez Granadillo. Son of Juan Rodríguez and María above, native of Lanzarote, about 3 years old, white complexion , reddish hair, blue eyes.

44. Josefa Rodríguez Granadillo. Daughter of Juan Rodríguez and María Above, she is a native of Lanzarote, about 10 years old , flat and reddish nose, brown hair.

45. Paula Rodríguez Granadillo. Daughter of Juan Rodríguez and María above, she is a native of Lanzarote, white complexion , flat nose, round face, black eyes, hair and eyebrows.

46. Juan de Acuña Granadillo Rodríguez. Son of Juan Rodríguez and María above, native of Cuautitlan (Mexico), about one month old, round face, white complexion , blue eyes, reddish hair and eyebrows, flat nose.

47. Mariana Meleano (Delgado) (also Maria Meleano ). Widow of Lucas Delgado, daughter of Francisco Meleano and Inés De Hoyos, native of Lanzarote, about 30 years old, tall, white complexion , long face, black eyes, hair and eyebrows.

48. Francisco Delgado. Son of Lucas and Mariana above, native of Lanzarote, about 16 years old , medium height, white complexion , thin nose, light gray eyes, brown hair and eyebrows, two moles on the right cheek.

49. Domingo Delgado. Son of Lucas and Mariana above, he is a native of Lanzarote, 2 years old, white complexion , round face, reddish hair, thin nose, green eyes.

50. Leonor Delgado. Daughter of Lucas and above Mariana, about 4 years old , native of Lanzarote, round face, fair complexion, big black eyes, black hair and eyebrows.

Consists of four celibate men

51. Felipe Pérez, son of Domingo Pérez and María Granados (Pérez), native of Tenerife, 20 years old , medium height, broad shoulders, long face, shield complexion, thin nose, blue eyes, black hair and eyebrows, large forehead.

52. José Antonio Pérez. Brother of a previous son and the same parents, native of Tenerife, 19 years old , good height, long face , thin nose, black hair, eyes and eyebrows.

53. Martín Lorenzo de Armas. Son of Roque Lorenzo de Armas and Teresa de Avilés (Lorenzo de Armas), native of the Canary Islands, around 20 years old , good height, broad shoulders, flat face, shield complexion, flat nose, long eyebrows, brown eyes. gray color, black beard, eyebrows and hair, three moles on the left cheek towards the nose.

54. Ignacio Lorenzo de Armas. Brother of the previous one and therefore of the parents, he is a native of the Canary Islands, around 22 years old , good height, shield complexion, thin nose, black eyes, beard, black eyebrows and hair, faced with smallpox, several moles between nose and left cheek.