El Desierto Cemetery
Hidalgo Co. Cemeteries
of Tx
Submitted by Frances Isbell
With Permission of
Hidalgo Co. Historical Commission (2005)
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LOCATION: Northwest of Laguna Seca Ranch. On
US 281, drive five miles past Faysville. Turn west on Laguna
Seca Road for 3.5 miles, then north 1.75 miles past Laguna Seca Ranch
headquarters. Cemetery is on west side of road.
Obtain permission from owner Rafael Guerra.
SURVEYED: August 6, 1976 by Virginia G. Stinson
and Deborah S. Dail for McAllen Genealogical Society. Some graves were
moved to the new Laguna Seca Cemetery which was established in 1913.
Gaps in numbers are unmarked or empty graves.
HISTORY: Rafael Vela, 1842-1899, 7th child of Salvador and
Leonor Zamora Vela, was born in Reynosa. In 1857, his older brother
Macedonio came to Hidalgo County and founded Laguna Seca Ranch. Three
more brothers, including Rafael, followed. By 1870, Rafael had
established La Gacha Ranch. In October 1877, he married Guadalupe Cardenas
Guerra at La Noria Cardenena Ranch. They had seven children.
In 1888, he traded La Gacha for property closer to his mother and sisters at
Laguna Seca Ranch. He named the new ranch El Desierto, He and
his widow are buried in a boveda (above-ground crypt) in El Desierto
Cemetery.
01 AGAPITO GONZALEZ 26June1886-20Nov1969 de su esposa,
hijos y nietos
02 [old boveda 02-03-04 with 3 inscriptions]
FELICITAS VELA 16(?)Mar1895 32 yrs [unmarried
daughter of Pedro Vela in 03]
03 Don PEDRO VELA ZAMORA Murio 3Mar1889 66 yrs
Sus hijos y hijas [boveda, center; brother of ranch founder Rafael
Vela 08]
04 CAMILO VELA Murio 15Aug1896 edad 29 [right side of
boveda, son of Pedro Vela 03]
05 [A very big and beautiful boveda] LEONOR
Z[AMORA] de VELA Sus hijos e hijas le dedican 1885 [born c1803, mother of
ranch founder Rafael Vela 08; widow of Salvador Vela]
06 FELIPE HERNANDEZ fallecio 12Sep1913
Un recuerdo de su hija G.H. a su memoria EPD
08 RAFAEL VELA ZAMORA 11Jan1842-8May1899 [wrought iron fence
surrounds 08 and 09; ranch founder]
09 GUADALUPE CARDENAS DE VELA 12Dec1849-17May1917 [wife of
Rafael Vela; fenced with 08]
10-11 RAFAEL VELA 16Aug1883-21Feb1954
MARTA [HINOJOSA] VELA 25Apr1901-2Oct1965 [double;
husband and wife, he son of founder]
12 AVELARDO GARZA 6Apr1914-20Mar1930 Su
padre Geronimo Garza y su madre Leonarda Reyes de Garza y sus hermanos
Amancio, Ernestina, Luiz y Adelina Garza
13 [Very old monument, falling apart]
14 SEVERA RAMIREZ de 30 anos 20-3-20 [there are
possibly 4 or 5 graves here. Bricks are laid flat on the ground, like
a fence, around an area big enough for several graves. There is only
one marker, a very tall concrete cross.]
16 ANDRES GAR?A
17 Sra ????DA OL??A fallecio 5May1917
Recuerdo de sus hijos y fam Nicolaso Luna
18 REMIGIO CORTEZ 1866-25Jan1931 sus hijos
23 LASARA R. DE LOREDO
25 ANDRES GARZA 23Mar1885-13Mar1927
26 PAULINO SERDA Fallecio 16Sep1915
Un recuerdo de su esposa
27 DONACIANO CERDA
29 [headstone toppled, could not move]
31 NICOL... [broken monument with a nest of angry yellow
jackets in the flowers. They never did settle down, so we could not
get close enough to read the inscription]
32-33 LUCIANA CERDA 7Jan1891 [double]
RUMALDO CERDA SR. 7Feb1889-10Feb1972
34 VICTORIA CERDA 23Mar1914-4June1972 Un
recuerdo de su madre
35 GERARDA CERDA Nacio 236 Enero 1918 Fallecio 9 Abril
1942 [plainly reads "236"]
39-40 EUGENO CALVILLO dedicada su hija Hilaria C. Perez
CELESTINA G. CALVILLO 6Apr1887-21Aug1940 su esposo e hijos dedican [picture]
[Two headstones,one in front of the other, inside a
wrought iron fence]
43 JULIANA O. LONGORIA 26Apr1879-11May1966 Hijos y nietos
[picture]
44 AURORA LONGORIA Died 30Aug1942
age 26 yrs 6 mos 22 days
48 RAFAEL GARZA GARCIA 1905-1975
[this information taken from a paper taped to the wooden cross that
marks this grave]
50 ADAN CISNEROS 12Apr1945 14Jan1946
51 CONSUELO SALAZ 9Jan1944-30Jul1944
Recuerdo de sus padres y hermanos
58-59 ELEUTERIO VILLARREAL 20Feb1885-13Apr1966
Recuerdo de sus hijos [double]
ANNA L. VILLARREAL 5Jan1890-31Jan1949 [at foot of the
grave is an older stone] Sra ANA L. VILLARREAL, 5Jan1891-31Jan1949
Un recuerdo ...de su esposo Eleuterio Villarreal, hijos y hijas DEP