Mission Nuestra Senora de la Luz del Orcoquisac and Presidio San Agustin de Ahumada

The Orcoquiza, an Atakapan people, shaped what happened here. They worked with the friars at first, and in 1759 a revolt was averted only when Spain executed a soldier who had killed one of them. When inspectors urged closing the post in 1767, the Orcoquiza and Bidai asked Spain to keep the missions, and after the garrison left in 1771 three soldiers and a friar stayed on at their request. The 1936 state marker went up on the Trinity's west side. Excavations in 1965 and 1966 by John V. Clay placed the site on the east bank.

What the plaque says

Mission Nuestra Senora de la Luz del Orcoquisac and Presidio San Agustin de Ahumada Two of the most misfortune-ridden outposts of Spain in texas, "Our Lady of the Light" mission and its auxiliary fort, were founded near here in 1756 to guard against French encroachment from the east. The two friars who were to minister to members of the Orcoquisac tribe arrived shortly after the 30 soldiers who were to man the fort. Soon, however, the elder friar died. The younger, asking to be relieved of his duties, complained vividly of biting insects, extremes of heat and cold, and the thick and stinking water in the lake near the lonely mission. The 50 families who were to establish a town at the site never arrived, and although valiant efforts were made at improvement, conditions instead became worse. A woeful lack of training among the soldiers sparked unrest among the Indians. Meager supplies of food, clothing, and ammunition were the rule, and some commanders treated their men with great cruelty. In 1767, an official inspector reported that due to the terrain, discord among the staff, and failure to convert the Indians, the presidio and mission should be closed. In 1771, fearing an invasion of Apaches, the authorities withdrew the personnel, and these two remote outposts of Spain were totally abandoned. (1970)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site — 22 mi
  The 1,200 acres of coastal prairie and marsh where the Texas Revolution ended in eighteen minutes, and the 567-foot shaft of fossil-studded limestone that has stood over them since 1939.
• Space Center Houston — 29 mi
  The visitor center of NASA's Johnson Space Center at Clear Lake, with flown capsules, a shuttle replica riding a 747, and tram tours to Mission Control and a Saturn V.

More markers nearby

• Joseph Blancpain's French Trading Post — steps away
• Site of Old Wallisville — steps away
• Wallisville Cemetery — 0.7 mi
• Near Site of the Signing of Turtle Bayou Resolutions — 5.0 mi