Longoria Cemetery

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. The Longoria Cemetery. Cameron County, Texas.

And friend, this story starts a long, long way back. We're talkin' the mid-1700s, when the Longoria family were among the initial Spanish settlers to arrive in this region. Juan Rosas Longoria and Maria Salome Cano were among the men and women who founded permanent communities, including the Villa de Reynosa, and planted the Longoria name deep in the soil of this country.

They and other pioneers introduced ranching into the area, bringing techniques all the way from southern Spain. Techniques so good, so durable, that many of them remained in use centuries later. Let that sit with you a moment.

Centuries. Then came 1831. Irineo Longoria moved to expand the family's foothold north of the Rio Grande, purchasing portions of three land grants: the Llano Grande, La Feria, and Ojo de Agua.

He added those tracts to the land of his second wife, Maria Inez Cavazos, and together they established residence in the community of Santa Maria. The Longoria ranch stretched from what became Sebastian all the way to the Rio Grande. The family farmed it, ranched it, and participated in the early development of irrigation systems in the Rio Grande valley.

Building something that lasts takes more than land. It takes water, and these folks knew it. Now, in the mid-1800s, ownership of the Longoria ranch passed to Juan Miguel Longoria, born in 1815.

He was married three times and was the father of 17 children. His first wife was Soledad Cavazos. His second wife, Silveria Ruiz, became one of the first persons interred in this very cemetery, upon her death before 1853.

That's how old this ground is. After Juan Miguel's own death in 1875, his third wife, Teresa Guerra, did not step back. She stepped forward.

She became the family matriarch and managed the ranch from 1875 to 1909. Thirty-four years of steady hands on the reins. Juan Miguel's grave is still here, marked by an above-ground brick tomb.

Something built to be seen, built to endure. But by the late 1990s, the cemetery had fallen into a state of disrepair. That's when the Longoria descendants organized.

They came together to restore the site and its estimated 371 graves, because they understood what was at stake. This place isn't just a family burial ground. It's a chronicle of the diverse history and heritage of Texas.

They wanted to make sure it endures. And now, out here on the road in Cameron County, it does.

What the marker says

The Longoria family were among the initial Spanish settlers to arrive in this region in the mid-1700s. Juan Rosas Longoria and Maria Salome Cano were among the men and women who founded permanent communities such as the Villa de Reynosa, establishing the Longoria family in the area. They and other pioneers introduced ranching into the area with techniques brought from southern Spain, many of which remained in use centuries later. In 1831 Irineo Longoria increased the family landholdings north of the Rio Grande by purchasing portions of the LLano Grande, La Feria and Ojo de Agua land grants. He added these tracts to the land of his second wife, Maria Inez Cavazos. They established residence in the community of Santa Maria. The Longoria ranch stretched from what became Sebastian to the Rio Grande. The family also farmed the land and participated in the early development of irrigation systems in the Rio Grande valley. Juan Miguel Longoria (1815-1875) became the owner of the Longoria ranch in the mid-1800s. Married three times, he was the father of 17 children. His first wife was Soledad Cavazos. His second wife, Silveria Ruiz, became one of the first persons interred here upon her death before 1853. After his death, Juan Miguel's third wife, Teresa Guerra, became the family matriarch and managed the ranch from 1875 to 1909. Juan Miguel's grave is marked by an above-ground brick tomb. By the late 1990s, the cemetery was in a state of disrepair. Longoria descendants organized to restore the site and its estimated 371 graves to ensure the endurance of the Longoria Cemetery as a chronicle of the diverse history and heritage of Texas. (2000)