La Matanza of 1915
From summer through late fall of 1915, Texas Rangers indiscriminately shot and killed dozens of Mexicans without questioning, solely based on the assumption of allegiance to bandits in the area. In the case of Jesus Bazán and his son-in-law, Antonio Longoria, the Rangers left their bodies on the road, leaving relatives to find the corpses two days later. While dozens of names, including Bazán and Longoria, are known, many have been lost and will likely never be recovered. This marker memorializes the unknown victims of the Matanza of 1915. See a partial list of names of those killed.
UNVEILING
RTF unveiled the marker in Cameron County on October 14, 2017, drawing a crowd of community members, local politicians, and descendants of those killed during the matanza.
Read RTF member Benjamin H. Johnson’s speech here.