The Canary Islanders
San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Earliest civilian colonists of San Antonio, this nucleus of pioneers from the Canary Islands formed the first organized civil government in Texas and founded the village of San Fernando de Bexar in 1731. Following a sea and land voyage of over a year, these weary travelers arrived at the Presidio (Fort) of San Antonio early on March 9, 1731. Totaling 56 persons, they had emigrated to Texas from the Spanish Canary Islands near Africa, by order of King Philip V. On July 2, they began to lay out a villa (village), choosing a site on the west side of the Plaza de las Islas (present Main Plaza) for the church and a site on the east side for the Casa Reales (government building). On July 9, the captain of the Presidio, Juan Antonio De Almazan, read to the islanders the decee of the viceroy naming them and their descendants "Hijos Dalgos", persons of nobility. The heads of the 16 families who settled in San Antonio were: Juan Leal Goraz, Juan Curbelo, Juan Leal, Antonio Santos, Jose Padron, Manuel De Nis, Vicente Alvarez Travieso, Salvador Rodriguez, Jose Leal, Juan Delgado, Jose Cabrera, Juan Rodriguez Grandillo, Francisco De Arocha, Antonio Rodriguez, Lorenzo and Martin De Armas, and Felipe and Jose Antonio Perez. (1971)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1731, fifty-six colonists sent by King Philip V arrived at the San Antonio presidio after more than a year's journey from the Canary Islands, becoming the town's first civilian settlers. They laid out the villa of San Fernando de Bexar around a central plaza, siting a church and government house, and formed the first organized civil government in Texas. By royal decree they and their descendants were declared hijos dalgo, persons of nobility.
Why it matters
These families founded the first municipal government in what became Texas, seeding a Spanish civic and cultural legacy that still shapes San Antonio today.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Museums & culture
- Spanish Governor's Palace0.2 mi away
- Briscoe Western Art Museum0.3 mi away · 210 West Market Street
- Centro de Artes0.3 mi away
- Buckhorn Saloon and Museum0.3 mi away
- Louis Tussaud’s Waxworks0.4 mi away
- Ripley's Believe It or Not! Odditorium0.4 mi away
Attractions
- River boat boarding0.2 mi away
- Casa Navarro State Historical Site0.2 mi away
- La Villita0.3 mi away
- River boat boarding0.3 mi away
- Sea Life Aquarium0.5 mi away · 849 East Commerce Street, San Antonio, TX
- Yanaguana Garden0.5 mi away
Food & drink
- Paesanos Riverwalk0.3 mi away · 111 Crockett Way, San Antonio, TX
- Saltgrass Steak House0.3 mi away
- The Original Mexican Restaurant0.3 mi away
- Landry's Seafood House0.3 mi away · 517 North Presa Street, San Antonio, TX
- Mad Dogs British Pub0.3 mi away · 123 Losoya Street
- Texas de Brazil0.3 mi away · 313 East Houston Street, San Antonio
Places to stay
- Holiday Inn Riverwalk0.2 mi away · 217 North Saint Mary's Street, San Antonio, TX
- The Westin Riverwalk, San Antonio0.2 mi away · 420 West Market Street, San Antonio
- Mokara Hotel and Spa0.2 mi away · 212 West Crockett Street, San Antonio, TX
- Omni La Mansión del Rio0.2 mi away · 112 College Street, San Antonio
- Hotel Contessa0.2 mi away · 306 West Market Street
- Sheraton Gunter Hotel San Antonio0.3 mi away · 205 East Houston Street, San Antonio, TX
Places data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Hours and details change — call ahead.
Own a business near here? Add it to the map.
Related people
- · King Philip V
- · Juan Leal Goraz
- · Juan Antonio De Almazan
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Bowen's Island
San Antonio, TX
This peninsula in the San Antonio River, once bounded by water on three sides and the Concepcion Acequia on the fourth, was bought in 1845 by Philadelphia native John Bowen. He and his family built a seven-room home, planted orchards and vineyards, and ran a waterwheel-irrigated truck farm; Bowen served as city postmaster and treasurer and, a staunch Unionist, reportedly sheltered fugitive slaves. The island became a beloved gathering spot, hosting the first Volksfest and the German Turnverein before the river was diverted in the 1920s and joined it to the mainland.
Groos National Bank
San Antonio, TX
Frederick Groos, a German engineer, reached Texas in 1848 and won a government freighting contract during the building of Fort Duncan, sending long trains of ox carts across country plagued by raids. With his brothers he built the mercantile firm F. Groos and Co., where frontier banking meant money hidden in cotton bales and cart axles for safety on the road. In 1879 the family erected San Antonio's first purpose-built bank and took a national charter in 1912.
Staacke Brothers Building
San Antonio, TX
Built in 1894 for German immigrant August Frederick Staacke's thriving carriage business, this building was designed by the prominent Texas architect James Riely Gordon. Its granite Corinthian columns and two-story arcade blend classical and Renaissance Revival elements, an emblem of San Antonio's confident commercial growth in the Gilded Age. The Staacke name marked one of the era's successful immigrant-founded enterprises.
Casino Club
San Antonio, TX
Organized in 1853 by San Antonio's cultured German immigrants, the Casino Association built an 1858 clubhouse with a theatre, a 700-seat hall, and banquet and club rooms. During the Civil War its stage hosted military balls, benefit concerts, and minstrel shows for the Confederate cause, while women gathered there to roll bandages. Over the decades its audiences included Robert E. Lee before the war and, later, Ulysses S. Grant and Buffalo Bill.