A community along the Rio Grande
Porvenir was a small farming and ranching community in Presidio County, Texas. Families built homes, raised children, tended animals, and worked the land along the river during a violent period now remembered as La Matanza.
The night of January 28
Texas Rangers from Company B, local ranchers, and U.S. Army soldiers entered the village. Fifteen unarmed residents, including two teenage boys, were separated from their families, marched away, and shot. There was no trial and no evidence connecting them to the raid for which they were blamed.
The victims were Antonio Castañeda, Longino Flores, Alberto Garcia, Eutimio Gonzalez, Ambrosio Hernández, Pedro Herrera, Severiano Herrera, Vivian Herrera, Macedonio Huertas, Tiburcio Jáquez, Juan Jiménez, Pedro Jimenez, Serapio Jiménez, Manuel Moralez, and Róman Nieves.
Survival and silence
The women and children fled. The village was later destroyed. Forty-seven children were left without their fathers, and no one was criminally convicted for the killings. Survivors and descendants preserved the story despite fear, trauma, displacement, and decades of public silence.
Evidence and recognition
Teacher Harry Warren documented the killings and José T. Canales later challenged Ranger violence in a legislative investigation. A modern archaeological investigation identified military-issue cartridge casings at the execution site, adding physical evidence to the documentary and family record.
In 2018, descendants gathered for the centennial and a Texas Historical Commission marker was dedicated. The family’s work also reached a national audience through the PBS documentary Porvenir, Texas.