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HAVANA,
TEXASHidalgo
County, South Texas
Highway 83
2 miles North of the Rio Grande
2 miles
W of La Joya
18 miles NW of McAllen
Population:
200 (est) |
A
portion of the Havana Cemetery
TE photo, 2001 |
While the community
of Havana dates back to a Spanish land grant - it is hardly more than a colonia
and a string of businesses along Highway 83 today. The Havanna cemetery on the
south side of the road remains as the town's cultural cornerstone. For this reason
our photos are entirely of the cemetery.
During a severe flood early
in the 20th Century - many of the residents of Havana moved to higher ground which
they named La Joya. |
| | Havana
Texas historical marker
TE photo, 2001 | |
|
History
in a Pecan Shell
The original land grant was made to José Matías
Tijerina in 1767. Tijerina had come from Europe via Cuba and decided to name his
small Texas community after the Cuban port/capital.
The community was
granted a post office in 1886, which moved to Sam Fordyce in 1905.
Only in the 1970s did the population exceed 100 persons. In 1976 the community
only had 176 people - and ten years later there were only 180. The descendants
of José Tijerina are buried in the cemetery.
A rather unusual tombstone
(not shown) is one for a Master Sergeant Perez - who served in the Union army
during the Civil War.
Veteran's graves from other wars reflect the high
degree of participation of Mexicans and Mexican-Americans in U.S. conflicts. One
shaded grave has a small handmade helicopter suspended from an overhanging Mesquite
tree. |
A
home-made helicopter hovers above a veteran's grave
TE photo, 2001 |
| | Tombstone
with glass enclosure
TE photo, 2001 | |
|
Havana, Texas
ForumSubject:
Havana, Texas
Dear TE, I was surfing the net and happened upon your [magazine].
My heart skipped several beats and at the same time I felt an overwhelming sadness.
I cried upon reading the story on Havana, Texas. My ancestor (many generations
distant) is Jose Matias Tijerina. I have been researching how my family arrived
in Texas from Spain. I had known that my family had been given a land grant from
the crown, but I kept running into roadblocks. I have even seen where this 6,500-acre
grant appeared on the Texas map (beginning at the Rio Grande). I would like to
ask if anyone would know if in fact Jose Matias Tijerina is buried in Havana,
Texas, so that I may continue my search. I would like to thank you and your wife
for publishing this information to show how rich in history Texas is. May we never
forget that all of us had a beginning - no matter how small we were when we started.
Respectfully, Diana
Tijerina-Pittman, April 03, 2007
Anyone wishing to share history, stories
or photos of Havana, Texas, please contact
us.
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