Digital Repository

Rosa María Hinojosa de Ballí

In 1790, the woman now known as the first "cattle queen" of Texas—Rosa María Hinojosa de Ballí—inherited fifty-five thousand acres in what is now South Texas. Doña Rosa possessed a strong will, exceptional foresight, and shrewd business skills. When she died, in 1803, she had amassed more than a million acres of ranch land in the lower Rio Grande Valley.

Audio: Houston Public Media

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