DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker says about Cementerio del Rio, out in Hays County. One half mile downriver from the old Camino Real crossing, right along the San Marcos River, there is a piece of ground that holds more history than most people ever stopped to notice. Cementerio del Rio — the Cemetery of the River — sits close to where the original Spanish settlement of San Marcos de Neve once stood, a settlement that came and went between 1804 and 1812.
The ground around here has been holding memory for a long, long time. Now, the cemetery itself is believed to have been established through a deed — January 7, 1893 — from H. T.
King and E. D. Stiger to Hays County.
One acre of land, set aside for a church, a school, and Mexican-American burials. One acre, carrying all of that. The earliest surviving inscription in that cemetery marks the death of Calixto Dumas — born 1865, died August 31, 1906.
The latest documented inscription belongs to Maria Jesus Rodriguez, born November 25, 1859, died September 6, 1941. Between those two names, a whole community passed through. And here is where the story gets interesting, if you're paying attention.
A majority of the surviving stones date from 1910 to 1920, and they reflect something happening just across the border — the influx of Mexican immigrants around the time of the Mexican Revolution. Those stones aren't just grave markers. They are evidence of a culture growing roots in San Marcos, stone by stone.
Among the cemetery's most prominent tombstones, four belong to Woodmen of the World. Emilio Garcia, 1883 to 1913. Evaristo R.
Morin, 1885 to 1913. Jose Hernandez, 1877 to 1919. And Octaviano Felan, 1884 to 1915.
Four men, marked with the distinction of that fraternal order, standing out even now among the other stones. Very few inscriptions exist after 1920, and part of the reason, it seems, is that San Pedro Cemetery was established a few miles away in 1909 — and over time, it eclipsed Cementerio del Rio. The trees, stressed and killed by drought, thinned out.
And eventually the site was abandoned. Virtually forgotten, the marker says, until the early 1990s. Forgotten for decades.
But the ground remembered. Cementerio del Rio stands today as evidence of an important time in Hays County's history, and as an indication of the presence and contributions of the Hispanic community in San Marcos. One acre, one river, one hundred years of stories that nearly slipped away — but didn't quite.
What the marker says
LOCATED ON THE SAN MARCOS RIVER, ONE HALF MILE DOWNRIVER FROM THE OLD CAMINO REAL CROSSING, CEMENTERIO DEL RIO IS SITUATED CLOSE TO THE ORIGINAL SPANISH SETTLEMENT OF SAN MARCOS DE NEVE (1804-1812). IT IS BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED WITH A JANUARY 7, 1893 DEED FROM H. T. KING AND E. D. STIGER TO HAYS COUNTY FOR A ONE-ACRE PLOT OF LAND FOR THE PURPOSES OF A CHURCH, SCHOOL, AND MEXICAN-AMERICAN BURIALS. THE EARLIEST SURVIVING INSCRIPTION NOTES A 1906 DEATH (CALIXTO DUMAS, 1865 - AUGUST 31, 1906), WHILE THE LATEST DOCUMENTED INSCRIPTION IS FROM 1941 (MARIA JESUS RODRIGUEZ, NOVEMBER 25, 1859 - SEPTEMBER 6, 1941). VERY FEW INSCRIPTIONS EXIST AFTER 1920, BUT A MAJORITY OF THE SURVIVING STONES, WHICH ARE MAINLY FROM 1910-1920, REFLECT THE INFLUX OF MEXICAN IMMIGRANTS AROUND THE TIME OF THE MEXICAN REVOLUTION, THEREBY EXHIBITING THE GROWTH OF A UNIQUE CULTURE IN SAN MARCOS. THE CEMETERY'S MOST PROMINENT TOMBSTONES BELONG TO FOUR WOODMEN OF THE WORLD, BEING EMILIO GARCIA (1883-1913), EVARISTO R. MORIN (1885-1913), JOSE HERNANDEZ (1877-1919), AND OCTAVIANO FELAN (1884-1915). THE 1909 ESTABLISHMENT OF SAN PEDRO CEMETERY A FEW MILES AWAY SEEMS TO HAVE EVENTUALLY ECLIPSED CEMENTERIO DEL RIO WHILE DROUGHT HAS KILLED AND STRESSED MANY OF THE CEMETERY'S TREES. ALTHOUGH THE SITE WAS ABANDONED AND VIRTUALLY FORGOTTEN UNTIL THE EARLY 1990s, CEMENTERIO DEL RIO SERVES AS EVIDENCE OF AN IMPORTANT TIME IN HAYS COUNTY'S HISTORY AS WELL AS AN INDICATION OF THE PRESENCE AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE HISPANIC COMMUNITY IN SAN MARCOS.