DUANE
Duane's take
The official marker tells it this way, and I'm just the voice carryin' the story down the road. Manuel Becerra. Born at Presidio La Bahía del Espíritu Santo in 1762, in a place that would change hands more times than most men see in a lifetime — and Becerra would see every single one of those changes.
Spain. Mexico. The Republic of Texas.
The United States. Four flags over the same stretch of Texas soil, and Manuel Becerra standing under all of them. That right there tells you something about the man's staying power.
Now, his wife was Juana María Cadena, and together they raised two daughters, María Josefa and Gertrudis. The whole family were leading citizens of La Bahía — which is no small thing in a place where leadership meant navigating empires. In 1820, Antonio María Martínez, the last Spanish governor of Texas, called for the formation of the ayuntamiento of La Bahía, as required under the Spanish Constitution of 1812.
That's the town council, for those of you riding along who haven't brushed up on your Spanish governance lately. And when that council came together, the members elected Manuel Becerra as its first secretary. First one.
Set the whole thing in motion. Then the following year, Becerra was selected to accompany Stephen F. Austin to the Colorado River — tasked with findin' a suitable site for Austin's first colony.
Think about the weight of that trip. The ground they were walking hadn't been staked yet, and Becerra was one of the men chosen to help stake it. His friendship with empresario Martín de León would carry him even further into the work of building this region.
By 1827, de León placed Becerra in charge of the political and business affairs of the Guadalupe Colony. Same year — and I want you to mark this — Becerra helped negotiate a treaty with the Coco and Karankawa tribes to bring peace and stability to the region. That's diplomacy and administration in the same calendar year, out on a frontier that had precious little margin for error.
Then in 1832, Becerra received a land grant of 8,856 acres in what is now Refugio County. And as if the man needed another chapter, he later assisted colonizer James Power in the colonization of the Power Colony at Villa de Refugio. Manuel Becerra died in what is now Refugio County, about 1849.
Born at the presidio. Died in the county next door. But in between — four nations, two tribes, multiple colonies, a town council, and a Colorado River expedition that helped shape the map of Texas.
The land remembers even when the names get quiet.
What the marker says
Born at Presidio La Bahía del Espíritu Santo in 1762, Manuel Becerra played a significant role in the settlement and politics of the region. Becerra and his wife, Juana María Cadena, and their two daughters, María Josefa and Gertrudis, were leading citizens of La Bahía. In 1820, Antonio María Martínez, the last Spanish governor of Texas, called for the formation of the ayuntamiento of La Bahía as required in the Spanish Constitution of 1812. The ayuntamiento, or town council, included Manuel Becerra, who was elected its first secretary. Becerra's involvement with colonization efforts came the following year, as he was selected to accompany Stephen F. Austin to the Colorado River to find a suitable site for Austin's first colony. His friendship with empresario Martín de León led to his eventual responsibility within de León's Guadalupe Colony in 1827, when de León placed Becerra in charge of the colony's political and business affairs. The same year, Becerra helped negotiate a treaty with the Coco and Karankawa tribes to enhance peace and stability in the region. In 1832, Becerra received a land grant of 8,856 acres in what is now Refugio County and later assisted colonizer James Power in the colonization of the Power Colony at Villa de Refugio. As a citizen under the flags of Spain, Mexico, the Republic of Texas and the United States, Manuel Becerra bore witness to many of the formative events in Texas history and played a significant role in colonization efforts. He died in what is now Refugio County about 1849. (2001)