On January 28, 1918, the quiet of the night was shattered by the crack and bang of gunfire. Bullets sliced through the air, claiming the lives of 15 men and boys of Mexican descent from a small village in the West Texas town of Porvenir. That night, the massacre at Porvenir set in motion a series of events that would forever alter the legacy of the Texas Rangers.

It has often been said that the victors write history, but you cannot spell "history" without the word "story." The story of Porvenir, long shrouded in cover-ups, is finally being told. When people outside of Texas hear the words "Texas Rangers," they might think of a baseball team in Arlington or a TV series starring Chuck Norris. Here in Texas, many envision the Texas Rangers as tall, handsome men in tailored suits, wearing cowboy hats and impeccably polished boots, serving as the premier law enforcement agency in the Lone Star State, backed by a storied past.

However, like all institutions, the Texas Rangers have a history filled with mistakes, scars, missteps, and shame. More than a hundred years ago, they were far from the well-trained, highly respected unit they are today. On that fateful night in 1918, the Texas Rangers, then more a group of roughnecks than a professional police force, rounded up 15 men and boys from Porvenir and assassinated them. This brutal act left 15 families—comprised of wives and children—alone and defenseless, forced to fend for themselves long before single motherhood became commonplace. White men of the Texas Rangers massacred fifteen brown men.

Although those 15 men and boys perished that night and their blood was spilled on the desert sand, their legacy endures in the veins of their descendants today. The fight for justice for them and their families will never cease. The families of the Porvenir massacre seek to have their story told so that the truth may liberate their spirits from a century of lies, deceit, and cover-ups.

This site is dedicated to the descendants of the 1918 Porvenir Massacre and to anyone who cares about the real history surrounding it. We will continue to set the record straight. Many different stories have been told; this site seeks to share the facts as we understand them today. This is a story that must be told, a history we should never forget. The information shared here encourages readers to spread the facts, stories, and history of this event.

We must also remember those who stood up and fought for justice, regardless of the cost. José T. Canales, a Mexican American state legislator in Texas at the time, dared to confront the establishment and call for an investigation into the Texas Rangers. He held hearings on the massacre in the Texas legislature. These hearings came with serious repercussions for Canales, ultimately discouraging him from running for another term due to threats against his life. Nevertheless, he ushered in a series of reforms that helped transform the Rangers into the well-trained and brave law enforcement agency they are today. Canales would later become a founding member of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC).

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We must not forget about the schoolteacher, Harry Warren, who refused to remain silent. He could have easily chosen to move away with his family and leave the massacre behind, letting it fade into obscurity. Instead, he insisted on bearing witness to this atrocity, documenting the tragedy immediately. His efforts made him a target for those around him, leaving him unable to find work in Texas and forcing him to become a cotton picker in Arizona. Years later, he returned to Texas, where he belonged.

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In Memory of the Porvenir Victims (Alphabetical)

Antonio Castañeda
Longino Flores
Alberto Garcia
Eutimio Gonzalez
Ambrosio Hernández
Pedro Herrera
Severiano Herrera
Vivian Herrera
Macedonio Huertas
Tiburcio Jáquez
Juan Jiménez
Pedro Jimenez
Serapio Jiménez
Manuel Moralez​
Róman Nieves

Response to Mr. Byron