Las Calaveras Cemetery
Ben Bolt, Jim Wells County, Texas
Marker Inscription
José María Valadez, born in the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico, purchased land in this area in 1864, moving here with his wife, Josefa Garcia Hinojosa. The family operated two ranches in the area, raising cattle and sheep, and cultivating corn and cotton. The ranch in this area was named La Laguna de las Calaveras for skeletal remains found on the site believed to be from members of an Indian tribe who faced a major flood in the area. The earliest marked grave in the cemetery is that of Daniel Valadez (d. 1878). The graveyard, used by generations of the Valadez family, is also used by the Ben Bolt community. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2002
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
José María Valadez, born in Tamaulipas, Mexico, bought land in this part of South Texas in 1864 and, with his wife Josefa, built a ranching enterprise raising cattle and sheep and growing corn and cotton. He named the place La Laguna de las Calaveras—the lagoon of skulls—for skeletal remains found there, thought to belong to Indigenous people lost in a great flood. The cemetery, whose earliest marked grave dates to 1878, has served the Valadez family and the Ben Bolt community for generations.
Why it matters
It preserves the deep Mexican-American ranching roots of South Texas, where families of Mexican origin shaped the land and its communities long before and after the border was drawn.
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Related people
- · José María Valadez
- · Josefa Garcia Hinojosa
Themes & tags
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