Gutierrez
Pablo Gutierrez
The Spanish Longhorn
2016SP-HIST-2301-40775
Professor Jane Cranz
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Gutierrez
Cattle ranching is one of the major industries in Texas, dating back to 1690’s when the Spanish
introduced cattle to the new world. Cattle ranching has supported the economy of Texas for three
decades. The Spanish introduced cattle to help feed the missions who sometimes failed to produce
sufficient aliments due to diseases, crop failure, and raid from native American tribes. The result is that
Cattle thrived in Texas, because the environment was suitable to hold large amounts of cattle. The
success of the cattle livestock industry of Texas was deeply rooted with the Spanish colonization and the
Franciscan missions, thanks to Spaniards such as Martin De Leon, and many other settlers and
missionaries, Texas has become a multi billion dollar cattle industry.
The Spanish released cattle along the San Antonio River with the purpose of feeding the Spanish
missionaries, soldiers, and civilians. All the cattle that was released was originally Spanish and was
property of the crown. As the missions started to fail due to diseases, Native American raids, low
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