Juan Moya y Delgado (1806–1874) was a prominent

Tejano Tejanos (, ; singular: ''Tejano/a''; Spanish for "Texan", originally borrowed from the Caddo ''tayshas'') are the residents of the state of Texas who are culturally descended from the Mexican population of Tejas and Coahuila that lived in the ...

landowner and

Mexican army The Mexican Army ( es, Ejército Mexicano) is the combined land and air branch and is the largest part of the Mexican Armed Forces; it is also known as the National Defense Army. The Army is under the authority of the Secretariat of National De ...

captain who fought in the Texas Revolution.

Biography

Juan Moya was born around 1806 in the

Presidio La Bahia A presidio ( en, jail, fortification) was a fortified base established by the Spanish Empire around between 16th and 18th centuries in areas in condition of their control or influence. The presidios of Spanish Philippines in particular, were cent ...

(

Goliad Goliad ( ) is a city in Goliad County, Texas, United States. It is known for the 1836 Goliad massacre during the Texas Revolution. It had a population of 1,620 at the 2020 census. Founded on the San Antonio River, it is the county seat of Gol ...

), Texas. His father was José Miguel Delgado and his two brothers are Pedro and Nepomuceno. His family descended from the first

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

settlers who were from the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

and settled in San Antonio de Béjar in 1731. In 1795, Moya's father obtained land from the government in San Patricio County and lived on Delgado's Ranch called Rancho San Miguel de Buena Virtud (later renamed to Rancho de Buena Vista). On November 26, 1831, José Miguel Delgado and his three sons obtained lands from the McMullen-McGloin Colony. Juan and his family stayed on the Rancho de Buena Vista. At this time, he was married to María Antonia Martinez and had a one-year-old son named Agustín. On November 30, 1834, Moya got more land by the Power and Heweston Colony in Bee County. In

Juan Delgado (likely to be the same person as Juan Moya) was granted land as well. He and his family primarily stayed at their ranch in Bee County (which was known at the time as Rancho Moya - Spanish for: Moya Ranch). It was later renamed as the John Quincy Rancho after it was acquired by J.M. O'Brien. Moya joined the Mexican Army during the Texas Revolution between 1835 and 1836 and served as captain in the Mexican Centralist Army. His ranch, Moya Rancho, was used both by the General

Martin Perfecto de Cos Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Austral ...

(who become it in his headquarter) and by General

Vicente Filisola Vicente is an Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese name. Like its French variant, Vincent, it is derived from the Latin name ''Vincentius'' meaning "conquering" (from Latin ''vincere'', "to conquer"). Vicente may refer to: Location *São Vicente, Cap ...

(who used it as his campside, following his withdrawal to

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

). Ten years later, around 1846, Juan Moya, his wife and seven children decided to settle in

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. He would occasionally return to Bee and

during land title disputes arising from the Texas Revolution. Moya and two of his sons Antonio and Marcelo were accused of murdering the Swift family who were nearby neighbors. They were imprisoned. On June 8, 1874, they were lynched by a group of people who believed them to be guilty of the crime. The Moya family cemetery is near Berclair, Goliad County, on the land of Juan Delgado.

After his death

Following his death, Moya's Rancho was divided into two parcels. One was received by Lea Pryor and the other half received by the Moya family. However, the family lost the most of their land in court battles. Moya's descendants still live in

and in all the neighboring counties. In 1974 the family founded an association, which was called Moya Association of Texas. This association is formed with about 2,000 people natives from seven states. The association's role is to commemorate the memory of the

Canarian Canary Islanders, or Canarians ( es, canarios), are a Romance people and ethnic group. They reside on the Canary Islands, an autonomous community of Spain near the coast of northwest Africa, and descend from a mixture of European settlers and abor ...

settlers and of the first settlers and cattle ranchers of Texas. On September 10, 1982, Governor

William P. Clements William Perry Clements Jr. (April 13, 1917 – May 29, 2011) was an American businessman and Republican Party (United States), Republican Party politician who served two non-consecutive terms as the governor of Texas between 1979 and 19 ...

rewarded the family for retaining the Canarian culture, a unique aspect of Texas heritage.

References

External links

ancestry. com. Juan Moya
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moya, Juan 1806 births 1874 deaths 1874 murders in the United States People of Spanish Texas People of Mexican Texas People from Goliad, Texas American people of Canarian descent Texas Isleño people People of Mexican side in the Texas Revolution Mexican soldiers Lynching deaths in Texas