Born in Cerralvo, Nuevo León, Mexico, María Gertrudis de la Garza Falcón (1734–1789) was the daughter of Blas María de la Garza Falcón and Catarina Gómez de Castro and the sister of José Antonio de la Garza Falcón. In March 1749, her father established the town of Carmago on the south bank of the Rio Grande and relocated his family there the following year. In 1754, María married fellow Carmargo resident José Salvador de la Garza, son of Captain Adriano de la Garza and María de Elizondo, and the couple eventually had three children, Francisca Xavier, Blas María, and María Margarita.
Needing additional pasture, the Garzas moved livestock about a hundred miles downriver to a site on the north bank across from Reynosa. The land, comprising over 284,416 acres and located in modern day Cameron County, Texas, was granted to Garza in 1781 and became known as the Potrero del Espíritu Santo (Pasture of the Holy Ghost). After her husband's death, María inherited the grant, including Rancho Viejo.
Sources:
García, Clotilde P. “
The María Gertrudis de la Garza Will, 1789, consists of abstracts of a will and land grant. Garza’s will (1789) documents her marriage, descendents, and property, including the Espíritu Santo land grant and cattle. Issued by the Spanish government, the land grant (1789) allots Texas property to Bartolome and Eugenio Fernandez.
This collection is open for research use.
María Gertrudis de la Garza Will, 1789, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.
Basic processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with funds from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) for the Briscoe Center’s