Name: Mercedes, Texas
Address: Mercedes, TX

Klail City: The Literary World of Rolando Hinojosa-Smith RoadyGoat

As you pass through downtown Mercedes, you're not just in a Texas town; you're in 'Klail City,' the heart of one of the great works of American literature. Rolando Hinojosa-Smith, a native of Mercedes, created a fictional universe for his 'Klail City Death Trip' series of novels that was deeply rooted in this very place. He gave the world an unforgettable portrait of life on the Texas-Mexico border, a world he knew intimately. The streets, the stores, the political squabbles, and the blend of Spanish and English—it all came from his experiences growing up here. Hinojosa-Smith's characters, like Jehú Malacara and Rafe Buenrostro, navigate a complex world of Anglo landowners and Tejano workers, of family loyalties and cultural collisions. He wasn't just writing stories; he was documenting a culture, giving voice to the people of the Rio Grande Valley. For his work, he won numerous awards, including the prestigious Casa de las Américas prize, becoming a foundational figure in Chicano literature.

RoadyGoat →

Taming the Rio Grande: The Engineering of an Oasis RoadyGoat

Look at the landscape around Mercedes. It’s green and lush, but that’s not nature’s doing—it’s engineering. This entire agricultural paradise was made possible by one of the most ambitious hydraulic engineering projects of its time. When the American Rio Grande Land and Irrigation Company arrived in 1906, they faced a huge challenge: the soil was perfect, but there wasn't enough rain. Their solution was to build a massive, gravity-fed irrigation system. They constructed a powerful pumping station on the Rio Grande that lifted river water into a massive main canal, 150 feet wide in some places. From there, an intricate web of smaller canals and ditches branched out for miles, using the gentle, natural slope of the land to carry water to the fields. This wasn't just digging ditches; it required precise surveying and civil engineering to ensure water flowed exactly where it was needed. This system transformed thousands of acres of dry brushland into the 'Magic Valley' and made the very existence of Mercedes possible.

RoadyGoat →

Mercedes, TX RoadyGoat

Mercedes, Texas, is more than just a dot on the map; it’s a place where quiet lives have blossomed into extraordinary achievements. You feel the warmth of the community as soon as you arrive, a friendliness rooted in the land itself. This fertile valley, barely above sea level, owes its prosperity to the citrus groves and vegetable farms that stretch for miles, a testament to the ingenuity of early settlers who carved canals to irrigate the land. It's a place where the Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show and Rodeo took root, growing from a local event into a regional spectacle. But beyond the fields and the rodeos, Mercedes has also nurtured talent that reached far beyond the Valley.

Herrera, Juan William [Johnny]

1945

Johnny Herrera was a renowned orquestas Tejanas music composer, singer, and songwriter born on February 9, 1930, in Mercedes, Texas, to Sebastian and Sarah C. (Solis) Herrera. He attended Mercedes High School, where he was the first male cheerleader. Herrera later attended Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, Texas, and North Texas State Teachers College (now University of North Texas) in Denton where he completed a bachelor's degree in harmony and composition and English in 1959. He was married to Sara Prado Herrera, who died in 1981. There is no record of Herrera having children or of his religious affiliation. Herrera's career in music spanned over five decades during which he recorded more than 400 songs, many of which were later recorded by top artists. His fondness for music began at an early age. Although raised in a Spanish-speaking household, Herrera's initial musical interest was not in Spanish-language music. Instead, his biggest influence was Frank Sinatra and the big-band sound. Herrera stated that if the radio in his home was playing Mexican music, he would change the station. He recalled that a family trip to Monterrey, Mexico, changed his outlook and gave him an appreciation of Mexican culture and music. Herrera commented, "Maybe it was the charm and grace of the people, their way of expressing themselves in Spanish, the beauty of the countryside. I sensed the earth, the long history of the place and I became a Mexican by heart." When he was only fifteen, Herrera was playing regular shows at the Madrid Club on Leopard Street in Corpus Christi and other local venues. Around that same time, he traveled to Armando Marroquín 's Ideal Records in Alice, but the trip was almost for nothing until Carmen Marroquín expressed interest in his song "Un Mal Amor." A few years later, while Herrera was in the U. S. Army and stationed at Fort Hood (now Fort Cavazos ), the 78 rpm of his song on Ideal profoundly influenced him to pursue music rather than a career in the military. In 1949 Herrera, at the age of nineteen, released his record "Veneno"/"De Rodillas Vendras" which received considerable attention in the Southwest and Rio Grande Valley. "De Rodillas Vendras" was recorded by Mexican artist Maria Victoria on RCA Victor. She was the first of many Mexican artists to record Herrera's songs, which helped to disrupt barriers between Mexican and Texan music. That same year he recorded what is regarded as the first country song recorded by a Tejano artist, "Jealous Heart." In 1951 Herrera started his own label, Gaviota Records, and formed his own band, Johnny Herrera y Su Orquesta. His first major success, "Por Ningun Motivo,"gained acceptance and was recorded by several popular musicians, including Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán. He made the addition of two saxophones and an accordion to the orquesta to differentiate his music from music from Mexico. He further distinguished his music by adding the category "Tejano," preferring to identify his style of music as blues Tejano or bolero Tejano. Herrera and his band toured the Southwest, but an auto accident near Roswell, New Mexico, along with Herrera becoming tired of the road, ended the touring. After Herrera received his college education, he taught grade school for a short time before opening the House of Music, a record store specializing in Spanish-language music, in 1961. Located in Corpus Christi on South Port and Buford Avenue, the House of Music became a noted hangout for international artists as well as aspiring local performers such as Freddy Martinez and Abraham Quintanilla, a singer for the original Los Dinos and father of Selena . Herrera's musical impact was significant and was performed by such singing greats as Lucha Villa, Chelo Silva , and Mercedes Castro. His songs became hits in Mexico, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, South America, and Spain. His greatest accomplishment came when his song "Si Quieres Verme Llorar" was popularized by Tejano music singer Lisa Lopez in 1

Tsha Handbook →

Citrus Fruit Developed in Rio Grande Valley - Red-Meat Grapefruit

1929

Unique and colorful product of saline-alkaline soil of Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Bred of Thompson Pink Wood budded on Sour Orange rootstock. Two nurserymen, A. E. Henninger of Mission and Dr. J. R. Webb of Donna, discovered red fruit in their orchards in 1929. They cast lots and Henninger won right to get a patent. He named his variety "Ruby Red," and was issued U.S. Plant Patent No. 53. Dr. Webb's new strain, "Red Blush," is equally popular. Both varieties, with rose-colored meat and red-tinged rinds, are sweet, early, delectable fruits. (1966)

Historical Marker →

El Horcon Tract and Rio Rico

1846

The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo which ended the Mexican War (1846-48) designated the main channel of the Rio Grande as the Mexico-U.S. boundary. Disputes arising from frequent changes in the river's course led to the Treaty of 1884 which recognized only those river diversions resulting from natural occurences. The International Boundary Commission was established in 1889 to administer the Treaty of 1884. In 1906 the American Rio Grande Land and Irrigation Company dug an unauthorized canal about two miles south of here which altered the natural course of the Rio Grande. As a result, a 419-acre section of U.S. property called El Horcon tract was isolated south of the river. Although still U.S. territory according to the Treaty of 1884, the tract and the popular gambling and resort community of Rio Rico which flourished there during the 1920s and 1930s became increasingly subject to Mexican administration and jurisdiction. After the U.S. granted Mexico territorial rights over El Horcon tract and Rio Rico in 1970, a native of Rio Rico sued the U.S. government to guarantee his U.S. citizenship. This lawsuit began an eight-year legal battle that eventually led to U.S. citizenship for about 200 people born in Rio Rico prior to 1970. (1994)

Historical Marker → · 4.9 mi away

The American Rio Grande Land and Irrigation System

1905

Land developer B. F. Yoakum saw agricultural potential along the Rio Grande and found investors in 1905 for an irrigation project. They purchased 250,000 acres and the townsite of Mercedes for business headquarters. The pump station began operating in 1908. The system had grown by 1920 to three large canals, miles of branches, and five pumping plants. In 1930 the Hidalgo and Cameron County Water Control and Improvement District took over the system which continues to serve the farming area of the Lower Rio Grande Valley. (1979)

Historical Marker →

American Rio Grande Land and Irrigation Company

1905

In 1900 Benjamin Franklin Yoakum , manager of the Frisco railroad system, developed a plan to extend the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway from Houston to Brownsville. He recognized the agricultural potential of the area and soon collected a group of St. Louis capitalists to form the American Rio Grande Land and Irrigation Company with a capital stock of $1.25 million. A charter for the corporation was granted by the state of Texas on September 30, 1905. The main accomplishment of the American Company was integrating the development of irrigation, the coming of the railroad, the sale of farmland, and the establishment of the town of Mercedes. The developers were fully aware that irrigation would be unprofitable if there was no way to get the produce to distant markets; hence the railroad. Production required producers; hence the intensive recruitment of land buyers from the Midwest. Coordination of the operation required central facilities; hence the town. The land was purchased from the heirs of the original grantees, Juan José Hinojosa and Rosa Hinojosa de Ballí , in the Llano Grande and La Feria grants. The first office of the company was a boxcar on a railroad siding; the second was a two-story building in Mercedes. W. F. Shaw served as chief engineer, vice president, and general manager from 1907 to 1930. He planned and developed the irrigation and drainage system for the project. A settling basin, a pumping plant on the river, a canal, and an electrical plant were built in Mercedes in 1906–07. The canals and river pump station began operation in 1908. By 1920 the system consisted of three large canals, five pumping plants, reservoirs and settling basins, and extensive drainage works. On January 27, 1922, controlling stock in the company was bought by Harry L. Seay and Charles Linz of Dallas. In 1927 Hidalgo and Cameron Counties Water and Control District No. 9 was formed by the farmers who owned land in the district, and in 1929 they purchased the irrigation portion of the company.

Tsha Handbook →

Mercedes, Texas

Music in Mercedes

Songs About Mercedes

Artists From Mercedes

Rivers & Roads in Song near Mercedes

History of Mercedes