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History This region was colonizedby Spanish settlers in 1749 when the Villa of Reynosa, New Spain was founded. Juan Rosas Longoria and his wife Maria Salome' Cano were among the founders with the expedition of Jose' de Escandon. Certain Spaniards initiated ranches prior to the issuance of Spanish land grants. Others accepted land through the land grant system. Thus began the establishment of communities and ranches north and south of th Rio Grande. The Longoria Ranch had its beginnings in 1814 when Irineo Longoria, son of Juan Miguel Longoria and grandson of Juan Rosas Longoria, married Maria Inez Cavazos, a grandaughter of Don Jose Maria Balli. She had acquired major interests of her family's land grant holdings north of the Rio Grande and brought land into the marriage with Irineo. In 1831, Irineo Longoria purchased land in the "Llano Grande," the "La Feria" and the "Ojo de Agua" grant from Rosa, Guadalupe, and Concepcion Balli, which they had inherited from their uncle, the priest Nicolas Balli. The purchase of this land, along with the land already in possession of Maria Inez, extended the boundaries of the Ranch from what is now Sebastian, Texas to theRio Grande. They established residence in what is now Santa Maria, Texas. Irineo and Maria Inez had three children and their names were Jose Maria, Gregoria and Juan Miguel. Counting the children from both their previous marriages, they had 15 children. At the death of the Irineo in 1841, his son Juan Miguel Longoria recieved a large portion of the land. He lived during a tumultuos time when upheaval frequently occurred in this region. At the beginning of his life, the Longoria Ranch was in New Spain, then Mexico, followed by the Republic of Texas, the Confederacy, and ultimately the United States. Members of Juan Miguel's family were associated with activities in the second half of the 1800's to end the mistreatment of Texans of Spanish and Mexican descent. |
Throughout this era of turbulence, Juan Miguel and Miguel with his first wife Silveria Ruiz followed by his second wife Teresa Guerra and their children, farmed this land and participated in the early development of irrigation systemsin the Rio Grande Valley. This was 1897 when the Santa Maria Canal Company constructed irrigation systems to irrigate 3,000 acres. Juan Miguel and Teresa's sons established commercial ties and businesses in Northern Mexico, understanding the River to be the center of the region's commerce and economic development. Upon the death of Juan Miguel in 1875, his wife Teresa Guerra raise her ten children and managed the Ranch until her death in 1909. Juan Miguel Longoria ( 1815-1875) and Teresa Guerra (d. 1909) are both buried in the Longoria Cemetery. The Longoria Cemetery is still owned by descendants of Juan Miguel Longoria and Teresa Guerra. It has served as a family and community burial place since the mid-eighteen hundreds. There are an estimated 371 graves in the Cemetery. |
