Antonio Margil de Jesus was born in Valencia, Spain, on August 18, 1657. As a young boy, Margil expressed his desire to become a Franciscan. On April 22, 1673, he received the order's habit at La Corona de Cristo in Valencia. Then at the age of twenty-five, he received Holy Orders and soon accepted the challenge of missionary work in New Spain. He also spent time as a missionary in Yucatán, Costa Rica, and Guatemala. After a brief illness in early 1716, he traveled to East Texas to set up Franciscan missions. When he arrived in July, Margil supervised the founding of Nuestra Señora de Los Dolores and San Miguel de Los Adaes. Then in February of 1720, he founded at San Antonio, the most successful of all Texas missions, San José y San Miguel de Aguayo. Even though his career in Texas was short, he is one of the most famous missionaries to serve in Texas. [2]

The Fray Antonio Margil de Jesus statue is located on the grounds of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Nacogdoches, Texas (2508 Appleby Sand Road). The statue's dedication was in 1976, and Hispanic artist Antonio Mendoza sculpted the bronze statue. [3]

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This statue is located on the south side of Main Street in Nacogdoches just east of the square and features Sam Houston (1793-1863) and Cherokee Chief Bowl (1756-1839). On February 23, 1836, Sam Houston and Chief Bowl signed a treaty granting Cherokees land in East Texas. The Republic of Texas did not honor the treaty and war broke out between the Texans and local tribes. [2]

Chief Bowl, the principal chief of the Cherokees in Texas, was born in North Carolina around 1756. Between 1810 and 1819, Chief Bowl and his people moved around until they settled just north of Nacogdoches. In Texas, Chief Bowl became the primary "civil" chief or "peace chief" of a council that united several Cherokee villages. Starting in 1822, Bowl began negotiations with the Mexican government for a land grant or land title for the Cherokees in East Texas. He cooperated with the Mexican government in putting down the Fredonian Rebellion, but still did not receive a land grant. In 1833 he made another attempt to secure from the Mexican government land on the Angelina, Neches, and Trinity rivers, but negotiations were interrupted by political unrest in Texas. Finally, in 1833 Chief Bowl and Sam Houston negotiated a treaty guaranteeing the tribe possession of lands occupied in East Texas. However, after the Texas Revolution, the senate of the Republic of Texas invalidated the treaty. Afterward, Chief Bowl allied with people wanting a Mexican re invasion of Texas. Because of this brief alignment, President Mirabeau Lamar ordered Chief Bowl and his people to leave Texas. Unwilling to leave, Chief Bowl mobilized his warriors to resist expulsion. On July 16, 1839, Chief Bowl was killed in the Battle of the Neches. [3]

Friends of Historic Nacogdoches, Inc. sponsored this bronze statue, and Michael Boyett (1943-2015) sculpted it, and the dedication was on June 7, 2003. [4]

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