Two Cannons and a Big Pot .In September of 1930, three treasure hunters using a homemade metal detector, were
searching an area outside the North wall of Mission Espiritu Santo near the banks of the San
Antonio River in Goliad. What they found were two cannons, both had been cut in half, and a
very large pot, along with a few other smaller items.
Goliad is a small town today, and was even smaller in 1930, not much went on that was not
known by County Judge J. A. White. He learned that the items were taken to one of the men’s
nearby farmhouse. White paid a visit to the farm and examined the items. He informed the
treasure hunters that they could not keep the items since they had been found on state
property. The Judge took possession of the items, but gave the men a document that stated
they would receive any monetary gain from the items. Being a history buff himself, White put the
items in his office, and invited everyone to come and see them. Soon the story appeared in
newspapers throughout the state, and even the nation. This may have lead to the interest in
restoring Mission Espiritu Santo by the WPA and CCC, in any case it didn’t hurt.
At some point White had the cannon soldered back together, and gave them to the Mission
museum, where they can still be seen today. Between 1997 and 1999, archeologist and
historian Curtis Tunnell examined and researched the cannon and the pot.
The pot proved to be no great mystery, it was nearly identical to pots found in Mexico and
known as peról. They are used to distill alcohol. It may seem a strange thing to find at a mission,
but may have been used to make alcohol for various medicines common during that period. It is
also possible that the pot was being retained to provide material for the repair of other pots.
Metal was hard to come by on the 18th century Texas frontier.
toward the breech from the lifting handles. There is the number 4 on the muzzle, and the
number 5 between the breech and the crest. An iron pipe has been driven down the bore.
Tunnell examined the cannon with a strong light, and concluded that had been pieced together
using parts from three cannon. That would suggest that this “Frankenstein” cannon was put
together in a foundry, probably in Mexico. Despite the use of several methods, the crest is too
indistinct to be identified. The cannon is now part of a museum exhibit that reproduces a
mission bastion, and is only partially visible.
fleur-de-lis. Because of the fleur-de-lis, the cannon was mistakenly identified as French for many
years. This seems odd because the plaque bears the words “Del Sargento Mayor Don Juan
Escudero Y Arnedo” and is obviously Spanish. The coat of arms has been identified as
belonging to the family Arnuero. Tunnell believed the cannon belonged to Jose Prado Guenes
Arnuero y de la Soto, who was awarded the Order of Alcantara in 1737, and is shown in the
coat of arms. This would indicate the cannon was made shortly after that date. This cannon is
displayed in a glass case within the museum.
The questions then are - where did these cannon come from? And who and why were they
cut in half and buried?
Tunnell presented an intriguing theory. That these were two of the cannon left by Gil Ybarbo
when Bucareli was abandoned due to flooding. Sixteen years later, in 1795, they were retrieved
by Captain Juan Cortés and taken to La Bahia. Since Mission Espiritu Santo only had two bells,
and both were cracked, Cortés suggested to Governor Muñoz that an artisan be sent to use the
cannon to cast a new bell. Although the request was denied, Tunnell thought it possible that
Cortés gave the cannon to the Mission despite his orders to the contrary. When the Mission was
abandoned, the priest had them buried with the hope of one day retriving them. Tunnell cites
two letters by Cortés to Muñoz, one of 8 May 1795 the other 16 January 1796.
The problem with this theory is that in a letter from the Conde de Revilla Gigedo to Muñoz,
10 April 1793, he acknowledges being informed that five of the six cannon left on the Trinity
River had been taken to Béjar. In fact, in a letter dated 14 July 1793 lieutenants Fernández and
Amangual inform the governor that the master blacksmith of Béjar has repaired the touch holes
on the five cannon and test fired them. They found four to be serviceable, and one revealed
“many imperfections”. The sixth cannon is never mentioned. However it does place five of the
six cannon known to have been at Bucareli in Béjar a full two years before the Cortés letters.
It is my own opinion that the two cannon belonged to the Mission. Consider, that the Mission
walls had two bastions. Many items were donated, or given to a mission as hand-me-downs.
These two pieces fit nicely into that category. During the 1812-1813 Gutierrez-Magee
expedition, it is known that the missionaries remained loyal to Spain. It may be that when
Salcedo retreated to Béjar, the priest had the cannon cut in half and buried so as not to let them
fall into rebel hands. Although, I must admit that I have never seen any mention of cannon at
Mission Espiritu Santo, in any period document.
Maybe we will never know. But then maybe, just maybe, a document that would answer
these questions is sitting on a dusty shelf somewhere waiting for someone to come along and
find it.
My source of information for this comes from an article in the Bulletin of the Texas Archeology
Society “ Bronze Cannons and Ardent Spirits at La Bahia” by Curtis Tunnell (Vol 70 : 1999).
Also from personal communication with Jared Ramirez head of interpretation at Goliad State
Park and Historic site, and my own observations.
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