Visitor & Relocation Information

Site Seeing

United States Highway 83
Is one of the longest north-south highways in the United States, at 1885 miles? The highway's northern terminus is north of Westhope, North Dakota at the Canadian border, where it continues as Manitoba Provincial Highway 83. The southern terminus is in Brownsville, Texas, just short of the Mexican border. Highway 83 traverses the entire county of Zapata and parallels the Rio Grande River. Much of the land found along this route was part of an original land grant from the King of Spain dating back to the 1750’s. As you drive along, you can find examples of our rich Hispanic culture:

Los Corralitos Ranch
Located 5 miles north of San Ygnacio on Highway 83 is registered as a National Historic Site. The ranch home, which is a replica of the original home site near Dolores, built between 1800 and 1850 has seen four different centuries 18th,19th,20th, and 21st. The solid masonry walls are 3 feet thick with large stones set in rough courses with smaller stones used to fill in the spaces between them. Rolling fields surrounded by white fence contain the vast wildlife found at the ranch. Spain governed this land from 1700 to 1800. Texans should acknowledge those who first settled what our National Historic Site is now.

Villa De Nuestra Senora De Los Dolores
In 1740 land was granted to Jóse Vasquez Borrego for a new hacienda calle Villa de Nuestra Señora de los Dolores. After years of growth and years of frequent attacks by Indians, the Dolores hacienda was abandoned with most moving to the Corralitos section for better protection. A granite marker located on U.S. Highway 83 describes the history of the site.

San Francisco Ranch
A 40-acre Hispanic ranching site is called San Francisco that is located 2 miles north of San Ygnacio along the banks of the Rio Grande. It’s rural wooded setting along the river is reminiscent of the days of an untamed, isolated frontier. The site consists of two Mexican sandstone buildings from the mid to late 19th century. The larger of the structure dates to 1850, the second built in 1874 still shows remnants of what may have been an original hipped roof with wooden shingles. This private residence was added to the National Register of Historic Sites in 1977.

Ramireno Historical Marker
Ramireno was located on land granted to Don Jóse Luis Ramirez by the King of Spain in 1784. The community was relocated when Falcon Lake was flooded. A historical marker describes the history of the site.

Zapata
The Zapata courthouse plaza contains historical markers which explain the colonization of the lower Rio Grande Valley. There is also a marker for the Mission Revilla A Visita which was established in 1750 as part of the Jóse de Excandon’s project to settle the regions.

Guerrero Viejo - Mexico (Old Guerrero) About 30 minutes from Zapata is a treat to history bluffs. Underwater since 1954, low lake levels can reveal a historic church, mercado, hotel and remnants of a bridge. This city represents an archeological paradise to the history enthusiasts who visit every year. One can still admire the Spanish culture architecture of the old city