When Martín De León, who is buried here, was granted a contract by the Mexican government in 1824 to settle 41 families in Southwest Tejas, he became the only Mexican empresario to found a colony in the state. But “Victoria” was every bit the creation of his wife, Patricia De La Garza De León, a politically active mother of ten children.

She supported the Texian cause for independence, contributed money, smuggled arms. She even founded a school and a church. However, after the Texians achieved independence, the new government ordered the now-widowed matriarch to leave her town – with no money and no possessions. She fled to New Orleans and, after living in poverty for several years, returned to Victoria, where Doña Patricia battled social stigma and devoted herself to the Catholic Church.

De León Plaza, named after Martín de León, was part of the original design of the town and has long been an important civic and social gathering place. It is also the site of the Six Flags Monument, which displays the six different flags that have flown over Texas soil.