Espejo - Beltran Expedition - 1582-1583

Following the Rodriguez - Chamuscado Expedition of 1581 there was increased interest in the area now known as New Mexico and Texas. There was also concern for the safety of Fray Rodriguez and Fray Lopez, who had stayed in the area. In 1582 a Franciscan priest from Santa Barbara, Mexico, Fray Bernadino Beltran, formed an expedition to find the missionaries. His military escort was led by Antonio De Espejo, a former Santa Barbara merchant and rancher living in voluntary exile over a legal dispute with the Spanish authorities. The expedition departed the mining outpost of San Bartolome in November 1582. By the following January they had reached the El Paso area. In present New Mexico they learned that Fray Rodriguez and Fray Lopez had been killed by Indians. Fray Beltran led a small party back to Mexico, but Espejo and several companions stayed to check the Indian stories of silver mines and wealthy pueblos. On their journey the Spaniards became the first explorers in the region from the Pecos River Valley to the Junta de Los Rios, the junction of the Concho River and the Rio Grande. The reports of their explorations further heightened the interest in the area. 1981

Espejo - Beltran Expedition - 1582-1583 is a historical marker in San Elizario, El Paso County, dedicated in 1981. It is one of 94 historical markers documented in El Paso County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 140 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 31.5853, -106.2730 near San Elizario. The nearest cataloged historic site is Onate, Juan de, Expedition - 1598 (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Rodriguez - Chamuscado Expedition - 1581, San Elizario, and Salt War.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5141001503. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.