San Ygnacio is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) in Zapata County,

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, United States. As of the 2020 census, the CDP population was 504. It is named for the prominent Spanish saint,

Ignatius of Loyola Ignatius of Loyola ( ; ; ; ; born Íñigo López de Oñaz y Loyola; – 31 July 1556), venerated as Saint Ignatius of Loyola, was a Basque Spaniard Catholic priest and theologian, who, with six companions, founded the religious order of the S ...

. The portion of the community between the

Rio Grande The Rio Grande ( or ) in the United States or the Río Bravo (del Norte) in Mexico (), also known as Tó Ba'áadi in Navajo language, Navajo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the Southwestern United States a ...

and U.S. Highway 83 is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

(NRHP) as San Ygnacio Historic District.

History

San Ygnacio, originally a Mexican pueblo, was founded in 1830 by settlers from nearby

Guerrero, Tamaulipas Guerrero is a municipality located in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. Towns and villages The largest localities (cities, towns, and villages) are:Uribeno Ranch. Frequent

Comanche The Comanche (), or Nʉmʉnʉʉ (, 'the people'), are a Tribe (Native American), Native American tribe from the Great Plains, Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the List of federally recognized tri ...

attacks in the early days of San Ygnacio necessitated the use of defensive stone architecture which has endowed the present area with uncharacteristically enduring historical sites from that period. San Ygnacio is also historically notable for its involvement in the short-lived revolution of the Rio Grande Republic, which was established at meetings which were convened in the town in 1839. San Ygnacio played an important role in the

Garza Revolution The Garza Revolution, or the Garza War, was an armed conflict fought in the Mexican state of Coahuila and the American state of Texas between 1891 and 1893. It began when the revolutionary Catarino Garza launched a campaign into Mexico from Te ...

from 1891 to 1893. Multiple small battles were fought near the town in both Mexican and American territory. San Ygnacio was attacked in June 1916 by either Mexican

Carrancistas This is a list of factions in the Mexican Revolution. Carrancistas Revolutionary followers of Venustiano Carranza from 1913 to 1914, and thereafter the Government army from 1914 until his death in 1920. In 1915, an insurgent group known as the ...

or Seditionists. On June 10, approximately 100 Mexicans fought a losing battle with about 150 American soldiers from the

14th Cavalry The 14th Cavalry Regiment is a cavalry regiment of the United States Army. It has two squadrons that provide RSTA, reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition for Stryker brigade combat teams. Constituted in 1901, it has served in conf ...

. San Ygnacio was the site of the filming of the 1952 film ''

Viva Zapata ''Viva Zapata!'' is a 1952 American biographical Western film directed by Elia Kazan, dramatizing the life of Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata from his peasant upbringing through his rise to power in the early 1900s and his death in 1919. I ...

''. Although many of San Ygnacio's neighboring municipalities were evacuated and consolidated in the deliberate 1953 flooding of the region which created Falcon Lake and "New" Zapata, San Ygnacio's residents petitioned for the right to remain on their land, which was high enough to escape substantial damage. Having survived, its architectural heritage was acknowledged in 1972 when it was added to the National Register of Historic Places, being the last standing collection of Mexican Ranch vernacular architecture, representing the 19th century settlement of the lower Rio Grande valley. Its oldest building is now a National Historic Landmark, the Treviño-Uribe Rancho, built 1830. The private River Pierce Foundation works to continue the restoration of the San Ygnacio Historic District.

Geography

San Ygnacio is located at (27.043938, -99.439726). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the CDP has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Wildlife

The community is also one of the few locations within the United States to view the

Morelet’s seedeater Morelet's seedeater (''Sporophila morelleti'') is a passerine bird in the typical seedeater genus ''Sporophila''. Taxonomy This species was formerly considered conspecific with the cinnamon-rumped seedeater (''Sporophila torqueola''), with the c ...

, a small sparrow-like bird that inhabits second growth stands of ''

Phragmites ''Phragmites'' () is a genus of four species of large perennial plant, perennial reed (plant), reed Poaceae, grasses found in wetlands throughout temperate and tropical regions of the world. Taxonomy The World Checklist of Selected Plant Famili ...

'' along the Rio Grande.

Demographics

San Ygnacio first appeared as a

census designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

in the 2000 U.S. Census.

2020 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 853 people, 253 households, and 198 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 355 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 79.13%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1.17%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.35% Native American, 17.35% from other races, and 1.99% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 92.97% of the population. There were 253 households, out of which 44.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.9% were married couples living together, 15.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.7% were non-families. 20.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.37 and the average family size was 3.97. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 33.6% under the age of 18, 11.4% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 107.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.4 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $16,563, and the median income for a family was $19,375. Males had a median income of $17,344 versus $12,188 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the CDP was $6,968. About 48.2% of families and 54.5% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 61.1% of those under age 18 and 25.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

All of Zapata County is a part of the

Zapata County Independent School District Zapata County Independent School District is a public school district based in Zapata, Texas, United States. The district's boundaries parallel that of Zapata County. In 2019, the school district received a B from the Texas Education Agency. ...

Politics

In the

2020 United States presidential election in Texas The 2020 United States presidential election in Texas was held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020, as part of the 2020 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. Texas voters chose elector ...

the community more heavily voted for

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

than political operatives expected as residents felt obliged to protect their oil and gas related jobs, and pro-Trump organizers contacted residents in-person while pro-Biden ones, due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

-related cautions, did not.

Trivia

San Ygnacio was the site of the filming of the 1952 film ''

''.

Bibliography

Lott, Virgil N., and Martinez, Sr., Mercurio J. (1953) (father of

Webb County Webb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 267,114. Its county seat is Laredo. The county was named after James Webb (1792–1856), who served as secretary of the treasury, secret ...

County Judge The term county judge is applied as a descriptor, sometimes as a title, for a person who presides over a county court. In most cases, such as in Northern Ireland and the Victorian County Courts, a county judge is a judicial officer with civi ...

Mercurio Martinez, Jr.). ''The Kingdom of Zapata''. Austin, Texas, Eakin Press.

References

External links

San Ygnacio, Texas
from ''Texas Escapes'' {{authority control Census-designated places in Zapata County, Texas Census-designated places in Texas