Winner, Presidio La Bahia Award, Sons of the Republic of Texas, 2000
Texas Old Missions and Forts Restoration Association Book Award, the Texas Old Missions and Fort Restoration Association and the Texas Catholic Historical Society, 2001

The Spanish colonial era in Texas (1528-1821) continues to emerge from the shadowy past with every new archaeological and historical discovery. In this book, years of archival sleuthing by Donald E. Chipman and Harriett Denise Joseph now reveal the real human beings behind the legendary figures who discovered, explored, and settled Spanish Texas.

By combining dramatic, real-life incidents, biographical sketches, and historical background, the authors bring to life these famous (and sometimes infamous) men of Spanish Texas:

• Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca
• Alonso de León
• Francisco Hidalgo
• Louis Juchereau de St. Denis
• Antonio Margil
• The Marqués de Aguayo
• Pedro de Rivera
• Felipe de Rábago
• José de Escandón
• Athanase de Mézières
• The Marqués de Rubí
• Antonio Gil Ibarvo
• Domingo Cabello
• José Bernardo Gutiérrez de Lara
• Joaquín de Arredondo

The authors also devote a chapter to the women of Spanish Texas, drawing on scarce historical clues to tell the stories of both well-known and previously unknown Tejana, Indian, and African women.