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José de Urrutia | |
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| Born | 1678 (1678) |
| Died | July 16, 1741(1741-07-16) (aged 62–63) |
| Occupation(s) | Explorer and captain ofSan Antonio de Béjar Presidio |
José de Urrutia (c. 1678 to 1741) was aBasque Spanish explorer and settler ofTexas, who became captain ofSan Antonio de BéjarPresidio and lived for seven years with several Native American tribes, leading campaigns against their enemies, the Apaches, in East Texas. He "was made" General Captain of all the Native American peoples that were enemies to the Apache people.
Urrutia was born inGuipuzcoa,Basque Country,Spain around 1678.[1] He became a soldier along his brother Toribio.[2]
Urrutia and his brother participated in theDomingo Teran de los Rios expedition. They settled inTexas sometime before 1691. During this time, Urrutia and his brother were part of the garrison settled in the vicinity theNeches River.[1][2] Many of the soldiers who were exploring with Domingo Teran de los Rios leftTexas in the winter of 1693, due to the increasing hostility of TexasAmerindians.[2]
Shortly after, José de Urrutia had an accident on theSan Marcos River, (scholars now believe it was actually on theColorado River[1]). His injury,[2] forced him to stay with the Native American tribes settled near of the place. Three soldiers chose to stay with him. Urrutia lived with several Amerindian peoples for seven years, particularly with theKanohatinos,Xarames andTohos tribes and established important links with them.[1] He managed to learn quickly both their language and their customs, which earned him the respect of the tribes for him.[2] He became "captain General"of all nations hostile to theApaches, and led several wars against the Apache tribes.[1] In 1696, he returned toMexico. There, he held a prominent position in the Spanish military.[2] In 1700, after the founding ofMission San Juan Bautista, he resumed his explorations inTexas.[1]
After settling inSan Antonio, Urrutia was named captain ofPresidioSan Antonio de Bexar on July 23, 1733. Over the next forty years, he established relationships with other indigenous peoples in Texas, as well as several inCoahuila andNuevo Leon. However, his hatred for the Apaches remained, and in the winter of 1739, Urrutia declared another war against them inSan Saba. Urrutia died on July 16, 1741.[1]
On 7 January 1697, Urrutia married Antonia Ramon, with whom he had a daughter, Antonia. The couple were married in the parish church of Santiago Apostol,Monclova, in the state ofCoahuila,Mexico. After the death of his first wife during childbirth, Urrutia had a second wife, Rosa Flores, with whom he had ten children (six sons and four daughters), including Toribio de Urrutia, who also become captain of the Presidio de Bexar.[1]
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