Subject Area
History
Abstract
“Wrangling Pelicans” explores the rhythms and realities experienced by inhabitants of Spanish military communities in eighteenth-century Spanish Texas, and describes an array of key subjects ranging from education to illicit entertainment. I utilize Antonio Treviño as a loose narrative thread throughout the text; he was a mestizo resident of Fort La Bahía, which is located in Goliad, Texas. Treviño rose from a private to a sub-lieutenant, and along the way was indicted for smuggling, nearly imprisoned for insubordination, but also commended for valor. Treviño experienced presidial life in all of its grime and glory.
This book argues that soldiers like Treviño found ways to maintain their autonomy and independence in spite of Bourbon Spain’s quest for ever-greater centralization and control. But “Wrangling Pelicans” goes one step further, illustrating that soldiers on the ground often implemented their own policies in the region and did not merely accede to the wishes of their commandant general, their provincial governor, or their fort captain. In viewing Spanish soldiers from their own perspective and from the perspective of their communities, a host of unexpected realities rise to the surface. One of the most surprising is that these troopers at times enjoyed one of the most economically and socially secure occupations on the frontier. Around Mexico City, mere rumors of army recruiters “provoked a flight of young males.” On the Texas borderlands, meanwhile, young men saw military service as a more than reasonable career path.
Degree Date
Spring 5-11-2024
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Department
History
Advisor
Andrew Graybill
Second Advisor
Neil Foley
Third Advisor
Pablo Mijangos y González
Fourth Advisor
Jesús F. de la Teja
Number of Pages
347
Format
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Recommended Citation
Seiter, Timothy, "Wrangling Pelicans: Military Life in Eighteenth-Century Spanish Texas" (2024). History Theses and Dissertations. 21.
https://scholar.smu.edu/hum_sci_history_etds/21
Included in
Cultural History Commons, History of Gender Commons, Military History Commons, Political History Commons, Social History Commons, Women's History Commons
