One group is continuing to honor those who died during a period in the Rio Grande Valley known as “La Matanza,” when Mexican-Americans on the border were targeted and killed by law enforcement.

The Matanza of 1915 eventually led to changes in the Texas Rangers. 

On Sunday, a group of about 80 people walked to place a wreath at the state historical marker in San Benito that honors the hundreds — and possibly thousands — of Mexican-Americans who died at the hands of Texas law enforcement.

“It's a history that is often left out of history books,” Ricardo Madrigal, an organizer for the Matanza Dia de los Muertos Caminata, said. 

Mexican-Americans were targeted and killed during the Matanza as racial tensions spilled over with white immigrants making their way to the area.

“A lot of these people were killed extrajudicially. They were lynched or outright shot,” Madrigal said.

This is the fifth year Madrigal has organized a walk during Dia de los Muertos to honor the victims of La Matanza. 

The route takes participants along a stretch of highway that was the site of countless killings, according to the Texas Historical Commission. 

The route ends with a wreath laying ceremony at the historical marker. 

Madrigal said he never learned about this era in school, and hopes this walk keeps the victims' memories alive. 

"Those who don't learn from history are bound to repeat it,” Madrigal said. “I want people to know it's important, and they should be a part of it."

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