Jose Miguel de Arciniega

In 1803, brothers Gregorio and Felipe, members of a Spanish military unit in northern New Spain, received orders to relocate from their pueblo, San Jose y Santiago de Alamo (near Parras, Coahuila), to an outpost on the outskirts of the Spanish Empire.

These orders came directly from King Carlos V of Spain. The military would take the two brothers and their unit on a 300-mile journey to La Villa de San Fernando, present-day San Antonio.

Their new assignment was to secure the Louisiana-United States border, prevent American encroachment into Texas, and stop livestock smuggling. At that time, this regiment served as the only police force protecting the inhabitants of Tejas.

Gregorio and Felipe were mounted lancers in the Second Flying Company of San Carlos de Parras, a prestigious, highly trained, and disciplined Spanish military unit comprising 100 soldiers. Their regiment was known as "Alamo de Parras." The mounted lancers of Alamo de Parras were primarily tasked with halting Comanche raids into the Interior Provinces of New Spain. In return for their service, these soldiers were permitted to start their own businesses and become merchants, civil servants, ranchers, or farmers.

Upon arriving at La Villa de San Fernando, the brothers checked in at the Presidio (Fort), only to find that the soldiers' accommodations were in ruins. Consequently, the Commandant at the Presidio ordered the brothers to stay with their families at a recently built Spanish mission about a mile away—San Antonio de Valero, known today as the Alamo.

Gregorio had a young son named Miguelito, who endured the 300-mile journey from Coahuila. Miguelito was just nine years old when his family checked into the now-famous Alamo. He grew up living there for eight years until he turned seventeen. That same year, his father retired after serving thirty-two years with the Spanish lancers.

Miguelito was known to be a bright young boy with a passion for learning and living. Growing up inside the Alamo exposed him to various groups of people and the military stationed there. He absorbed valuable lessons from them, particularly regarding survival.

In 1811, Gregorio received a generous Spanish land grant in the center of present-day San Antonio. It was a beautiful riverfront property situated off the San Antonio River. The family moved from the Alamo to their new home.

Miguelito served as a mounted lancer from 1810 to 1836, following in the footsteps of his father and uncle. He became the third generation in his family to serve, with his son Cristoval later joining as the fourth generation. Miguelito, known to his friends as Jose Miguel, joined the Second Flying Company of San Carlos de Parras, which disbanded in 1836 after the Republic of Texas was formed. During this time, Miguel served as an emissary for Spain. He was fluent in Spanish, English, and French. He spoke several Native American dialects, having learned most of them as a child at the Alamo.

The Mexican Supreme Government commissioned Miguel to conduct peace talks with hostile Native American tribes to promote coexistence. He was notably successful in these efforts.

In 1826, Jose Miguel received an assignment from the Governor to negotiate with Chief Richard Fields of the Cherokee Nation. He was subsequently sent to "Las Lagunas de Gallinas" to continue peace talks with the Comanche, Tahuallaces, Tejas, and Caddo tribes. Miguel completed this mission between January 21 and June 15, 1826, achieving significant success.

In 1832, Jose Miguel founded the city of Bastrop. He designed the plans, surveyed the area, and named it in honor of his longtime friend, the Baron de Bastrop.

Jose Miguel held multiple roles in government, serving as public treasurer, political chief, judge, militia captain, and general inspector of arms. He was also Alcalde (Mayor) of San Antonio de Béxar in 1830 and again in 1833.

During the Texas Revolution, Jose Miguel and his son Cristobal proudly served in the Texas Revolutionary Army. Additionally, Private Jose Miguel Cristobal (Miguel Jr.) served under Juan Seguin's Tejano Volunteer Company.

On December 11, 1835, General Martin Perfecto de Cos appointed Miguel as his interpreter during the capitulation between Cos and Colonel Edward Burleson, following the Siege of Béxar, a battle the Texians and Tejanos won.

After the revolution, Don Jose Miguel remained active in the Republic of Texas. He served as a probate judge, an associate judge, a Béxar County Commissioner, and an Alderman. He also worked to secure the border at the Rio Grande under instructions from President David G. Burnet.

Don Jose Miguel was also a businessman, manufacturing and selling horse-drawn carts. He was well-known as a lifelong merchant of sugarcane and potatoes.

In 1846, during the Mexican War and the annexation of the Republic of Texas, the United States saw Jose Miguel serving as a Captain on the Rio Grande border.

On May 13, 1849, Don Jose Miguel passed away at the age of 56, just a few blocks from his home in downtown San Antonio. He held many leadership positions of great responsibility. He played a vital role in several significant events in early Texas history.

History will remember the young boy Miguelito, originally named Jose Miguel de Arciniega, who grew up in the Alamo. Jose Miguel de Arciniega was a true patriot of the Texas Revolution.

That young boy, who grew up inside the Alamo and fought for Texas independence, survived the rebellion to become one of the most influential and successful figures of his time.

His descendants, known as the "Jose Miguel Arciniega Descendants Society" (JMADS), named his first home the "Arciniega House" on his birthday, September 20, 2013. This house is located at the corner of Arciniega Street and South Presa Street, in the courtyard of the Marriott Plaza Hotel, off the Riverwalk in San Antonio, Texas. Miguelito and his father, Gregorio Arciniega, built that house together and were very close.

This post is dedicated to all of Don Jose Miguel's descendants living in Texas and around the world today. They continue to carry the torch handed down by Jose Miguel de Arciniega, a Texas patriot of our revolution, to the benefit of Texas.

Thank you, Don Jose Miguel de Arciniega, for exemplifying outstanding leadership, bravery, and dedication to our Republic – Texas.

Attribution:

• Second Flying Company of San Carlos de Parras, Wikipedia.
• "The Alamo" by Mary G. Ramos, the Texas Almanac, 1992–1993.
• Jose Miguel de Arciniega, Wikipedia.