Corralitos Ranch
Also known as: 41 Zp 74
Why it's listed
Two sandstone ranch houses stand near the Rio Grande, a short distance north of San Ygnacio in Zapata County, Texas. Built in the Mexican Colonial manner, they are single-story rectangular buildings with dressed sandstone walls about three-quarters of a meter thick, bonded with lime mortar and once finished with whitewashed plaster. One has a single room and the other two rooms plus a shed addition. Small openings called troneras, apparently meant for defense against bandits of the 1870s and 1880s, pierce the walls, and remnants of the original beam-and-plank flat roofs survive beneath later tin roofing. The site was listed as an example of late 19th-century border architecture and as evidence of Hispano-Mexican ranching, an industry those settlers helped establish in Texas. It is described as one of the last large-scale ranching attempts by that community in an area dominated by Anglo-Texans. The form also points to its potential for archeological research into everyday life among Mexican-Americans of the period.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the structures as vernacular late 19th-century Mexican-style buildings once common along the Texas border. It argues the site represents one of the last large-scale ranching efforts by people of Hispano-Mexican heritage in an Anglo-dominated region of south Texas. It also notes the site's potential to yield information on the material culture and acculturation of border Mexican-Americans.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 77001483, listed August 2, 1977. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 2 mi. N of San Ygnacio off U.S. 83, San Ygnacio |
|---|---|
| County | Zapata County |
| Listed | August 2, 1977 |
| Reference number | 77001483 |
| Resource type | Site |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architectural style | Mexican Colonial |
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Historic - Non-Aboriginal, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as good and altered; the two-room building is used as a storage barn and the single-room building as a shop. The property is privately owned and the form marks it as not accessible. |
| Acreage | 5 |
| Coordinates | 27.11975, -99.43088 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Sites (archaeological sites, battlefields, landscapes) are often listed with a restricted address to protect them from looting or disturbance. Listing is honorary for private owners; federal undertakings on or near the site go through Section 106 review, and state laws may protect burials and artefacts regardless of listing.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 77001483.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q110001381
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.