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1851 Gate, Trevino-Uribe Rancho
NHL/NPS Photograph |
Originally constructed in c. 1830 as a modest single-room rancho
for Spanish/Mexican settler Jesus Trevino, the Trevino-Uribe Rancho
reached its current appearance through at least four building campaigns.
A National Historic Landmark, the different buildings of the complex
reflect the history of the Rio Grande area, the development of vernacular
Mexican architecture, and the influence of Spanish/Mexican ranching
traditions. The founding of the Trevino-Uribe Rancho dates back
more than 160 years, to c. 1830, when Spanish/Mexican settlers began
founding forts and ranchos on the north side of the Rio Grande River
in what is present-day Texas. As early as the late 17th century,
Spanish authorities recognized the need to establish colonies in
what is today northern Mexico and southern Texas to protect their
claims from other aggressive European nations like England, the
Netherlands, and France. By the 1830s, Spanish/Mexican settlements
stretched up to the southern banks of the Rio Grande, which is the
present border between Texas and Mexico. With the relative safety
of a Spanish military presence in the area to protect ranchers from
the raids of Comanche and Apache Indians, Spanish/Mexican settlers
began establishing ranches on the north side of the Rio Grande in
the 1830s. The complex would grow significantly over the next 40
years. Today, the Trevino-Uribe Ranch remains much as it did in
the 1870s, one of the most significant examples of Spanish/Mexican
vernacular architecture in the United States.
Original 1831 building
NHL/NPS Photograph
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Jesus Trevino, a Spanish/Mexican landowner of over 125,000 acres, constructed
the original Rancho around 1830. High, thick sandstone walls, windowless
facades, and troneras or gun ports, all testify to the buildings
dual purpose as ranch and fort. That such elements are continually
repeated throughout the history of the complex's construction is
mostly due to the region's continuing "frontier" status, rather
than to any architectural decisions.
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Courtyard after 1871 addition
NHL/NPS Photograph
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The present appearance of Trevino-Uribe began to take shape in 1851
with the construction of several structures under the guidance of
Blas Maria Uribe, Trevino's son-in-law. Much grander and more elaborate
than the original one-room building, Uribe added two buildings and
a new arched gate. The thick walls, and continuous enclosure of
the complex attest, however, to the still vigilant nature of Rio
Grand life in 1851. In 1854, Trevino-Uribe complex added a spacious
single room that was placed at the north end of the 1851 building.
In 1871, a final building campaign added the large flat-roofed building
that completed Trevino-Uribe Rancho. The building's placement near
the courtyard gate and its six doors suggest a very public use,
and a relative lack of concern for defensive fortifications. By
far the most elaborate building in the compound, the 1871 building
adheres to the building traditions and styles that link it to the
rest of the complex. The inclusion of popular decorative elements,
however, indicates that even along the isolated southern banks of
the Rio Grande, the world of the Spanish/Mexican rancher was changing.
Cine El Rey | Rancho
Camulos | Trevino-Uribe Rancho
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