José de Azlor y Virto de Vera

[3] During the War of the Quadruple Alliance, Great Britain and France, who were aligned together against Spain, attempted to take over Spanish interests in North America.

[4] In June 1719, seven Frenchmen from Natchitoches, Louisiana took control of the eastern Texas mission of San Miguel de los Adaes from its sole defender, who did not know that the countries were at war.

[7] The governorship confirmed at Aranjuez by the king in May 1721, Aguayo replied back with gratitude that "the restoration of Texas, New Kingdom of the Philippines, should have been entrusted to my feeble management.

"[8] Having to address Indian troubles in Coahuila, a devastating drought that killed more than 80% of the horses he had purchased for the expedition, and subsequent torrential rains, Aguayo was unable to depart until late 1720.

[9] In July 1721, while approaching the Neches River, Aguayo's expedition met Louis St. Denis, commander of the French forces in the area, who was leading a raid with the objective of taking control of the Spanish mission at San Antonio de Bexar.

Aguayo ordered the building of a new Spanish fort, Nuestra Señora del Pilar de los Adaes, located near present-day Robeline, Louisiana, only 12 mi (19 km) from the French settlement at Natchitoches.

[11] Nearby they established a mission, Espíritu Santo de Zúñiga (also known as La Bahía), for the Coco, Karankawa, and Cujane Indians.

[15] Mismanagement and the hazards of raising livestock in a drought-prone region drove the Aguayo family to sell much of their property to English investors in 1825.

Arms of the Marquises of Aguayo
Juan Antonio de la Peña chronicled the Marquis de Aguayo's 1720-1722 expedition to the "Land of the Texans" in the "Nuevo Reyno de Philipinas"
Spanish routes through northern New Spain . Note the map on which the route is superimposed is anachronistic: the province of New Philippines was north of the Nueces river, near Corpus Christi; the Louisiana border was 45 miles further east, at the Rio Hondo