In 1824, empresario Martín de León recognized his dream of founding a colony in Texas. Along with his extraordinary wife, Patricia de la Garza, they bravely came to Texas and established what today is Victoria.
For decades, the descendants of Martín de León and Patricia de la Garza worked to see a monument to their ancestors' brave and enterprising spirits erected in the very space in Downtown Victoria that already bears their name, De Leon Plaza. With Victoria's upcoming celebration of our 200th anniversary, the Victoria City Council determined that a monument to our founders was long overdue.
In 2022, the City of Victoria contracted with artist Armando Hinojosa of Laredo, TX to create a masterpiece sculpture to honor the De Leon's. At a very special ceremony in De Leon Plaza on April 13, we honored the two lives that we thank for founding our incredible community! The City of Victoria unveiled the statues of Martín de León and Patricia de la Garza along with a ribbon cutting of the beautiful new expansion project of De Leon Plaza.
Please come to Downtown Victoria to see the beautiful new De Leon Plaza expansion and the breathtaking statues of Martín de León and Patricia de la Garza.