Podcast Summary

Overview

Episode: Tim Seiter, "Wrangling Pelicans: Military Life in Texas Presidios"
Host: Kendall Dineen
Guest: Dr. Tim Seiter
Podcast: New Books Network
Date: November 19, 2025

In this episode, host Kendall Dineen interviews Dr. Tim Seiter about his book Wrangling Pelicans: Military Life in Texas Presidios (University of Texas Press, 2025). The conversation explores the overlooked, complex daily lives of Spanish soldiers and their families in Texas presidios during the 18th century, the unexpected autonomy they exercised, and their relationships with indigenous groups—particularly the Caranquas. The book challenges prevailing narratives of Texas history and offers multidimensional, often surprising accounts of life on the far-flung imperial frontier.

Main Discussion Points and Insights

Origins & Purpose of the Book

• Nuanced Historiography:

  • Seiter began as a historian of indigenous peoples, specifically the Caranquas. He realized that previous works were biased. To offer nuance, he decided to center the perspectives of Presidio soldiers (02:10).
  • "By inhabiting [the Karanquas'] viewpoint, I was getting really biased towards the Presidio soldiers...I wanted to fix that because we know the best history is nuance, and we look at all the different perspectives in a holistic way." — Dr. Tim Seiter (02:19)

• Bottom-Up Social History:

  • Prior studies largely examined presidios from the top—focusing on commanders, troop numbers, and armaments. Seiter’s work focuses on the daily lives of ordinary soldiers and their families, providing a 'bottom-up' social history (03:36).

  • "Most historians and scholars...always tackled it from a very macro level...They never focused on the privates or the daily men...I wanted to turn things around and focus on the everyday man." — Dr. Tim Seiter (03:45)

The Book's Tone & Stories

• Engaging & Accessible:
  • The book intentionally blends deep archival research with dramatic and accessible storytelling—“very much telenovelas from the archive” (05:16).
  • "I think that you can do both. You can write for a popular audience and other academics." — Dr. Tim Seiter (05:23)

“Wrangling Pelicans”: The Title’s Origin

• The Pelican Incident:
  • The book’s title refers to a 1770s request by King Carlos III for pelicans from Texas for his royal menagerie. Soldiers at Fort La Bahia ignored the dangerous command, defying imperial orders rather than risk their lives among powerful indigenous Caranqua territory (06:17).
  • "Spain had a paper empire...the reality on the ground was totally different...the people living in Texas...were at the whim of the dominant native peoples." — Dr. Tim Seiter (07:33)

Life at the Presidios: Hardship, Entertainment, and Agency

• Survival & Recreation:

  • Life was perilous—food shortages, scurvy, and hostile environment. Attacks prevented agriculture, so soldiers and their families turned to gambling, marbles, cards, and cockfights for entertainment (11:01).
  • Women actively participated as gamblers, often running games like '31' (similar to blackjack) and using the house advantage to earn income (12:16).

• Imperial Control vs. Local Autonomy:

  • The Spanish crown’s regulations were weak in remote Texas, giving locals both hardship (lack of supplies) and freedom (skirting restrictions, self-governance) (12:48).

Gender, Rights, and Women’s Power

• Women as Economic & Social Agents:
  • Contrary to stereotypes, women in Spanish Texas wielded substantial power: inheriting property, running ranches, giving loans, and managing businesses. Isolation and high male mortality led to legal and social agency rarely seen elsewhere in colonial North America (14:02).
  • "Women in Spanish Texas...had some of the most rights in all of the Americas. And among a lot of different European empires, they were really much more powerful than people give them credit for in Texas." — Dr. Tim Seiter (15:14)

Health, Medicine, and Survival Tactics

• Two Paths to Health:
  • Elites sought professional care outside Texas, escaping to hot springs or trained doctors in Mexico City. Most others relied on barber-surgeons (unlicensed doctors) and the deep herbal knowledge of local indigenous women (16:03).

Military Discipline and Justice

• Desertion and Light Punishments:
  • Desertion was common and leniently treated due to the dire need for manpower. Justice was less through incarceration than via public shame—like "sweeping the plaza," a punishment considered emasculating (18:33, 20:57).
  • "You have people all the time who are insubordinate and who desert their post. But...the captains and commanders are much more willing to forgive these offenses." — Dr. Tim Seiter (18:45)

Indigenous Power: The Caranquas

• Reframing Indigenous Identity:

  • Spanish accounts painted the Caranquas as savages and cannibals—propaganda to justify colonial failures. Seiter calls them the “Jewelers of Texas,” highlighting their central role as trade intermediaries and skilled artisans. Their manufactured shell jewelry traveled as far as the Great Lakes. They policed their lands and repeatedly thwarted Spanish ambitions for centuries (23:26).

  • "They are usually referred to as the cannibals of Texas, which is...colonial propaganda." — Dr. Tim Seiter (25:16)

  • "The Caronquas...were a very friendly people...because they made their living through trade." — Dr. Tim Seiter (24:00)

Following a Life: Antonio Treviño and Family

• Personalizing History:
  • The book traces the life of Antonio Treviño, an ordinary soldier who engaged peacefully with indigenous groups—serving as the narrative’s backbone. The final chapter, crafted via critical fabulation, re-imagines the life of Treviño’s unnamed wife, synthesizing fragmentary archival references to reconstruct women’s experiences (26:32, 29:49).
  • "I wanted there to be a through line that we were following a particular person's journey from their birth all the way to their death." — Dr. Tim Seiter (26:44)
  • "Piecing together...her story was very difficult. I actually wrote this chapter the fastest of all of them." — Dr. Tim Seiter (31:27)

Open-Access Archival Resource

• texasdocuments.com:
  • Seiter created an online resource, texasdocuments.com, collecting translated and original primary sources for Spanish Texas—intended for students, teachers, and researchers. The site also features curated research guides with the best scholarly literature (32:56).

Rethinking Texas History

• Expanding the Narrative:

  • Seiter urges readers to rethink Texas history beyond its Anglo-centric framing, centering Tejanos, indigenous peoples, and a broader, more inclusive view.

  • "Texas history should not be confined to only, like, the white history, that we need to incorporate all peoples, and this space prior to the 1800s was dominated by native peoples..." — Dr. Tim Seiter (36:20)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "If you ever found yourself in an excellent adventure like Bill and Ted and you found yourself in Texas during the 1700s, you should read my book...so you have a good idea of what you can expect." — Dr. Tim Seiter (04:45)
• On sources: "Very much telenovelas from the archive." — Dr. Tim Seiter (05:23)
• On public justice: "The worst type of punishment you can receive, especially as a Presidio soldier...is quote unquote, sweeping the plaza. So...that was a apparently a very effective form of punishment." — Dr. Tim Seiter (20:57)
• On women as bankers and ranchers: "Women had a lot of legal protections...you have all these widows in Spanish Texas that have a lot of money...and act as almost bankers for the settlement...Women and girls learn how to ride a horse because they have to." — Dr. Tim Seiter (14:22)
• On colonial propaganda: "They are usually referred to as the cannibals of Texas, which is not something that I think should be their identification...I think that them being known as the jewelers of Texas is a much better description..." — Dr. Tim Seiter (25:16)
• On creating archival access: "If you want to find a source in my book, you can simply go to texasdocuments.com...and have every single source I use my book available for you to access, read, both in the translated version and the untranslated version." — Dr. Tim Seiter (33:24)

Key Timestamps

• [02:10] — Origins & scholarly context of the book
• [03:36] — Breaking with past histories: bottom-up social history
• [05:51] — Opening anecdote: King Carlos III, pelicans, and paper empire
• [09:10] — La Bahia fortress’s origin and relocation
• [11:01] — Hardships and daily entertainments (gambling, cockfights)
• [14:02] — Women’s unexpected rights and power in Spanish Texas
• [16:03] — Health, medicine, and indigenous knowledge
• [18:33] — Desertion, justice, and community shame
• [23:26] — Reframing the Caranquas as trade intermediaries: “the Jewelers of Texas”
• [26:32] — Narrative focus on Antonio Treviño and his wife, archival challenges
• [32:56] — Introduction and purpose of texasdocuments.com
• [35:16] — What Seiter hopes readers gain from the book
• [38:10] — Seiter’s next projects: museum exhibit and a Caranqua history

Conclusion

This conversation illuminates the everyday realities of life and power on the colonial Texas frontier, disrupts mythic narratives, and spotlights the agency of ordinary people, especially women and indigenous groups. Dr. Seiter’s Wrangling Pelicans and its supporting website offer a vital, multifaceted resource for both scholars and general readers eager to see Texas history in a fuller, more honest light.