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from (no author given), Las Mujeres: Mexican American / Chicana Women (in English and Spanish), [Mary Ruthsdotter, National Women's History Project, 1991]

      Before the territory we now call "the American Southwest" came under the control of the United States in 1848, Hispana women living there exercised many rights not granted to women in the territories further north or east. Among other things, women had the right to own land in their own names and to operate their own businesses. In Texas alone, more than sixty Spanish and Mexican land grants had been given directly to women. Other women came to control land they inherited from their husbands or fathers. While most managed small family farms, others presided over very large ranches.

      Doña María del Carmen Calvillo was one such woman. Like many women on the frontier, she rode expertly and could shoot and rope as well as the men. After her father's death in 1814, she gained control of her family's extensive land holdings in Wilson County. El Rancho de las Cabras (the Ranch of the Goats) flourished under her direction. Doña Calvillo increased the size of the livestock herds through her good management practices. With the help of nearby families, she built an extensive irrigation system, a granary, and a sugar mill. Although many of her neighbors had troubled relationships with native people, she shared cattle and grain with them when they were in need, making peace with the neighboring tribes.

For More Information

      San Antonio Express newspaper, June 3, 1934, Sunday

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