Spanish and Mexican Land Grants Shaped Cameron County's Land History

Before Texas statehood, Spanish and Mexican officials granted large tracts along the north bank of the Rio Grande. After the 1848 war and treaty, a land commission reviewed those claims. Many were confirmed. Title fights still lasted into the late 1800s. Some Hispanic families lost land held for generations.

The community that grew here was bilingual and bicultural. After the railroad arrived in 1904, many Anglo settlers came from the Midwest. After 1910, local life split more sharply by ethnicity. Mexican Americans organized civil-rights groups. One key gathering was the 1927 Harlingen Convention. Today, about 88 percent of county residents identify as Hispanic.