Matanza of 1915
San Benito, Cameron County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In the late 19th and early 20th century, racial tensions near the United States - Mexico border and the lower Rio Grande Valley erupted into violence. The change from ranching to commercial agriculture and a shift in racial hierarchies led to increased discrimination against Mexican Americans and Mexicans in the region. In addition, economic problems and the Mexican Revolution increased the immigrant population to Texas. This influx along with the rise in Anglo immigration to South Texas increased racial tensions. Law enforcement and vigilante groups used violence and intimidation to quell, and at times respond to, a growing movement referred to as Revolucion De Texas. Some Mexicans and Mexican Americans envisioned this movement as a fight against discrimination, while some in law enforcement perceived it as a threat to new Anglo migrations in the area. The section of highway between San Benito and Brownsville was the site of countless killings of prisoners without due process. One of the first victims was Rudolfo Muniz, who was lynched on this road on July 29, 1915, while in the custody of local law enforcement. It is estimated that hundreds, possibly thousands, of Mexican Americans and Mexicans were killed. Out of fear, many families fled Brownsville to Matamoros. A contemporary newspaper editorial referred to this period as the Matanza (Massacre) of 1915. In 1919, the Texas Legislature conducted a formal investigation into state and local law enforcement practices. The Texas Rangers were reorganized as a result. Memories of the Matanza continue through scattered records and oral tradition, reflecting difficulties in recounting this violent yet pivotal time in Texas History. (2014)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In the 1910s, as commercial agriculture displaced ranching and the Mexican Revolution drove migration north, racial tensions along the lower Rio Grande erupted into lethal violence. Law enforcement and vigilantes killed prisoners without trial along the road between San Benito and Brownsville — beginning with Rudolfo Muñiz, lynched in custody in July 1915. Contemporaries called the period La Matanza, "the Massacre," and by some estimates hundreds or thousands of Mexicans and Mexican Americans died; a 1919 legislative inquiry forced a reorganization of the Texas Rangers.
Why it matters
La Matanza recovers a long-suppressed chapter of state-sanctioned racial violence on the border, essential to understanding the Mexican American experience and civil rights in Texas.
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Related people
- · Rudolfo Muniz
Related events
- · Mexican Revolution
Themes & tags
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