This cemetery, transported from the estate of vice president of the Texas Republic Lorenzo de Zavala, holds the remains of a soldier deeply admired on both sides of the Revolutionary divide. He was Manuel Fernández Castrillón, a major general under Mexican dictator Santa Anna. On March 6, 1836, when nearly all defenders of the Alamo had been slaughtered, Castrillón implored Santa Anna to spare the lives of a few survivors. Furious that Castrillón had disobeyed his order to take no prisoners, Santa Anna commanded they be executed immediately; the Texian patriot David Crockett may have been among the final victims. When Castrillón himself died – at the Battle of San Jacinto – De Zavala recovered the bullet-riddled body of his old friend and honored him with a burial in his own family cemetery across the bayou.

Watch our Land of the Ancestors: The Tejanos video to learn more about the history of Texas Independence. This video was produced for inclusion in our Texas: Forged of Revolution mobile tour found in our Texas Time Travel Tours mobile app. Download the app for more videos and travel information: