Los Adaes State Historic Site is a colonial presidio that interprets the Spanish presence in western Louisiana in the eighteenth century. In the wake of the establishment of a French outpost in Natchitoches in 1714, Spanish colonial officials decided to establish missions across the province of Texas to create a buffer against any further French intrusions. They hoped that the missions would convert the native population to Roman Catholicism, and that civil settlements would develop around the missions. As part of this effort, a Spanish expedition led by Captain Domingo Ramón established a series of missions in Texas. The further eastern settlement in Texas was Mission San Miguel de Linares de Los Adaes among the Adaes Indians, established in 1717 just fifteen miles west of the French Fort St. Jean Baptiste. The Adaes, who are believed to have been part of the Caddo Indian group, initially welcomed the Spanish. In 1719, prompted by a war between Spain and France in Europe, a group of French soldiers “attacked” and took control of the mission from the one soldier and one layman who were there. After Spain and France reached a truce, Spanish colonial administrators sent a large military expedition, led by the new governor of Texas, Marques de Aguayo, into East Texas to reassert Spanish control of the area. In 1721, the Spanish reestablished the mission at Los Adaes at a different location, and within a few years had built a presidio manned by 100 soldiers. Thus, Los Adaes became a cornerstone in New Spain’s defense against the French. In 1729, Los Adaes was named the capital of the province of Texas, though the Texas governors had been residing at Los Adaes since 1721. That same year, the number of troops at Los Adaes was reduced to sixty. Over time, the wooden presidio rotted and was rebuilt several times. In spite of the international rivalries between France and Spain, Los Adaes had close ties to Fort St. Jean Baptiste because of their proximity in the remote frontier. Not only did they engage in illicit trade, the two outposts shared soldiers and priests when necessary. In the aftermath of the French and Indian War, in which France ceded all of its land holdings west of the Mississippi to Spain, Los Adaes was no longer an important strategic location. Furthermore, the mission to the Adaes Indians had been a failure. Consequently, Spanish officials ordered Los Adaes to close in 1772, and its residents moved to San Antonio. A few years later, a group of Adaesaños returned to East Texas and established the town of Nacogdoches. Today, many local communities, including Zwolle, Ebarb, Spanish Lake, and Robeline, have direct ties to Los Adaes. Following the abandonment of Los Adaes in 1772, the site lay relatively undisturbed until the twentieth century, when local pothunters raided it. Fortunately, the archaeological efforts of Dr. Pete Gregory helped to identify and preserve the site in the 1970s, when it was acquired from the Natchitoches Parish Police Jury by Louisiana State Parks. An archaeology lab was built on the site around 1984, and interpretive programs began in the 1990s. Today, Los Adaes State Historic Site is still largely an undeveloped archaeological site. The park’s long range plans call for a partial reconstruction of the presidio and mission to be located away from the original foundation to protect the archaeological integrity of the site. The plan also proposes a new state-of-the-art archaeological facility, a visitor center, and interpretive trails.