Santo Nino Cemetery

Duane's take

The official marker tells this story, and I'm just the one passing it along the road to you. South of San Diego, Texas, there is a piece of ground that has been holding the stories of Duval County longer than Duval County has been Duval County. That's not a figure of speech.

That is the plain truth of Santo Nino Cemetery. Now, to understand what this place is, you have to start with the land beneath it. Two original land grants gave shape to this cemetery.

The northern half sits on ground donated by a man named Vicente Gonzales, whose grandfather, Dionicio Elizondo, received a grant called El Senor de la Carrera. The southern half came from Jose Maria Martinez Gonzales, son of Julia Gonzales Garcia, who was an aunt of Vicente Gonzales. His donation came from the historic La Huerta land grant.

Two families, two grants, one purpose: keeping their loved ones close to the land those families had loved and sacrificed for. The marker says it just that plainly, and plainly is exactly right. Here is the part that stops you cold if you think about it.

At the time those land grants were made, Duval County was still part of Mexico. This ground has outlasted empires, flags, and borders. It watched Duval County pass from Mexico to the Republic of Texas and on into the United States, the twenty-eighth state.

The cemetery did not move. The families did not move. The land endured, and the people in it endured.

Some of those people rest in graves that no longer carry a legible name. Unmarked graves and eroded, illegible markers predate the earliest burials anyone can read today. The oldest readable tombstone dates to June 19, 1908, and it belongs to Eluterio Saenz Martinez, born February 13, 1827.

His name survived. So many others have faded back into the earth. Also buried here is Maria Guillerma Garcia Solis, wife of Jose Maria Martinez Gonzales, one of the very men who donated the southern ground.

And scattered through these rows are veterans, men who carried Duval County with them into World War II, into Korea, into Vietnam. They came home to this place. What Santo Nino Cemetery became, over more than a hundred years of use, is something the marker calls an integrated cemetery.

Anglo Americans and Mexican Americans, laid to rest side by side. The community of San Diego found its way to this ground together, and together is how they remain. The land was given so families could stay near what they loved.

More than a century later, the community is still coming.

What the marker says

Located south of San Diego, the Santo Nino Cemetery is an important chronicle of a historic Duval County community. The northern half of the cemetery was donated by Vicente Gonzales, whose grandfather, Dionicio Elizondo, received a land grant called, "El Senor de la Carrera." The southern half of the cemetery was donated by Jose Maria Martinez Gonzales, who was the son of Julia Gonzales Garcia, an aunt of Vicente Gonzales. Their donation was a part of the historic "La Huerta" land grant. The family members of the two original grantees donated the land for this cemetery to keep their loved ones close to the land they loved and sacrificed for. At the time of the land grants, Duval County was still part of Mexico. Unmarked graves with eroded and illegible grave markers predate the earliest marked burials. The oldest readable tombstone dates to June 19, 1908. This marker belongs to Eluterio Saenz Martinez, who was born on February 13, 1827. Another burial belongs to Maria Guillerma Garcia Solis, wife of Jose Maria Martinez Gonzales. Several veterans are interred here including those who fought in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. This cemetery has served Duval County families from the time it was part of Mexico, through the Republic of Texas, and finally as part of the 28th state of the United States. Santo Nino Cemetery is a reflection of the evolution of the area's history, resulting in an integrated cemetery with Anglo Americans and Mexican Americans laid to rest side by side. It has served the San Diego community as a final resting place for more than 100 years and continues to be used by the community. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2012