Fort Lipantitlan

In 1728 a Spanish fort was built at this site near a Lipan Apache village with the Aztec name "Lipantitlan." The post was later abandoned, and the village was deserted after many Indians died with the Gutierrez-Magee Expedition at the Battle of Medina, Aug. 18, 1813. Garrisoned again about 1831 by Mexican troops as a deterrent to further Anglo-American colonization, Fort Lipantitlan was then a simple earthen embankment surrounding unfinished barracks. In 1835 the soldiers borrowed a cannon from the settlers in nearby San Patricio, foreshadowing a similar incident at Gonzales which led to the skirmish of Oct. 2, 1835, and sparked the Texas Revolution. Late in Oct. 1835, Capt. Philip Dimitt, commander of Texas forces at Goliad, dispatched a company under Ira Westover to take Fort Lipantitlan. Westover captured the fortification on Nov. 3 and the next day stopped a Mexican counterattack led by Capt. Nicolas Rodriguez. Although not decisive, the battle boosted the Texans' morale. On June 7, 1842, Fort Lipantitlan was successfully defended by an army of volunteers under Gen. James Davis against an attack by Gen. Antonio Canales and his "Republic of the Rio Grande" forces. After that battle, the post was abandoned and soon crumbled into ruin. (1976)

Fort Lipantitlan is a historical marker in Banquete, Nueces County, dedicated in 1976. It is one of 104 historical markers documented in Nueces County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 131 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 27.9671, -97.8333 near Banquete. The nearest cataloged historic site is One Mile Northeast is the Site of Fort Lipantitlan (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include On this Site Stood Fort Lipantitlan, Bluntzer, and Santa Margarita Crossing.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5507018022. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.