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{{short description|Rancher and wealthy Mexican empresario}}
{{about|the Mexican empresario|the saint|Martin of Leon}}
{{pp-move-indef}}
{{pp|small=yes}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix =
| honorific_prefix =
| name =Martin dè León
| name = Martín De León
| honorific_suffix =
| honorific_suffix =
| image = Martin De Leon.jpg
| image = Martin De Leon.jpg
| image_size =250
| image_size = 150
| alt =
| alt =
| caption =Martin Dè Leòn
| caption =
| birth_name =Mrantino Dè Leonè
| birth_name = Martín de León y Galván
| birth_date =1755<!-- {{Birth date||MM|DD}} -->
| birth_date = 1765<!-- {{Birth date|YYYY|MM|DD}} -->
| birth_place =[[i pas]], [[Mexico]]
| birth_place = [[Nuevo Santander]], [[Viceroyalty of New Spain|New Spain]]<br>(now [[Tamaulipas]], Mexico)
| death_date =1833 (aged 68)<!-- {{Death date and age||MM|DD||MM|DD}} (death date then birth date) -->
| death_date = 1833 (aged 68)<!-- {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} (death date then birth date) -->
| death_place =[[Victoria, Texas]]
| death_place = [[Victoria, Texas|Victoria]], [[Coahuila y Tejas]], [[First Mexican Republic]]
| death_cause =Callrea The Diseese
| death_cause =
| body_discovered =Mexico
| body_discovered =
| resting_place =Evergreen Cemetery<br>Victoria, Texas
| resting_place = Evergreen Cemetery<br />Victoria, Texas
| resting_place_coordinates = {{Cord|28|48|43|N|97|00|48|W|display=inline}}
| resting_place_coordinates = {{Coord|28|48|43|N|97|00|48|W|display=inline}}
| monuments =
| monuments =
| residence =
| nationality =
| nationality =
| other_names =
| other_names =''Italic text''
| citizenship =
| ethnicity =[[Spanish people|Spanish]]
| education =
| citizenship =
| alma_mater =
| education =
| occupation =
| lama_mater =
| years_active =
| occupation =
| employer =
| years_active =
| organization =
| employer =
| known_for = Empresario founded<br />[[De León's Colony (Texas)|De León's Colony]]
| organization =
| notable_works =
| agent =
| spouse = [[Patricia de la Garza De León|Patricia de la Garza]]
⚫
| children = [[Fernando De León|Fernando]] (1798)<br />Candelaria (1800)<br />[[Silvestre De León|Silvestre]] (1802)<br />Guadalupe (1804)<br />Félix (1806)<br />Agapito (1808)<br />María (1810)<br />Refugio (1812)<br />Agustina (1814)<br />Francisca (1818)
| known_for =Empresario founded<bra>[[Dè Leon's Colony (Texas)|DÈ León's Colony]]
⚫
| parents = José Bernardo de León y García<br />María Antonia Galván y de las Rivas
| notable_works =
| home_town =
| relatives =
| religion =[[Catholic Church]]
| denomination =
| spouse =[[Patricia dè la Garza De León|Patricia dè la Garza]]
⚫
| children = [[Fernando De León|Fernando]] (1798)<br>Candelaria (1800)<br>[[Silvestre De León|Silvestre]] (1802)<br>Guadalupe (1804)<br>Felix (1806)<br>Agapito (1808)<br>Maria (1810)<bra>Refugia (1812)<br>Augustina (1814)<br>Francisca (1818)
⚫
| parents =Bernardo De León<br>María Galván
| relatives =
}}
}}
'''Martín de León''' (1765–1833) was a rancher and wealthy Mexican [[empresario]] descended from [[Spanish people|Spanish]] aristocracy. He was the patriarch of one of the prominent founding families of early Texas. De León and his wife [[Patricia de la Garza De León|Patricia de la Garza]] established [[De León's Colony (Texas)|De León's Colony]], the only predominantly Mexican colony in Texas. They founded the town of [[Victoria, Texas|Victoria]] and named it "Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe Victoria" after [[Guadalupe Victoria]] who had just become the first president of [[Mexico]].<ref>http://www.tamu.edu/faculty/ccbn/dewitt/deleon2.htm</ref> The De León E–J (Espíritu de Jesús) cattle brand became the first registered brand in what was to become Texas. The extended De León family included politicians and freedom fighters who helped alter the course of history both in Texas and in Mexico. [[Recorded Texas Historic Landmark]] number 6542 placed at Evergreen Cemetery in 1936 acknowledges Don Martin de León's contribution to Texas.<ref name="Evergreen Cemetery"/> [[Recorded Texas Historic Landmark]] number 6543 placed at Church and Bridge Streets in 1936 denotes Don Martin de León's home in Victoria.<ref name="DL Home"/> Known For Being Awsome At Battles And Was Wealthy BUt BE fore Was Poor>/\
'''Martín De León''' (1765–1833) was a rancher and wealthy Mexican [[empresario]] in Texas who was descended from [[Spanish people|Spanish]] aristocracy. He was the patriarch of one of the prominent founding families of early Texas. De León and his wife [[Patricia de la Garza De León|Patricia de la Garza]] established [[De León's Colony (Texas)|De León's Colony]], the only predominantly Mexican colony in Texas. They founded the town of ''Villa de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe Victoria Nombre de Jesús'' (now known as [[Victoria, Texas|Victoria]]) on the [[Guadalupe River (Texas)|Guadalupe River]]. The name referred both to the river and to Mexico's president [[Guadalupe Victoria]].


De León was a merchant who originally supplied basic necessities to mine workers at Real de San Nicolás. In 1790 he joined the Fieles de Burgos regiment, where he was promoted to captain.<ref name="MDeLeon">{{cite web|last=Roell|first=Craig H|title=Martín De León|url=http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fde08|work=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|accessdate=20 March 2011|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110709154149/http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fde08|archivedate=9 July 2011}}</ref> The De León E–J (Espíritu de Jesús) cattle brand became the first registered brand in what was to become Texas. The extended De León family included politicians and freedom fighters who helped alter the course of history both in Texas and in Mexico. [[Recorded Texas Historic Landmark]] number 6542, placed at Evergreen Cemetery in 1936, acknowledges Don Martin de León's contribution to Texas.<ref name="Evergreen Cemetery" /> [[Recorded Texas Historic Landmark]] number 6543, placed at Church and Bridge Streets in 1936, denotes Don Martin de León's home in Victoria.<ref name="DL Home" />
==Early life==
⚫
Martín de León was born in 1765 in [[Burgos Municipality, Tamaulipas|Burgos, Tamaulipas]], [[Mexico]] to wealthy and well-connected aristocratic immigrants Bernardo and María Galván De León from [[Burgos]], [[Spain]].<ref name="Citizenship">{{cite book|last=Quiroz|first=Anthony|title=Claiming citizenship: Mexican Americans in Victoria, Texas|year=2005|publisher=TAMU Press|isbn=978-1-58544-410-6|pages=4, 5}}</ref> Martín's first career was as a supplier of basic necessities to Real de San Nicolás mine workers. He joined the Fieles de Burgos regiment in 1790, being promoted to Captain.<ref name="MDeLeon">{{cite web|last=Roell|first=Craig H|title=Martín de León|url=http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fde08|work=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|accessdate= 20 March 2011}}</ref>


==De Leon's colony==
== Early life ==
⚫
Martín De León was born in 1765 in [[Burgos Municipality, Tamaulipas|Burgos, Tamaulipas]], [[Mexico]] to José Bernardo de León y García and María Antonia Galván y de las Rivas from [[Burgos]], [[Spain]] who were wealthy and well-connected aristocratic immigrants.<ref name=ClaimingCitizenship>{{cite book|last1=Quiroz|first1=Anthony|title=Claiming Citizenship: Mexican Americans in Victoria, Texas|date=2005|publisher=Texas A&M University Press|isbn=978-1-60344-591-7|pages=3–4, 6|url=https://muse.jhu.edu/book/10784|via=[[Project MUSE]]|url-access=subscription |url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170731191810/https://muse.jhu.edu/book/10784|archivedate=2017-07-31}}</ref> He first worked as a supplier of basic necessities to Real de San Nicolás mine workers. He joined the Fieles de Burgos regiment in 1790, being promoted to captain.<ref name="MDeLeon"/>
⚫
De León and his wife [[Patricia de la Garza De León|Patricia de la Garza]] <ref>{{cite web|last=Stewart|first=Paula|title=Patricia de la Garza|url=http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fde66|work=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|accessdate=20 March 2011}}</ref> began ranching in [[Cruillas Municipality|Cruillas]] following their marriage. In 1799, De León moved northward and established Rancho Chiltipiquin, a cattle ranch in the vicinity of [[San Patricio County, Texas]].<ref name="MDeLeon"/> Their cattle brand of a connected E and J (Espíritu de Jesús) became the first registered cattle brand in what was to become Texas. The brand had been modeled after one used by the Jesuits, and brought over from [[Spain]] when the De León family emigrated. Martín officially registered it in Texas under the family name in 1807.<ref>{{cite book|last=Acosta|first=Teresa Palomo|title=Las Tejanas: 300 Years of History|year=2003|publisher=University of Texas Press|isbn=978-0-292-70527-2|author2=Winegarten, Ruthe|page=21}}</ref>


== De Leon's colony ==
⚫
{{Main|De León's Colony (Texas)}}De León's 1807 and 1809 petitions for colonization were denied by the Spanish government. After [[Mexico]] gained its independence from [[Spain]] in 1821, colonization possibilities looked more favorable.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Weber|first=David J.|title=The Spanish Frontier in North America|page=300|publisher=[[Yale University Press]]|location=[[New Haven, CT]]|series=Yale Western Americana Series|year=1992|isbn=0-300-05198-0}}</ref> The provisional Mexican government approved a contract on April 13, 1824 for Martín de León to settle forty-one Mexican families on the lower [[Guadalupe River (Texas)|Guadalupe]] and [[Lavaca River|Lavaca]] rivers, in the vicinity of Coleto, Garcitas, Arenosa, and Zorillo (Placido) creeks. It was the only predominantly Mexican colony in Texas.<ref name="De León's Colony">{{cite web|last=Roell|first=Craig H|title=De León's Colony|url=http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ued01|work=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|accessdate=21 March 2011}}</ref> The [[General Colonization Law]] was passed on August 18, and enacted on March 25, 1825, allowing foreigners to gain title to land that was not within 20 leagues of the border of another country or within 10 leagues of the coast.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Barker|first1=Eugene C.|title=Mexican Colonization Laws|url=https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ugm01|website=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|accessdate=October 8, 2015}}</ref>
De León and his wife [[Patricia de la Garza De León|Patricia de la Garza]]<ref>{{cite web|last=Stewart|first=Paula|title=Patricia de la Garza|url=http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fde66|work=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|accessdate=20 March 2011|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110709183048/http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fde66|archivedate=9 July 2011}}</ref> began ranching in [[Cruillas Municipality|Cruillas]] following their marriage.


⚫
In 1799, De León moved northward and established Rancho Chiltipiquin, a cattle ranch in the vicinity of [[San Patricio County, Texas]].<ref name="MDeLeon" /> Their cattle brand, with a connected E and J (standing for ''Espíritu de Jesús''), became the first registered cattle brand in what was to become Texas. The brand had been modeled after one used by the Jesuits, and brought from [[Spain]] when the De León family emigrated. Martín officially registered it in Texas under the family name in 1807.<ref name=LasTejanas>{{cite book|last=Acosta|first=Teresa Palomo|title=Las Tejanas: 300 Years of History|year=2003|publisher=University of Texas Press|url=https://www.questia.com/library/120073104/las-tejanas-300-years-of-history|isbn=0-292-70527-1|author2=Winegarten, Ruthe|pages=20–24|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304111940/https://www.questia.com/library/120073104/las-tejanas-300-years-of-history|archivedate=2016-03-04}}</ref>
==Family==
⚫
In 1795, Martín de León married [[Patricia de la Garza De León|Patricia de la Garza]]. Her financial inheritance was part of the foundation of De León's Colony. Upon her husband's death, Patricia assumed the role of head of the family. She kept the family together during exile in [[Louisiana]], and upon return to Victoria, became a leading figure to help shape and nurture the community.<ref>{{cite book|last=Acosta|first=Teresa Palomo|title=Las Tejanas: 300 Years of History|year=2003|publisher=University of Texas Press|isbn=978-0-292-70527-2|pages=20, 21, 22, 23, 24|author2=Winegarten, Ruthe}}</ref> Their extended family not only helped colonize Texas, but also included politicians whose deeds helped alter the course of history both in Texas and in Mexico.


⚫
{{Main|De León's Colony (Texas)}}De León's 1807 and 1809 petitions to act as an [[empresario]] for colonization in Texas were denied by the Spanish government. After [[Mexico]] gained its independence from [[Spain]] in 1821, colonization possibilities looked more favorable.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Weber|first=David J.|title=The Spanish Frontier in North America|url=https://archive.org/details/spanishfrontiern00webe|url-access=limited|page=[https://archive.org/details/spanishfrontiern00webe/page/n316 300]|publisher=[[Yale University Press]]|location=[[New Haven, CT]]|series=Yale Western Americana Series|year=1992|isbn=0-300-05198-0}}</ref> The provisional Mexican government approved a contract on April 13, 1824 for De León to settle forty-one Mexican families on the lower [[Guadalupe River (Texas)|Guadalupe]] and [[Lavaca River|Lavaca]] rivers, in the vicinity of Coleto, Garcitas, Arenosa, and Zorillo (Placido) creeks. The settlement's original name was ''Villa de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe Victoria Nombre de Jesús'', for both the river and Mexico's president [[Guadalupe Victoria]]. It is now known as Victoria.<ref name=ClaimingCitizenship/>
The couple had four sons: Fernando, Silvestre, Félix and Agapito. Fernando helped trade livestock for munitions to help [[Stephen F. Austin]], and later became aide-de-camp to provisional Texas governor [[James W. Robinson (Texas and California)|James W. Robinson]].<ref name="Fernando De León">{{cite web|last=Roell|first=Craig H|title=Fernando De León|url=http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fde81|work=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|accessdate=21 March 2011}}</ref> Silvestre fought beside his brother-in-law Plácido at the 1835 [[Siege of Béxar]] to drive [[Martín Perfecto de Cos]] out of Texas.<ref name="Silvestre De León">{{cite web|last=Roell|first=Craig H|title=Silvestre De León|url=http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fde80|work=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|accessdate=21 March 2011}}</ref>


This was the only predominantly Mexican colony in Texas, where the eastern areas were settled primarily by immigrants from the United States.<ref name="De León's Colony">{{cite web|last=Roell|first=Craig H|title=De León's Colony|url=http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ued01|work=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|accessdate=21 March 2011|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513095151/http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ued01|archivedate=13 May 2011}}</ref> The Mexico legislature passed the [[General Colonization Law]] on August 18, and enacted on March 25, 1825, allowing foreigners to gain title to land that was not within 20 leagues of the border of another country or within 10 leagues of the coast.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Barker|first1=Eugene C.|title=Mexican Colonization Laws|url=https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ugm01|website=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|accessdate=October 8, 2015|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150922082629/https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ugm01|archivedate=September 22, 2015}}</ref>
⚫
The couple also had six daughters, who were overshadowed by the men they married. Candelaria married José Miguel Aldrete, who was 1835 state land commissioner of [[Coahuila y Tejas]]. Aldrete joined several Texas insurgent groups to resist President [[Antonio López de Santa Anna]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Huson|first=Hobart|title=José Miguel Aldrete|url=http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fal04|work=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|accessdate=21 March 2011}}</ref>
⚫
Guadalupe married Desiderio García, of whom nothing is known. María married politician [[Rafael Manchola]] who was elected to the state legislature in 1830.<ref>{{cite web|last=Roell|first=Craig H|title=Rafael Antonio Manchola|url=http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fma31|work=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|accessdate=21 March 2011}}</ref> Refugio married Mexican freedom fighter [[José María Jesús Carbajal]],<ref name="José María Jesús Carbajal">{{cite web|title=José María Jesús Carbajal|url=http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fca45|work=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|accessdate=21 March 2011}}</ref> who waged guerilla warfare in Mexico against López de Santa Anna's political machine. Agustina married [[Plácido Benavides]] who opposed López de Santa Anna's dictatorship, but felt Texas should remain part of Mexico. Benavides led a unit of [[Tejano]] fighters at the [[Battle of Goliad]]. He was recruited by [[Stephen F. Austin]] for the Battle of Bexar. Benavides earned himself the sobriquet of the "Texas Paul Revere" for his 1836 journey from [[San Patricio, Texas|San Patricio]] to [[Goliad]] to Victoria, warning residents of the approaching Mexican army.<ref>{{cite web|last=Roell|first=Craig H|title=Plácido Benavides|url=http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fbe46|work=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|accessdate=21 March 2011}}</ref> Francisca married Vicente Dosal, of whom nothing is known.<ref name="MDeLeon"/>


==Death==
== Family ==
⚫
In 1795, Martín De León married [[Patricia de la Garza De León|Patricia de la Garza]]. Her financial inheritance contributed to the foundation of De León's Colony. Upon her husband's death, de la Garza assumed the role of head of the De León family. She kept the family together during exile in [[Louisiana]]<!-- why and when? -->. After their return to Victoria, she became a leading figure who helped shape and nurture the community.<ref name=LasTejanas /> Their extended family colonized Texas, and included politicians whose deeds affected the course of history both in Texas and in Mexico.
⚫
Martín de León died of [[cholera]] in 1833.<ref>{{cite book|last=Poyo|first=Gerald Eugene|title=Tejano Journey, 1770–1850|year=1996|publisher=University of Texas Press|isbn=978-0-292-76570-2|page=117}}</ref> His estate was worth $500,000.<ref>{{cite book|last=Wade|first=Mary Dodson|title=Texas History|year=2008|publisher=Heinemann Library|isbn=978-1-4329-1151-5|page=12}}</ref> De León is buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Victoria, Texas.<ref>{{Find a Grave|55409755|Martín De León}}</ref>


[[Recorded Texas Historic Landmark]] number 6542 placed at Evergreen Cemetery in 1936 acknowledges Don Martin de León's contribution to Texas.<ref name="Evergreen Cemetery">{{cite web|title=THC-Evergreen Cemetery|url=http://atlas.thc.state.tx.us/viewform.asp?atlas_num=5469006542&site_name=De%20Leon%2C%20Don%20Martin&class=5000|work=Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks|publisher=Texas Historical Association|accessdate=22 April 2011}}</ref> [[Recorded Texas Historic Landmark]] number 6543 placed at Church and Bridge Streets in 1936 denotes Don Martin de León's home in Victoria.<ref name="DL Home">{{cite web|title=THC-De León Home|url=http://atlas.thc.state.tx.us/viewform.asp?atlas_num=5469006543&site_name=De%20Leon%2C%20Martin%2C%20Home%20of&class=5000|work=Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks|publisher=Texas Historical Association|accessdate=22 April 2011}}</ref>
The couple had four sons: Fernando, Silvestre, Félix and Agapito. Fernando helped trade livestock for munitions to help [[Stephen F. Austin]], and later became aide-de-camp to provisional Texas governor [[James W. Robinson (Texas and California)|James W. Robinson]].<ref name="Fernando De León">{{cite web|last=Roell|first=Craig H|title=Fernando De León|url=http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fde81|work=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|accessdate=21 March 2011|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110709210041/http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fde81|archivedate=9 July 2011}}</ref> Silvestre fought beside his brother-in-law Plácido at the 1835 [[Siege of Béxar]] to drive [[Martín Perfecto de Cos]] out of Texas.<ref name="Silvestre De León">{{cite web|last=Roell|first=Craig H|title=Silvestre De León|url=http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fde80|work=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|accessdate=21 March 2011|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110709205839/http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fde80|archivedate=9 July 2011}}</ref>


⚫
The couple also had six daughters, who were overshadowed by the men they married. Candelaria married José Miguel Aldrete, who was 1835 state land commissioner of [[Coahuila y Tejas]]. Aldrete joined several Texas insurgent groups to resist President [[Antonio López de Santa Anna]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Huson|first=Hobart|title=José Miguel Aldrete|url=http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fal04|work=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|accessdate=21 March 2011|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101215163254/http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fal04|archivedate=15 December 2010}}</ref>
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==See also==
⚫
Guadalupe married Desiderio García, of whom nothing is known. María de Jesús (María) married politician [[Rafael Manchola]], who was elected to the state legislature in 1830.<ref>{{cite web|last=Roell|first=Craig H|title=Rafael Antonio Manchola|url=http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fma31|work=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|accessdate=21 March 2011|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150214202415/http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fma31|archivedate=14 February 2015}}</ref> María del Refugio (Refugio) married Mexican freedom fighter [[José María Jesús Carbajal]],<ref name="José María Jesús Carbajal">{{cite web|title=José María Jesús Carbajal|url=http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fca45|work=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|accessdate=21 March 2011|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110524060343/http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fca45|archivedate=24 May 2011}}</ref> who waged [[guerrilla]] warfare in Mexico against López de Santa Anna's political machine. Agustina married [[Plácido Benavides]], who opposed Santa Anna's dictatorship, but believed that Texas should remain part of Mexico. Benavides led a unit of [[Tejano]] fighters at the [[Battle of Goliad]]. He was recruited by [[Stephen F. Austin]] for the Battle of Bexar. Benavides became known as the "Texas [[Paul Revere]]" for his 1836 journey from [[San Patricio, Texas|San Patricio]] to [[Goliad]] to Victoria, warning residents of the approaching Mexican army.<ref>{{cite web|last=Roell|first=Craig H|title=Plácido Benavides|url=http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fbe46|work=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|accessdate=21 March 2011|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110709205828/http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fbe46|archivedate=9 July 2011}}</ref> Francisca married Vicente Dosal, of whom nothing is known.<ref name="MDeLeon" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=Martin de Leon: Founder of Victoria, Texas|url=https://www.caller.com/story/news/2018/02/26/martin-de-leon-founder-victoria-texas/374665002/|website=Corpus Christi Caller-Times|language=en|access-date=2020-05-25}}</ref>

== Death and legacy==
⚫
Martín De León died of [[cholera]] in 1833, a year of epidemics that swept North America along its waterways.<ref>{{cite book|last=Poyo|first=Gerald Eugene|title=Tejano Journey, 1770–1850|year=1996|publisher=University of Texas Press|isbn=978-0-292-76570-2|page=117}}</ref> His estate was worth $500,000.<ref>{{cite book|last=Wade|first=Mary Dodson|title=Texas History|year=2008|publisher=Heinemann Library|isbn=978-1-4329-1151-5|page=12}}</ref> De León is buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Victoria, Texas.

[[Recorded Texas Historic Landmark]] number 6542 placed at Evergreen Cemetery in 1936 acknowledges Don Martin de León's contribution to Texas.<ref name="Evergreen Cemetery">{{cite web|title=THC-Evergreen Cemetery|url=https://atlas.thc.state.tx.us/Details/7469000205|work=Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks|publisher=Texas Historical Association|accessdate=July 31, 2017|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170731201725/https://atlas.thc.state.tx.us/Details/7469000205|archivedate=July 31, 2017}}</ref> [[Recorded Texas Historic Landmark]] number 6543 placed at Church and Bridge Streets in 1936 denotes Don Martin de León's home in Victoria.<ref name="DL Home">{{cite web|title=THC-De León Home|url=https://atlas.thc.state.tx.us/Details/5469006543|work=Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks|publisher=Texas Historical Association|accessdate=July 31, 2017|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170731225558/https://atlas.thc.state.tx.us/Details/5469006543|archivedate=July 31, 2017}}</ref>

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== See also ==
{{Portal|Texas|Mexico|Biography|Hispanic and Latino Americans}}
{{Portal|Texas|Mexico|Biography|Hispanic and Latino Americans}}
* [[History of the Mexican-Americans in Texas]]
* [[History of the Mexican-Americans in Texas]]
{{-}}


==References==
== References ==
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== Further reading ==
*{{cite book|last1=Crimm|first1=Ana Carolina Castillo|title=De León, a Tejano Family History|date=2004|publisher=University of Texas Press|isbn=978-0-292-79758-1|url=https://muse.jhu.edu/book/13815|via=[[Project MUSE]]|url-access=subscription }}
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{{Mexican Texas}}
{{Mexican Texas}}

Latest revision as of 00:23, 25 September 2022

This article is about the Mexican empresario. For the saint, see Martin of Leon.

Martín De León
Born
Martín de León y Galván

1765
Nuevo Santander, New Spain
(now Tamaulipas, Mexico)
Died1833 (aged 68)
Victoria, Coahuila y Tejas, First Mexican Republic
Resting placeEvergreen Cemetery
Victoria, Texas
28°48′43″N 97°00′48″W / 28.81194°N 97.01333°W / 28.81194; -97.01333
Known forEmpresario founded
De León's Colony
SpousePatricia de la Garza
ChildrenFernando (1798)
Candelaria (1800)
Silvestre (1802)
Guadalupe (1804)
Félix (1806)
Agapito (1808)
María (1810)
Refugio (1812)
Agustina (1814)
Francisca (1818)
Parent(s)José Bernardo de León y García
María Antonia Galván y de las Rivas

Martín De León (1765–1833) was a rancher and wealthy Mexican empresario in Texas who was descended from Spanish aristocracy. He was the patriarch of one of the prominent founding families of early Texas. De León and his wife Patricia de la Garza established De León's Colony, the only predominantly Mexican colony in Texas. They founded the town of Villa de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe Victoria Nombre de Jesús (now known as Victoria) on the Guadalupe River. The name referred both to the river and to Mexico's president Guadalupe Victoria.

De León was a merchant who originally supplied basic necessities to mine workers at Real de San Nicolás. In 1790 he joined the Fieles de Burgos regiment, where he was promoted to captain.[1] The De León E–J (Espíritu de Jesús) cattle brand became the first registered brand in what was to become Texas. The extended De León family included politicians and freedom fighters who helped alter the course of history both in Texas and in Mexico. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark number 6542, placed at Evergreen Cemetery in 1936, acknowledges Don Martin de León's contribution to Texas.[2] Recorded Texas Historic Landmark number 6543, placed at Church and Bridge Streets in 1936, denotes Don Martin de León's home in Victoria.[3]

Early life

Martín De León was born in 1765 in Burgos, Tamaulipas, Mexico to José Bernardo de León y García and María Antonia Galván y de las Rivas from Burgos, Spain who were wealthy and well-connected aristocratic immigrants.[4] He first worked as a supplier of basic necessities to Real de San Nicolás mine workers. He joined the Fieles de Burgos regiment in 1790, being promoted to captain.[1]

De Leon's colony

De León and his wife Patricia de la Garza[5] began ranching in Cruillas following their marriage.

In 1799, De León moved northward and established Rancho Chiltipiquin, a cattle ranch in the vicinity of San Patricio County, Texas.[1] Their cattle brand, with a connected E and J (standing for Espíritu de Jesús), became the first registered cattle brand in what was to become Texas. The brand had been modeled after one used by the Jesuits, and brought from Spain when the De León family emigrated. Martín officially registered it in Texas under the family name in 1807.[6]

Main article: De León's Colony (Texas)

De León's 1807 and 1809 petitions to act as an empresario for colonization in Texas were denied by the Spanish government. After Mexico gained its independence from Spain in 1821, colonization possibilities looked more favorable.[7] The provisional Mexican government approved a contract on April 13, 1824 for De León to settle forty-one Mexican families on the lower Guadalupe and Lavaca rivers, in the vicinity of Coleto, Garcitas, Arenosa, and Zorillo (Placido) creeks. The settlement's original name was Villa de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe Victoria Nombre de Jesús, for both the river and Mexico's president Guadalupe Victoria. It is now known as Victoria.[4]

This was the only predominantly Mexican colony in Texas, where the eastern areas were settled primarily by immigrants from the United States.[8] The Mexico legislature passed the General Colonization Law on August 18, and enacted on March 25, 1825, allowing foreigners to gain title to land that was not within 20 leagues of the border of another country or within 10 leagues of the coast.[9]

Family

In 1795, Martín De León married Patricia de la Garza. Her financial inheritance contributed to the foundation of De León's Colony. Upon her husband's death, de la Garza assumed the role of head of the De León family. She kept the family together during exile in Louisiana. After their return to Victoria, she became a leading figure who helped shape and nurture the community.[6] Their extended family colonized Texas, and included politicians whose deeds affected the course of history both in Texas and in Mexico.

The couple had four sons: Fernando, Silvestre, Félix and Agapito. Fernando helped trade livestock for munitions to help Stephen F. Austin, and later became aide-de-camp to provisional Texas governor James W. Robinson.[10] Silvestre fought beside his brother-in-law Plácido at the 1835 Siege of Béxar to drive Martín Perfecto de Cos out of Texas.[11]

The couple also had six daughters, who were overshadowed by the men they married. Candelaria married José Miguel Aldrete, who was 1835 state land commissioner of Coahuila y Tejas. Aldrete joined several Texas insurgent groups to resist President Antonio López de Santa Anna.[12] Guadalupe married Desiderio García, of whom nothing is known. María de Jesús (María) married politician Rafael Manchola, who was elected to the state legislature in 1830.[13] María del Refugio (Refugio) married Mexican freedom fighter José María Jesús Carbajal,[14] who waged guerrilla warfare in Mexico against López de Santa Anna's political machine. Agustina married Plácido Benavides, who opposed Santa Anna's dictatorship, but believed that Texas should remain part of Mexico. Benavides led a unit of Tejano fighters at the Battle of Goliad. He was recruited by Stephen F. Austin for the Battle of Bexar. Benavides became known as the "Texas Paul Revere" for his 1836 journey from San Patricio to Goliad to Victoria, warning residents of the approaching Mexican army.[15] Francisca married Vicente Dosal, of whom nothing is known.[1][16]

Death and legacy

Martín De León died of cholera in 1833, a year of epidemics that swept North America along its waterways.[17] His estate was worth $500,000.[18] De León is buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Victoria, Texas.

Recorded Texas Historic Landmark number 6542 placed at Evergreen Cemetery in 1936 acknowledges Don Martin de León's contribution to Texas.[2] Recorded Texas Historic Landmark number 6543 placed at Church and Bridge Streets in 1936 denotes Don Martin de León's home in Victoria.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Roell, Craig H. "Martín De León". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Archived from the original on 9 July 2011. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
  2. ^ a b "THC-Evergreen Cemetery". Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks. Texas Historical Association. Archived from the original on July 31, 2017. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
  3. ^ a b "THC-De León Home". Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks. Texas Historical Association. Archived from the original on July 31, 2017. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
  4. ^ a b Quiroz, Anthony (2005). Claiming Citizenship: Mexican Americans in Victoria, Texas. Texas A&M University Press. pp. 3–4, 6. ISBN 978-1-60344-591-7. Archived from the original on 2017-07-31 – via Project MUSE.
  5. ^ Stewart, Paula. "Patricia de la Garza". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Archived from the original on 9 July 2011. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
  6. ^ a b Acosta, Teresa Palomo; Winegarten, Ruthe (2003). Las Tejanas: 300 Years of History. University of Texas Press. pp. 20–24. ISBN 0-292-70527-1. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.
  7. ^ Weber, David J. (1992). The Spanish Frontier in North America. Yale Western Americana Series. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. p. 300. ISBN 0-300-05198-0.
  8. ^ Roell, Craig H. "De León's Colony". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Archived from the original on 13 May 2011. Retrieved 21 March 2011.
  9. ^ Barker, Eugene C. "Mexican Colonization Laws". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Archived from the original on September 22, 2015. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
  10. ^ Roell, Craig H. "Fernando De León". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Archived from the original on 9 July 2011. Retrieved 21 March 2011.
  11. ^ Roell, Craig H. "Silvestre De León". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Archived from the original on 9 July 2011. Retrieved 21 March 2011.
  12. ^ Huson, Hobart. "José Miguel Aldrete". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Archived from the original on 15 December 2010. Retrieved 21 March 2011.
  13. ^ Roell, Craig H. "Rafael Antonio Manchola". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Archived from the original on 14 February 2015. Retrieved 21 March 2011.
  14. ^ "José María Jesús Carbajal". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Archived from the original on 24 May 2011. Retrieved 21 March 2011.
  15. ^ Roell, Craig H. "Plácido Benavides". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Archived from the original on 9 July 2011. Retrieved 21 March 2011.
  16. ^ "Martin de Leon: Founder of Victoria, Texas". Corpus Christi Caller-Times. Retrieved 2020-05-25.
  17. ^ Poyo, Gerald Eugene (1996). Tejano Journey, 1770–1850. University of Texas Press. p. 117. ISBN 978-0-292-76570-2.
  18. ^ Wade, Mary Dodson (2008). Texas History. Heinemann Library. p. 12. ISBN 978-1-4329-1151-5.

Further reading

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