Goliad, TX - Presidio La Bahia Our Lady of Loreto Chapel - 2
Our Lady of Loreto Chapel at the Presidio de la Bahia, a fort constructed by the Spanish Army that became the nucleus of the city of Goliad, Texas. Originally founded in 1721 on the ruins of the failed French Fort Saint Louis, the presidio was moved to a location on the Guadalupe River in 1726. In 1747, the presidio and its mission were moved to their current location on the San Antonio River. By 1770, the presidio had been rebuilt in stone and had become "the only Spanish fortress for the entire Gulf Coast from the mouth of the Rio Grande to the Mississippi River". Photo by Carol Highsmith.