La Mota de Olmos Cemetery
Benavides, Duval County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Begun in 1894, the La Mota de Olmos Cemetery sits on land originally part of the Rancho La Mota de Olmos (The Cluster of Elms). The ranch, settled by the Bazan family, was founded by Francisco Bazan Villarreal, a native of Nuevo Leon, Mexico, on land granted to him in the 1870s. Several of those buried here were also born on the ranch with one of the earliest burials being the oldest child of Juan Bazan, son of Francisco Bazan. The first person to be buried, however, was a ranch hand. Other burials include Francisco Bazan (d. 1909) and Don Pedro Bazan (d. 1934), a well known curandero, or healer. The cemetery, approximately 250 feet by 250 feet, contains more than 100 graves and remains active. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2009
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This cemetery began in 1894 on land that was once part of Rancho La Mota de Olmos—'the cluster of elms'—settled by Francisco Bazán Villarreal, a native of Nuevo León who received the surrounding land grant in the 1870s. Many of those buried here were born on the ranch itself, and the graves include Bazán and Don Pedro Bazán, a well-known curandero, or folk healer. Still active today, the roughly 250-foot-square ground holds more than a hundred graves.
Why it matters
It preserves the deep roots of Tejano ranching families and the Mexican land-grant heritage that shaped South Texas long before and after statehood.
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Related people
- · Francisco Bazán Villarreal
- · Don Pedro Bazán
Themes & tags
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