Franciscan missionaries established the mission in 1749 in hopes of civilizing and christianizing the Coco, Mayeye, Orcoquiza, Karankawa, and other Indian tribes. The martyrdom of Padre José Ganzabal and the circumstances connected with it led to the departure of the Indians and the friars and to the mission’s removal to the San Marcos River in 1755. In 1762 it was reestablished on the Sabinal River for the conversion of the Lipan Apaches under the same name, Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria.