A MODERN MUSEUM IN A “NEW” TOWN

The original townsite of Zapata lies beneath the waters of Falcon Reservoir, created in the mid-20th century to control flooding along the Rio Grande. Over 600 families were relocated and almost all of the buildings demolished. However, Zapata’s archive of photographs and historical artifacts were relocated as well and are now housed in the Zapata County Museum of History. The museum opened in 2011, a modern, state-of-the-art exhibition facility built in the heart of the “new” Zapata near the shores of Falcon. Museum exhibits feature the Texas energy industry, the native flora and fauna of surrounding south Texas and northern Mexico, including a collection of preserved mammals and reptiles as well as a botanical garden of native species planted across the museum grounds, an exhibit exploring the county’s military history from the Spanish Colonial period to the present, artifacts from early Catholicism, and a geological survey of the region.