Cementerio Loma De La Cruz (Hill of the Cross Cemetery)
Del Rio, Val Verde County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Early land developer Paula Losoya Taylor Rivers (ca. 1830-1902) realized that the people of Del Rio's Mexican Colony had no official cemetery in which to bury their dead. She donated four acres to be designated as a cemetery in 1884. Also buried here are three former U. S. Army Indian Scouts and the Rev. Ramon V. Palomares, first pastor of Del Rio's Mexican American Methodist Church. A cross placed at the top of a hill gave the cemetery its name. The last burial here took place in 1933. A cemetery association restored and maintains the graveyard. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Recognizing that Del Rio's Mexican Colony had no burial ground of its own, early land developer Paula Losoya Taylor Rivers donated four acres for a cemetery in 1884. A cross set atop the hill gave it its name, Loma de la Cruz, and among those laid to rest here are three former U.S. Army Indian Scouts and the first pastor of the town's Mexican American Methodist church. The last burial took place in 1933, and a cemetery association has since restored and maintained the grounds.
Why it matters
It honors the Mexican American founders of the border community—led by a woman whose gift of land gave her people a dignified place to bury their dead.
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Related people
- · Paula Losoya Taylor Rivers
- · Ramon V. Palomares
Themes & tags
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