Camargo, Tamaulipas
Encyclopedia
.gif)
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
in the Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
state of Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 43 municipalities and its capital city is Ciudad Victoria. The capital city was named after Guadalupe Victoria, the...
. It is located on the US border, across from Rio Grande City, Texas
Rio Grande City, Texas
Rio Grande City is a city in and the county seat of Starr County, Texas, United States. The population was 13,834 at the 2010 census. The city is 41 miles west of McAllen. It is the hometown of former Commander of U.S. Forces in Iraq, General Ricardo Sanchez. The city also holds the March record...
. It has an official population of 14,933 inhabitants (2010 census) and an international bridge. The municipal seat is Ciudad Camargo, with a population of 7,984. The municipality is connected to Rio Grande City, Texas
Rio Grande City, Texas
Rio Grande City is a city in and the county seat of Starr County, Texas, United States. The population was 13,834 at the 2010 census. The city is 41 miles west of McAllen. It is the hometown of former Commander of U.S. Forces in Iraq, General Ricardo Sanchez. The city also holds the March record...
via the Rio Grande City-Camargo International Bridge
Rio Grande City-Camargo International Bridge
The Rio Grande City-Camargo International Bridge is an international bridge which crosses the Rio Grande connecting the United States-Mexico border cities of Rio Grande City, Texas and Camargo, Tamaulipas...
.
History
The first settlement to be founded on the Lower Río GrandeRio Grande
The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...
was that of Nuestra Señora de Santa Ana de Camargo. It was founded on March 5, 1749, with the dedication to Señora Santa Ana by captain Don Blas María de la Garza Falcón
Blas Maria de la Garza Falcón
Blas María de la Garza Falcón was a Spanish settler of Tamaulipas and South Texas.- Biography :...
at the eastern edge of the San Juan River
San Juan River (Tamaulipas)
The San Juan River is the largest and most important river in the Mexican state of Nuevo León. The river feeds the El Cuchillo Dam, which provides the city of Monterrey with water. The San Juan River basin has a total surface area of . The San Juan River is a contributor to the Rio Grande...
near its confluence with the Río Grande. The foundation had 85 families – a total of 531 persons. Most of the settlers for this township came from Cerralvo
Cerralvo
Cerralvo is a municipality situated in the Mexican state of Nuevo León. Cerralvo is located in the northeastern region of Nuevo León, in the Gulf Coastal Plain and in the northeastern agricultural and ranching economic zone that also includes the municipalities of Agualeguas, General Treviño,...
, Cadereyta
Cadereyta
Cadereyta may refer to:*Cadereyta de Montes, Querétaro, Mexico*Cadereyta Jiménez, Nuevo León, Mexico...
, Monterrey
Monterrey
Monterrey , is the capital city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León in the country of Mexico. The city is anchor to the third-largest metropolitan area in Mexico and is ranked as the ninth-largest city in the nation. Monterrey serves as a commercial center in the north of the country and is the...
and surrounding townships.
After establishing other towns in the interior of Mexico between Querétaro
Querétaro
Querétaro officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Querétaro de Arteaga is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 18 municipalities and its capital city is Santiago de Querétaro....
and the Gulf coast, Escandon arrived at Camargo on March 3, 1749. At the location called, "Paso del Azucar" on the Rio Grande
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...
, about two leagues
League (unit)
A league is a unit of length . It was long common in Europe and Latin America, but it is no longer an official unit in any nation. The league originally referred to the distance a person or a horse could walk in an hour...
southeast of the present site of Camargo, he met Captain Blas Maria de la Garza Falcón
Blas Maria de la Garza Falcón
Blas María de la Garza Falcón was a Spanish settler of Tamaulipas and South Texas.- Biography :...
who already had been encamped their with forty other families and some soldiers. In the group led by Captain Blas Maria de la Garza Falcon were Miguel de la Garza Falcon, his brother, and Nicolas de los Santos Coy, father-in-law of Captain Falcon and ex-alcalde
Alcalde
Alcalde , or Alcalde ordinario, is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and administrative functions. An alcalde was, in the absence of a corregidor, the presiding officer of the Castilian cabildo and judge of first instance of a town...
of Cerralvo
Cerralvo
Cerralvo is a municipality situated in the Mexican state of Nuevo León. Cerralvo is located in the northeastern region of Nuevo León, in the Gulf Coastal Plain and in the northeastern agricultural and ranching economic zone that also includes the municipalities of Agualeguas, General Treviño,...
.
These settlers were men of wealth who felt a need to risk all for greater gain. The town had already been laid out on the eastern bank of the San Juan River
San Juan River (Tamaulipas)
The San Juan River is the largest and most important river in the Mexican state of Nuevo León. The river feeds the El Cuchillo Dam, which provides the city of Monterrey with water. The San Juan River basin has a total surface area of . The San Juan River is a contributor to the Rio Grande...
, not far from the Rio Grande
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...
, and temporary shelters made, jacales (straw huts). Father Fray Hierro, who had joined Escandon at Padilla and was a missionary from the college of Zacatecas, kept a diary which provides many interesting details concerning the establishment of the first settlements of the Lower Rio Grande Valley
Rio Grande Valley
The Rio Grande Valley or the Lower Rio Grande Valley, informally called The Valley, is an area located in the southernmost tip of South Texas...
. Fourteen settlements were established in a six months period.
The settlers of this town were, as is evident from the captain's registry, generally Spaniards; they came in with some major and minor livestock: goats, sheep and mules.
A great flood
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
in the year 1751 did some damage to the settlement, for which reason it was moved a little farther down the river to a higher site. An irrigation
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
which had been built at the original location, because of their not having trimmed the opening to the canal with stone and mortar, was destroyed by the flood
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
.
In 1846 Camargo was occupied by the US Army under the command of General Zachary Taylor. This river port served as a jumping off point for the invasion on Monterrey and Saltillo. The US Army was transported via steamboats from the mouth of the river area, and Matamoros. Disease plagued the troops and it is said that thousand of US soldiers were buried here, in unmarked graves.
Towns and villages
The largest localities (cities, towns, and villages) are:| Name | 2010 Census Population |
|---|---|
| Ciudad Camargo 26°18′56"N 98°50′00"W | 7,984 |
| Comales 26°10′56"N 98°55′14"W | 2,429 |
| Nuevo Camargo | 907 |
| Nuevo Camargo (Villanueva) | 420 |
| Rancherías | 404 |
| San Francisco | 384 |
| Guardado de Abajo (Guardados de Abajo) | 326 |
| López y Nuevo Cadillo | 319 |
| Santa Rosalía | 229 |
| Total Municipality | 14,933 |
Adjacent municipalities and counties
- Gustavo Díaz Ordaz MunicipalityGustavo Díaz Ordaz, TamaulipasGustavo Díaz Ordaz is a municipality located in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas.-Towns and villages:The largest localities are:-Adjacent municipalities and counties:* Reynosa Municipality - east...
- southeast - General Bravo MunicipalityGeneral Bravo, Nuevo LeónGeneral Bravo is a municipality and also the name of its main population center and seat of government in the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon. It is named after Nicolas Bravo, a hero of the Mexican War of Independence.-External links:...
, Nuevo LeónNuevo LeónNuevo León It is located in Northeastern Mexico. It is bordered by the states of Tamaulipas to the north and east, San Luis Potosí to the south, and Coahuila to the west. To the north, Nuevo León has a 15 kilometer stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border adjacent to the U.S...
- southeast - Doctor Coss MunicipalityDoctor Coss, Nuevo LeónDoctor Coss is both a city and a municipality in Nuevo León, Mexico. It is located at , 182 km NE of Monterrey. Its name honors Dr. José María Coss, a liberal politician of the 19th century...
, Nuevo León - southwest - Miguel Alemán Municipality - northwest
- Starr County, TexasStarr County, TexasStarr County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2010, its population was 60,968. Its county seat is Rio Grande City. The county is named for James Harper Starr, who served as Secretary of the Treasury of the Republic of Texas. It is part of the Rio Grande City-Roma, TX,...
- northeast