Blas María de la Garza Falcón facts for kids

Blas María de la Garza Falcón (born 1712 – died 1767) was an important Spanish settler who helped establish new communities in what are now Tamaulipas, Mexico, and South Texas, USA. He played a big role in exploring and settling these areas.

Who Was Blas María de la Garza Falcón?

Blas María de la Garza Falcón Villarreal was a key figure in settling South Texas and Tamaulipas. He was one of the first people to settle in Nueces County, Texas. He was born in 1712 in a place called Real de las Salinas, in Nuevo León, Mexico. His father, Blas Maria de la Garza Falcón, had been the governor of Coahuila twice. His mother was Beatriz de Villarreal.

Blas María grew up with his five brothers and six sisters at their family ranch, called Pesquería Chica, near Monterrey. He likely went to school in Monterrey. By 1734, he became a captain at a military fort known as Presidio de San Gregorio de Cerralvo in Nuevo León.

He married Catarina Gómez de Castro in 1731. They had three children: a daughter named María Gertrudis and two sons, Juan José and José Antonio. After Catarina passed away, he married Josefa de los Santos Coy. They did not have any children together.

Exploring and Settling New Lands

In 1747, a man named José de Escandón was in charge of settling a large area then called Nuevo Santander. Escandón chose Blas María de la Garza Falcón to explore the southern side of the Rio Grande. Blas María led a group of fifty soldiers from the Cerralvo fort all the way to the mouth of the river.

Escandón's plan was to create seven new settlements along the river. These towns were Revilla, Camargo, Mier, Dolores, Reynosa, Laredo, and Vedoya.

Founding Camargo

On March 5, 1749, Blas María de la Garza Falcón helped forty families from Nuevo León settle at Camargo. This new town was built right on the banks of the Rio Grande. He founded the town of Camargo, set up a military fort for soldiers, and started a mission called San Augustín de Laredo for the local Native American people. Escandón then named him the captain and chief judge of Camargo. This made Camargo the very first settlement founded on the Rio Grande.

Starting Ranches in Texas

In 1752, Blas María de la Garza Falcón started a ranch called Carnestolendas. This ranch was on the north side of the river, in what is now Rio Grande City, Texas.

Later, Escandón asked Blas María to try settling land near the Nueces River. Two earlier attempts by others had not worked out. By 1766, Blas María de la Garza Falcón had successfully set up a ranching outpost called Santa Petronila. It was located about five leagues (an old unit of distance) from the Nueces River, in what is now Nueces County, Texas.

He moved his family and workers to Santa Petronila. They started a ranching business there. This ranch also served as a camp for Spanish soldiers from Presidio Nuestra Señora de Loreto. These soldiers used the ranch as a base when they patrolled the area in 1767. The ranch was about eight miles east of the Nueces River and worked as an important outpost and stopping point.

Later Life and Legacy

In 1767, Blas María de la Garza Falcón returned to Camargo. He passed away there and was buried in his own private chapel, Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe. After his death, land grants were given to the settlers. His family received land that stretched from the Rio Grande all the way to the Nueces River in South Texas. His work helped shape the early history of this important region.

See also

In Spanish: Blas María de la Garza Falcón para niños