Juan Galván (? -?) Was a Spanish soldier and explorer who stressed as an ensign and explorer in San Antonio, Texas.
Juan Galvan was born in the eighteenth century, however, the precise place and date of birth is unknown. It is known that he began his military career around 1710. In the 1720s he was posted to San Antonio of Bexar as an explorer, a city that does not populate until 1931. In 1734 he served as ensign in San Antonio. Later, Galvan was assigned to Mission San Xavier del Bac for what, the explorador elected thirty men of the garrisons of Los Adaes and Carancahua Bay. Thus, the March 13, 1748, Galvan began to participate in such missions. However, in the first report he wrote on the issue, he said he needed more than thirty men to protect the three missions by recommending the built the establishment of a presidio of fifty soldiers. In June 1749 he returned to Bexar to try to make with Governor Pedro del Barrio Junco y Espriella a solution to the valley of San Xavier (San Gabriel). He personally investigated the valley for decide how to conduct the expedition. On 28 August, after returning from his expedition, Barrio elected to lieutenant Galván to lead a new group of soldiers to San Javier. In June 1753 he received orders from the viceroy to explore Apache territory. Few men wanted to investigate the region, so the expedition set out with only a few men and this went to Pedernales, Llano and San Saba rivers. In San Saba, after that Galván spoke with a group of Apaches who accepted the creation of a mission in the area, Galvan informed the viceroy that had strong signs of rich minerals and that he hoped that many Apaches arrived on a mission in that area . His report was what caused the establishment of the Presidio San Saba.
Juan Galvan married in 1723 with Xaviera Francisca Maldonado, daughter of a sergeant, in San Antonio. Galvan and his wife had ten children.