Editor’s note: This is another in an ongoing series of articles we call “Marking History” looking at the stories behind the hundreds of historic markers scattered about the Crossroads.
Along with their four sons, Martin and Patricia De Leon had six daughters. With the exception of the youngest daughter, who would care for her mother, all of the De Leon daughters married, and married well.
Augustina De Leon married Placido Benavides in 1831. Benavides played an important role in both the establishment of the Victoria Colony, twice alcalde, and in Texas’ bid for independence, riding with Tejano volunteers in Stephen F. Austin’s army in late 1835, as the fighting began.
“The only bright spots in Austin’s command were the 135 Tejano volunteers led by Placido Benavides from Victoria and Juan Seguin from San Antonio,” Ana Carolina Castillo Crimm wrote in “De Leon, A Tejano Family History,” “They did not question authority, debate his orders, or vote on his commands. They remained loyal, trustworthy, and obedient.”
While alcalde, or mayor, Benavides even had the courage to stand up to a Mexican general who demanded the body of another Texas patriot, his brother-in-law, Jose Maria Jesus Carbajal.
That loyalty and bravery would be repaid with expulsion for Benavides and his family simply because of their Mexican origin. He would later die of yellow fever while in exile.
At 301 S. Main St., a historic marker denotes where Benavides built his home in Victoria — the Round Top House, called the Citadel of Victoria.
The Roundtop House was a touch of Spanish style built by Benavides, who came to Guadalupe Victoria in 1828 from Tamaulipas. He was 22 years old at the time.
“He began construction of what would later be called Placido’s Round House. The building was in fact a Spanish-style torreon, the circular, tower-like, defensive turret, with toneras or gun slits on the lower floors, a style which the Spanish had learned from the Moors,” Crimm noted.
The Spanish had been using this style of dwelling for many years on the frontier to defend against Indian attacks.
The historic marker notes, “the house served as a place of refuge for the citizens of Victoria during the Comanche raid of 1840,” some two years after its builder perished during his banishment.
“Benavides’ military and political acumen were most beneficial to the budding colony,” David Urbano wrote in “The Saga of a Revolutionary Family: The Martin De Leon Family of Texas” on-hand at the Victoria Regional History Center.
“In 1832 and again in 1834 he was elected alcalde. In other capacities he organized militia expeditions against marauding Indians and offered his Round Top House as a refuge for many colonists during attacks,” Urbano added.
Benavides built the Round Top House and married 18-year-old Augustina De Leon in late 1832, Crimm wrote. At the same time, Refugia De Leon married Jose Maria Jesus Carbajal.
“The match between Placido Benavides and Augustina was more to Dona Patricia’s liking,” Crimm wrote. “Placido was hardworking, determined to succeed, and, above all, Catholic.”
Carbajal was a Protestant, which bothered Dona Patricia, a devoted Catholic. But it wouldn’t be long before the De Leon brothers and brothers-in-law would become a “tight-knit group,” Crimm added.
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