Bustamante

The unincorporated village of Bustamante, settled by Don Pedro Jose Bustamante and his family in 1822, is located on a 22,142-acre land grant awarded by the Mexican government to Bustamante in 1835. He brought other settlers, horses, cattle, sheep, and goats to help open up the frontier. An early sandstone blockhouse built by the Bustamante family provided protection from Indian raids. During the 1870s the village became the headquarters of Rancho Las Comitas, named for the Comita tree which grew on the property. Las Comitas gave rise to a community of homes, a school and a store, making the ranch almost self sufficient. Part of the land later was claimed by the State of Texas in a Supreme Court case. Numerous Bustamante family members are buried in three ranch cemeteries: the Bustamante Cemetery, the Cameron Cemetery, and the Gracia Cemetery. The community was officially named Bustamante in 1926 when a post office was established with Herlinda Bustamante as postmistress. Ranch life changed in the 1930s with the discovery of oil and gas in the area. Although much of the land was leased for exploration wells, the ranch is still in operation under the direction of Bustamante descendants.

Bustamante is a historical marker in Zapata, Zapata County, dedicated in 1991. It is one of 10 historical markers documented in Zapata County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 32 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 27.0023, -99.1124 near Zapata. The nearest cataloged historic site is Bustamante Cemetery (cemetery), about 0.3 miles away. Others within a short drive include Garcia Cemetery #2, Camaron Cemetery, and Unknown cemetery #1.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5505000580. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.