Las Penitas

Pe?itas is off Farm Road 1427 ten miles northwest of McAllen in southwestern Hidalgo County. According to local tradition it was established by a splinter group of survivors of the P?nfilo de Narv?ez expedition of 1520, consisting of a Fray Zamora, five military officers, and their slaves. According to the story, Zamora's group was befriended by Calero Indians who lived beside the Rio Grande in dugout houses and thatched huts. An exchange in farming and cooking techniques resulted in an amicable relationship between the Spanish and the Caleros. After deciding to settle on the Rio Grande, Zamora and four others made a trip to Mexico to secure sanction and proper title to the land, the site of Pe?itas. Not until 1749, however, did Spain make much effort to colonize the lower Rio Grande valley