Martín DeLeón (1763-1833)
The only Mexican impresario to found a colony in Texas, Martin DeLeón was the son of well-connected Spanish emigrants to present-day Tamaulipas, Mexico. He worked as a merchant and eventually chose to settle in Texas. He petitioned the Mexican government in San Antonio for the right to establish a colony in 1807 but was denied. DeLeón was one of the first trail drivers in Texas, sending his stock overland to New Orleans prior to 1809. The Mexican government finally approved his petition to form a colony in 1824 and he founded the town of Nuestra Señora Guadalupe de Jesús Victorea. He opposed Santa Anna but died in 1833 before the battles for Texas independence.
Additional Information Can Be Found At...
Victoria Business Magazine: Early History of Victoria, Texas...