El Carmen Cemetery (Cementerio del Carmen)
San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Numerous 19th-century journals and other written historical accounts trace the origin of this cemetery to the burial of casualities of the Battle of Medina. Fought on August 18, 1813, the battle was the result of a failed attempt by a Republican Army of the North, consisting of about 1200 to 1500 Mexicans, Anglo-Americans, and Indians, to free Mexico from Royalist Spanish Rule. The Royalist army was victorious, and hundreds of men who died on the battlefield later were interred at this site between 1813 and 1817. The church of Nuestra Senora del Carmen traces its origin to a chapel built over the soldiers' burial crypt. The burial site became a community cemetery as pioneer settlers established homes in this area. Among those interred in the graveyard are the families of Domingo Losoya and Dionicio Martinez, who received Mexican land grants surrounding the cemetery property. Also buried here are Enrique Esparza, who as a child survived the Battle of the Alamo, and French immigrant Gustave Toudouze, a prominent local naturalist and businessman. A cemetery association formed in 1927 maintains the historic site, which continues in use as a cemetery for the local community.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This San Antonio cemetery traces its origin to the Battle of Medina of August 18, 1813, when a Republican Army of the North — Mexicans, Anglo-Americans, and Indians seeking to free Mexico from Spanish rule — was crushed by the Royalist army, and hundreds of the dead were interred here. A chapel built over the soldiers' burial crypt grew into the church of Nuestra Señora del Carmen, and the site became a community cemetery for the surrounding land-grant families. Among those later buried here are Alamo survivor Enrique Esparza and French immigrant naturalist Gustave Toudouze.
Why it matters
El Carmen Cemetery links the bloodiest battle ever fought on Texas soil to the Tejano land-grant families and diverse immigrants who built early San Antonio.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Museums & culture
- Mondini-Ruiz Art11.6 mi away · 1415 South Presa Street, San Antonio, TX
- Contemporary at Blue Star11.8 mi away · 116, San Anonio, TX
- Bent Easel Art Gallery11.8 mi away
- Magical Realism Photography Studio11.8 mi away
- Stone Metal Press11.8 mi away
- Alba DeLeon Studio11.8 mi away
Attractions
- Mission San José8.5 mi away
- Former Mission 4 Drive In8.8 mi away
- Tower of the Americas12.4 mi away · 739 East César E. Chávez Boulevard, San Antonio, TX
- Yanaguana Garden12.4 mi away
- La Villita12.6 mi away
- River boat boarding12.7 mi away
Food & drink
- Margaritaville12.7 mi away · 849 East Commerce Street, San Antonio, TX
- Chipotle12.8 mi away · 849 East Commerce Street, San Antonio, TX
- McDonald's12.8 mi away · 101 Alamo Plaza, San Antonio, TX
- Taco Bell12.8 mi away · 849 East Commerce Street, San Antonio, TX
- Which Wich?12.8 mi away
- Cafe Ole12.8 mi away
Places to stay
- Grand Hyatt San Antonio12.6 mi away · 600 East Market Street, San Antonio, TX
- The Monarch San Antonio12.6 mi away
- Marriott Riverwalk12.7 mi away
- Hilton Palacio del Rio12.7 mi away
- Marriott Rivercenter12.7 mi away · 101 Bowie Street, San Antonio, TX
- Hotel Contessa12.7 mi away · 306 West Market Street
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Related people
- · Enrique Esparza
- · Domingo Losoya
- · Dionicio Martinez
- · Gustave Toudouze
Related events
- · Battle of Medina
- · Battle of the Alamo
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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