The Destruction of the Saint Sabá Mission in the Province of Texas and the Martyrdom of the Priests, Fray Alonso Giraldo de Terreros and Fray José de Santiesteban

This painting, attributed to the prolific XVIIIth- century painter, José de Páez, shows the terrible fate of the San Sabá mission, founded in 1757 on the banks of the river of the same name, in the province of Texas. One should not forget that, despite the campaign aimed at northward military and religious expansion that was promoted by the Spanish crown in the XVIIIth century, the colonization of New Spain was not Consolidated during the Viceregal period. Outstanding in the foreground of this work are the figures of two Franciscans killed during the attack, Fray Alonso Giraldo de Terreros and Fray José de Santiesteban, who, with great stoicism and indifference to their pain, display the wounds (their bodies were pierced by bullets, arrows and spears, and Fray José had his throat cut while Fray Alonso was scalped) that led to their deaths. Both friars were members of the Holy Cross College for the Propagation of the Faith in the city of Querétaro; their depiction as martyrs is indicative of the need for glorification that accompanied the failed attempt at evangelization by the northern missions. In the center of the composition, which shows scenes from the different stages of the attack -such as the assault on sacred images, the death of friars or the confrontation between the different groups- side by side with the foresaid scenes there appears a detailed eyewitness description of the facts as recorded in various written sources. Without a doubt, this work is an important depiction of the bloody conflicts which were typically provoked by the missions set up on the frontiers of New Spain, where the arrival of the missionaries, auguring the destruction of traditional lifestyles, led to violent rebellions. This work was assigned to the MUNAL by the National Council for Culture and the Arts (CONACULTA) in 1992.