Lorenzo de Zavala
Houston, Harris County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(1789-1836) Three miles east is homesite and grave of a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence and first vice-president of the republic of texas-- an illustrious statesman of two nations. He was born in Mexico. De Zavala, an ardent liberal and earnest advocate of democratic reforms served his native country as representative in the Spanish cortes, Madrid; minister of the treasury; president of Chamber of Deputies; governor of State of Mexico and ambassador to France. De Zavala tired of Santa Anna's tyranny, resigned his ambassadorship and moved here in 1835. When Mexican officials learned of his taking refuge in Texas and ordered his arrest, he became a strong leader in cause of Texas independence. Voters in Harrisburg sent him in 1835 to the Consultation at San Felipe de Austin and later to the Independence Convention at Washington-on-the-Brazos. The de Zavala home, a plank-covered log house across from San Jacinto battleground, served as a hospital for both sides after the battle. An observer on the scene described de Zavala as "the most interesting man in Texas"-- he was a leading author, learned publicist, philosopher, historian, economist and constant lover of liberty. SUPPLEMENTAL PLAQUE INSCRIPTION: Marker moved from Channelview community. Grave marker moved to San Jacinto Battleground. 1936 granite Centennial marker at homesite, 16 miles east.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Born in Mexico in 1789, Lorenzo de Zavala was a statesman of two nations — a liberal reformer who served in the Spanish Cortes, as Mexico's treasury minister, and as ambassador to France before Santa Anna's tyranny drove him to Texas in 1835. There he threw himself into the cause of independence, signed the Texas Declaration, and became the Republic's first vice-president; his home near the San Jacinto battleground served as a hospital for both sides after the fighting.
Why it matters
De Zavala embodies the deeply Mexican roots of the Texas Revolution, a reminder that the fight for the Republic drew leaders from both sides of the Rio Grande.
Own a business near here? Add it to the map.
Related people
- · Lorenzo de Zavala
- · Antonio López de Santa Anna
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Crown Hill Cemetery
Pasadena, TX
As permanent settlers arrived near Buffalo Bayou in the 1890s, the new town of Pasadena needed a place to bury its dead, and this knoll overlooking Vince's Bayou became its community graveyard in 1906. Renamed Crown Hill after World War I, likely for the nearby Crown Central Refinery, it holds veterans of four American wars and generations of early settlers and community leaders. It also became a resting place for Mexican-American farm families beginning in the 1920s, earning it the name the Mexican Cemetery.
Magnolia Park
Houston, TX
Magnolia Park began in 1890 as a sprawling excursion park shaded by the magnolia trees that gave it its name, then was replatted into subdivisions and briefly incorporated as its own city before Houston annexed it in 1926. Though its founders were of European descent, the neighborhood became one of Houston's first Mexican American communities, its population swelling as families fled the turmoil of the Mexican Revolution. Its Catholic parishes, schools, and civic groups — including Houston's first LULAC council, formed here in 1934 — have anchored a thriving Hispanic community for more than a century.
Immaculate Conception Catholic Church
Houston, TX
Established in 1911 by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate as their first parish in Harris County, Immaculate Conception took root in Magnolia Park, then an independent community later annexed by Houston. Its early campus of church, rectory, and school served a growing congregation, and over the decades the parish spun off missions, ministered to the state penitentiary at Huntsville, and became the mother church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Houston's first predominantly Hispanic Catholic parish. At least nine area parishes trace their roots to its missionary work.
Hidalgo Park Quiosco
Houston, TX
Commissioned by the Mexican American community of Magnolia Park and dedicated on Mexican Independence Day in 1934, this ornate quiosco was crafted in the faux bois, or false-wood, tradition by Houston molder Vidal Lozano. Its iron frame is sheathed entirely in hand-molded concrete shaped to look like bark-covered tree trunks, branch railings, and a thatched roof, with a step inscribed "Houston Mexicans to their city." It remains the only known public example of Lozano's artistry and still hosts community celebrations.