- Descendants of the Santa Cruz village founding families unveiled a historical marker at the family cemetery.
- Mirta Saenz Martinez and her cousin, Homero Vera, worked with the Duval and Texas Historical Commissions to bestow the cemetery with the honor.
After three years of work and an emotional roller coaster, the Vera, Saenz, and Martinez families are celebrating the ancestors who founded the Santa Cruz village; 25 miles south of San Diego.
Santa Cruz is located southeastern part of Duval County on Farm-to-Market 1329 and Los Olmos Creek. It was named for the Santa Cruz de Concepcion Land Grant. It was established in 1859.
Direct descendants of Santa Cruz’s founding families worked closely with the Duval and Texas Historical Commissions to unveil a historical marker at the Santa Cruz cemetery on Saturday, March 23.
Mirta Saenz Martinez is a direct descendant of the Santa Cruz founding families. She said she is excited and happy to be able to honor her ancestors.
“It was very important because this area of South Texas - especially Duval County has a rich historical culture that is not taught and that is not known,” said Mirta Saenz Martinez, Santa Cruz Family Descendant.
By the 1990s, all that was left was two small cemeteries, the Santa Cruz Cemetery being one.
The oldest recorded burial at the cemetery is from 1876.
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