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The Spanish Frontier in North America
This magisterial book is the definitive history of the Spanish colonial period in North America. Authoritative and colorful, the book describes not only the Spaniards` impact on the lives, institutions, and environments of the native peoples, but also the effect of native North Americans on the societies and cultures of the Spanish settlers [from Florida to California].
602 pages, Paperback
First published September 23, 1992
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295 people want to read
About the author
David J. Weber
54 books6 followersDavid J. Weber was founding director of the Clements Center for Southwest Studies at Southern Methodist University. His research focused on the history of the Southwestern U.S. and its transition from Spanish and Mexican control to becoming part of the United States.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 28, 2015
This is great - I could definitely use this in constructing an early American history class. And it was the rare book that appeared on two of my comps lists! Double-down book! I don't think I could assign readings from it but I would use it in putting together lectures. Weber is arguing that you can't understand US history without the former Spanish possessions that became part of the US. Basically that means the whole southern swath from Florida through Louisiana and Texas to New Mexico and California. Lotta land.
The key here is examining the area as a Spanish frontier flirting with becoming a French or British, or later American frontier. The Spanish did not pour resources into their frontier (why would they? They had plenty to deal with in Mexico and Peru, etc). So basically they tried to do their frontier on the cheap with missions and maybe a few troops, but not with a lot of money. That opened things up to the French/Brits/Americas to swarm in commercially and offer better deals to the Indians, swaying the frontier in other directions.
One thing I loved and will definitely use is this idea of re-imagining the American Revolution as the triumph of New Spain. Remember, Spain entered the war on the American side. So at the end, they got back Florida and they already had Louisiana, and still Tex and New Mex and California...New Spain had never been bigger. But they had helped gain independence for the grabbiest, most expansion loving, commercial swarming, manifest destiny-ing people the world has ever seen. The triumph of New Spain would be brief.
The key here is examining the area as a Spanish frontier flirting with becoming a French or British, or later American frontier. The Spanish did not pour resources into their frontier (why would they? They had plenty to deal with in Mexico and Peru, etc). So basically they tried to do their frontier on the cheap with missions and maybe a few troops, but not with a lot of money. That opened things up to the French/Brits/Americas to swarm in commercially and offer better deals to the Indians, swaying the frontier in other directions.
One thing I loved and will definitely use is this idea of re-imagining the American Revolution as the triumph of New Spain. Remember, Spain entered the war on the American side. So at the end, they got back Florida and they already had Louisiana, and still Tex and New Mex and California...New Spain had never been bigger. But they had helped gain independence for the grabbiest, most expansion loving, commercial swarming, manifest destiny-ing people the world has ever seen. The triumph of New Spain would be brief.
July 30, 2016
Although American history books will generally mention the early exploration of North America by figures like de Soto, little attention on the whole is given to the Spanish colonial enterprise. At its height, Spain's flag flew from the eastern coast of Florida, at St. Augustine, all the way across the continent to Baja California. That height was reached shortly after the American Revolution, followed by a dramatic decline after the French wars erupted. While the Southwest still retains its Spanish stamp, in places like the Carolinas or Alabama there's very little left to remember New Spain by. The Spanish Frontier in North America offers a history of the Spanish colonial enterprise in North America as it waxed and waned with Spain's continental ambitions.
Largely a work of politics, Weber devotes some space toward the end on culture, and especially toward how Spain is remembered in architectural styles like Mission Revival. At its most basic, it is a sweeping history of Europe's exploration and resettlement of southern North America, The author contends that understanding American (U.S.) history is impossible without appreciating Spanish America. It certainly can't be ignored, especially given Spain's role in the war for independence, and The Spanish Frontier opens a new world for me in demonstrating not only the expanse of Spanish exploration, but the amount of conflict between Spain, France, and Britain which unfolded for centuries before the thirteen English colonies ever entered the international arena. Also of note, and displayed here, are the European powers' ever-shifting attitudes towards Native Americans, spanning war and marriage. While all three major powers attempted to cultivate their neighboring tribes as trading partners -- Spain was also very keen on Christianizing the Pueblos, Hopis, etc. This christening wasn't simply a religious introduction, either: the intent was to create Europeans out of the Pueblos, in language, farming, and dress. Ultimately, even the españoles would adopt their diet and architecture to the new climate as the native incorporated European plants and animals into their culture, creating something closer to a dynamic than a one-way cultural conquest.
I found The Spanish Frontier dense but fascinating. I never knew how far north Spanish explorers trekked, creating posts even in the Carolinas, and that they explored deep into the American interior. I was also unaware of the amount of European warfare on the continent prior to the revolution: Florida exchanged hands several times! Similarly eye-raising was the swiftness of Spain's fall: while it was able to reclaim a lot of lost territory after the Treaty of Paris which ended the American revolution, that brief moment when it stretched from coast to coast was a definite peak: shortly thereafter, Spain fell into succession crises, followed by the French revolution which isolated the colonies from Spain proper. The rising Americans made short work of claiming Florida and pushing across the Mississippi, The author has an odd detachment from European culture, sometimes writing about it as though it were foreign. He informs the readers, for instance, that the Christian rite of initiation is baptism, and that Christians worshiped in places called 'churches'. Is he writing to Martians? Weber's work has the heft of a textbook, and is copiously researched: slightly less than half the text consists of notes. Though it looks intimidating, it seems very valuable as a colonial reference book.
Largely a work of politics, Weber devotes some space toward the end on culture, and especially toward how Spain is remembered in architectural styles like Mission Revival. At its most basic, it is a sweeping history of Europe's exploration and resettlement of southern North America, The author contends that understanding American (U.S.) history is impossible without appreciating Spanish America. It certainly can't be ignored, especially given Spain's role in the war for independence, and The Spanish Frontier opens a new world for me in demonstrating not only the expanse of Spanish exploration, but the amount of conflict between Spain, France, and Britain which unfolded for centuries before the thirteen English colonies ever entered the international arena. Also of note, and displayed here, are the European powers' ever-shifting attitudes towards Native Americans, spanning war and marriage. While all three major powers attempted to cultivate their neighboring tribes as trading partners -- Spain was also very keen on Christianizing the Pueblos, Hopis, etc. This christening wasn't simply a religious introduction, either: the intent was to create Europeans out of the Pueblos, in language, farming, and dress. Ultimately, even the españoles would adopt their diet and architecture to the new climate as the native incorporated European plants and animals into their culture, creating something closer to a dynamic than a one-way cultural conquest.
I found The Spanish Frontier dense but fascinating. I never knew how far north Spanish explorers trekked, creating posts even in the Carolinas, and that they explored deep into the American interior. I was also unaware of the amount of European warfare on the continent prior to the revolution: Florida exchanged hands several times! Similarly eye-raising was the swiftness of Spain's fall: while it was able to reclaim a lot of lost territory after the Treaty of Paris which ended the American revolution, that brief moment when it stretched from coast to coast was a definite peak: shortly thereafter, Spain fell into succession crises, followed by the French revolution which isolated the colonies from Spain proper. The rising Americans made short work of claiming Florida and pushing across the Mississippi, The author has an odd detachment from European culture, sometimes writing about it as though it were foreign. He informs the readers, for instance, that the Christian rite of initiation is baptism, and that Christians worshiped in places called 'churches'. Is he writing to Martians? Weber's work has the heft of a textbook, and is copiously researched: slightly less than half the text consists of notes. Though it looks intimidating, it seems very valuable as a colonial reference book.
April 8, 2022
A comprehensive view of the Spanish presence and influence in North America. Weber's approach is multifaceted and he considers all aspects of the Spanish frontier from religion to economics. Perhaps I'm ignorant, but I had no idea Spaniards went so far in terms of exploration or that they played such a part in events like the American Revolution. The final chapter, which considered the histriography of Spanish borderlands, was one of the strongest parts. Great read!
December 24, 2012
Frontiers, in the plural, might be better. While many of us may call to mind Santa Fe, or the Alamo, the Spaniards were settled in, or exploring or defending, many places in North America. Only tenuously connected to each other, these frontier areas included Florida, the Gulf Coast, Texas, New Mexico, California and Arizona.
While New Mexico was reachable from Chihuahua, the Llano Estacado separated it from Texas. The Sierra Madre, water supplies in Mexico and such, separated New Mexico from the late-settled California and the even more tenuous hold on Arizona, not to mention that it was easier to get to California by sailing from Mexico out into the Central Pacific then taking trade winds back ... even from the Philippines. Apaches and Yaquis separated Arizona from California.
Meanwhile, the Gulf Coast and Florida weren't settled or explored from Mexico and so the first pages of their Spanish history were different.
As with all the European powers, dealing with the various Indian tribes was a large part of colonization. Weber takes a careful look at this, shows how the interaction went both ways and how the Spanish at least come off better in many ways than the English. That is also to say they come off better than the English's Anglo-American descendants as well.
Weber shows how Spain was less exterministic and more flexible in dealing with Indians than Anglos were, while doing so on a shoestring.
None of the Spanish frontiers in today's United States had anywhere near the degree of colonization that the British colonies had; for that matter, the Spanish would have settled for the number of Frenchmen who went to Quebec and elsewhere in Canada. Meanwhile, outside of New Mexico and Florida, by the time the Spanish got into various parts of North America, the empire's administration, military prowess and economy were all on the decline.
Yet, Spain persevered.
Read how, and what it does, could and should mean for our country today, in this very informative book. Ironically, I bought it at Coronado National Memorial -- one of Spain's first crossings into today's United States.
While New Mexico was reachable from Chihuahua, the Llano Estacado separated it from Texas. The Sierra Madre, water supplies in Mexico and such, separated New Mexico from the late-settled California and the even more tenuous hold on Arizona, not to mention that it was easier to get to California by sailing from Mexico out into the Central Pacific then taking trade winds back ... even from the Philippines. Apaches and Yaquis separated Arizona from California.
Meanwhile, the Gulf Coast and Florida weren't settled or explored from Mexico and so the first pages of their Spanish history were different.
As with all the European powers, dealing with the various Indian tribes was a large part of colonization. Weber takes a careful look at this, shows how the interaction went both ways and how the Spanish at least come off better in many ways than the English. That is also to say they come off better than the English's Anglo-American descendants as well.
Weber shows how Spain was less exterministic and more flexible in dealing with Indians than Anglos were, while doing so on a shoestring.
None of the Spanish frontiers in today's United States had anywhere near the degree of colonization that the British colonies had; for that matter, the Spanish would have settled for the number of Frenchmen who went to Quebec and elsewhere in Canada. Meanwhile, outside of New Mexico and Florida, by the time the Spanish got into various parts of North America, the empire's administration, military prowess and economy were all on the decline.
Yet, Spain persevered.
Read how, and what it does, could and should mean for our country today, in this very informative book. Ironically, I bought it at Coronado National Memorial -- one of Spain's first crossings into today's United States.
January 2, 2017
This was a very comprehensive survey of a subject that I knew little about.
July 6, 2024
When people ask if I picked up any Spanish from my nine years in Los Angeles, I like to say, “Sure: ¡yo quiero Taco Bell!” This may not be technically true, but since the first Taco Bell opened in an L.A. suburb, it’s truthy enough for casual conversation.
Taco Bell is a good avatar for many histories of Spain’s imperial frontier in North America: an expression of American flair refracted through a Hispanic prism that may or may not reflect historical realities. One of this book's strengths is its running dialogue with competing historiographies, from the “Black Legend” of Spanish degeneracy and cruelty to the Boltonian school of whitewashed noble civilizers.
I enjoyed learning more about the northern fringes of colonial New Spain, which for three centuries sprawled in fits and starts from Florida to California. David J. Weber’s history is colorful and highly readable. If you’re not sure an Anglo-American academic could do the subject justice, it might help to know that both Spain and Mexico awarded him the highest civil honors available to foreigners.
This book helped me understand why Spain failed to establish its North American colonies on a more permanent footing. For one thing, these regions simply lacked the mineral wealth that made fortunes. Florida, New Mexico, Texas, and California had value as defensive buffers, but other provinces were too profitable for these northern outposts to attract serious settlement.
For another thing, the Spanish economy was a basket case. Aztec and Incan gold inflated Spanish manufacturers out of their own markets. Mercantilist policies sucked resources toward the monarchical center and forbade external trade, stagnating the frontiers. Dominant military priorities stifled and warped local economies. In short, the Spanish fringe was never set up for success against the commercial and military weight of expansive Anglo-American colonists.
I also appreciated Weber’s focus on Spanish influence on indigenous tribes and vice versa, though Hispanic culture predominately overwhelmed tribal societies. The mission system is an example of good intentions gone disastrously wrong as Franciscan determination to Christianize and civilize American tribes fostered epidemics and broke millenia-old lifeways.
The introduction of the horse is another great example. While the mobility provided by horses converted Southeastern hunter-gatherers into commercial fur hunters addicted to European trade goods, it transformed Plains tribes into highly effective and organized war machines. Colonial history is nothing if not a morality play about the law of unintended consequences.
If you have an interest in the history of these regions, this is a great starting point. I’ll also point out that one of Spain’s great defeats at the hands of indigenous warriors happened in Nebraska. Never again would the Spaniards seriously entertain designs on the Great Plains. I guess I can thank the Pawnee and Oto that I live in Lincoln instead of El Pueblo de Hernándo Cortéz de Santa María or whatever.
Taco Bell is a good avatar for many histories of Spain’s imperial frontier in North America: an expression of American flair refracted through a Hispanic prism that may or may not reflect historical realities. One of this book's strengths is its running dialogue with competing historiographies, from the “Black Legend” of Spanish degeneracy and cruelty to the Boltonian school of whitewashed noble civilizers.
I enjoyed learning more about the northern fringes of colonial New Spain, which for three centuries sprawled in fits and starts from Florida to California. David J. Weber’s history is colorful and highly readable. If you’re not sure an Anglo-American academic could do the subject justice, it might help to know that both Spain and Mexico awarded him the highest civil honors available to foreigners.
This book helped me understand why Spain failed to establish its North American colonies on a more permanent footing. For one thing, these regions simply lacked the mineral wealth that made fortunes. Florida, New Mexico, Texas, and California had value as defensive buffers, but other provinces were too profitable for these northern outposts to attract serious settlement.
For another thing, the Spanish economy was a basket case. Aztec and Incan gold inflated Spanish manufacturers out of their own markets. Mercantilist policies sucked resources toward the monarchical center and forbade external trade, stagnating the frontiers. Dominant military priorities stifled and warped local economies. In short, the Spanish fringe was never set up for success against the commercial and military weight of expansive Anglo-American colonists.
I also appreciated Weber’s focus on Spanish influence on indigenous tribes and vice versa, though Hispanic culture predominately overwhelmed tribal societies. The mission system is an example of good intentions gone disastrously wrong as Franciscan determination to Christianize and civilize American tribes fostered epidemics and broke millenia-old lifeways.
The introduction of the horse is another great example. While the mobility provided by horses converted Southeastern hunter-gatherers into commercial fur hunters addicted to European trade goods, it transformed Plains tribes into highly effective and organized war machines. Colonial history is nothing if not a morality play about the law of unintended consequences.
If you have an interest in the history of these regions, this is a great starting point. I’ll also point out that one of Spain’s great defeats at the hands of indigenous warriors happened in Nebraska. Never again would the Spaniards seriously entertain designs on the Great Plains. I guess I can thank the Pawnee and Oto that I live in Lincoln instead of El Pueblo de Hernándo Cortéz de Santa María or whatever.
September 11, 2018
Surprisingly gripping narrative of the Spanish Empire's frontier. Weber may focus too much on Spaniards over Native Americans, and military history over social and cultural topics, but he does a great job of showing how an empire works. The initial settlement of Florida and New Mexico, the regions on which Weber mainly focuses, was disastrous for Spain, as Native Americans rebuffed conquistadors. In the seventeenth century, Franciscan missions grew throughout the frontier, but the Pueblo Rebellion of 1680 and English raids upon Florida unsettled Spanish towns. Queen Anne's War (1702–13) and the War of the Quadruple Alliance (1717–20) further limited Spanish expansion. Spain rebounded when it acquired Louisiana and rebuilt its fortresses in the mid-eighteenth century, sending missionaries north to California and exploring the western interior. This resurgent Spanish Empire came crashing down when Napoleon conquered Spain and sold Louisiana to the U.S., and when Mexico declared its independence in 1821–22. This book made me appreciate the effects of European wars on the Americas — hemispheric, if not world, wars — early in the "modern era," as well as the importance of Native American alliances. If anything, it's an abundance of riches. Spanish history in high school never went this deep.
February 19, 2022
genuine game changer, best as a primer to the subject. the focus is very much on the interior provinces, specifically new mexico, with about a chapter each for tejas and alta california. florida is discussed but gets shorter shrift after the 17th century. funny to say this about a book that's 30yrs old but I wish it dug a little deeper into how the spanish past continues to shape e.g. new mexico (politically, geographically, economically) in current events of the american era; as is, the conclusion is mostly a discussion of the black legend in american culture, spanish revival styles, and how the chicano movement resolved the deadlock of the historiographical too-critical vs. not-critical-enough hispanophobe/hispanophile controversy in the academy or whatever
January 29, 2024
Good book for a goodwill find. Weber balances the perspective of this history that represents a juggling act that Weber goes ahead and puts into the text at the end so I would recommend reading into the legacy of the Spanish frontier before actually reading the rest of the book. As in the text itself it is pretty interesting involving first hand accounts and the plethora of experiences from those on the frontier. To me this helped balance out my understanding of the period as colonial america is primarily viewed as an anglo affair.
March 17, 2025
A great way to get a general overview of relatively unfamiliar history, and I appreciated the centering of Indigenous people in telling the story. However, as an overview, it therefore was quite dry and textbook like.
February 22, 2025
Very readable, flows well, extremely educational.
February 2, 2008
I remember reading this during my teaching days, but apparently lacked the time to make notes about it, since I only found in my journal a mention I read it. Overall, it is a thick history book. While the subject was interesting, the prose was very slow.
February 29, 2012
Although a bit dated, this is a wonderful overarching, simple, and succinct history of Spain's presence in the parts of New Spain that would become part of the United States.
October 5, 2015
Outstanding Research. Quite a task to read.
July 15, 2011
Assigned reading for an NEH seminar. Found out about Florida and Texas I didn't know.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews