Zapata County – A study in contrasts

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Outdoor shrine to Virgen de Guadalupe in Falcon Heights, Texas. (Sergio Chapa/Borderzine.com)

Outdoor shrine to Virgen de Guadalupe in Falcon Heights, Texas. (Sergio Chapa/Borderzine.com)

Lupita and I left the historic City of Roma and took the Zapata Highway heading west.

The next major landmark along the border is Falcon Lake.

The 83,654-acre reservoir was created in 1954 when a dam was built along the Rio Grande River just a few miles west of Roma.

Outdoor shrine to Virgen de Guadalupe in Falcon Heights, Texas. (Sergio Chapa/Borderzine.com)

Outdoor shrine to Virgen de Guadalupe in Falcon Heights, Texas. (Sergio Chapa/Borderzine.com)

Falcon Lake stores water in a drought-prone area of the border for human consumption, agriculture, hydroelectricity and recreation.

There are several tourist sites around the lake on both sides of the border.

We passed through the rural community of Falcon Heights on the way to the lake.

Mexican military helicopter incursions were common in the one-store town during the height of the drug war in 2010 and 2011.

Falcon State Park

One of the most interesting landmarks along the reservoir is Falcon Lake State Park.

Located just northeast of the dam, the 572-acre park draws thousands of visitors a year to enjoy boating, fishing and hiking along the lake.

With some of the best black bass fishing in Texas, Falcon Lake draws fishermen from both sides of the border.

Drought is a constant companion along the border. (Sergio Chapa/Borderzine.com)

Drought is a constant companion along the border. (Sergio Chapa/Borderzine.com)

Although current drought has definitely taken its toll on the lake levels, the park remains popular.

The park’s boat ramp is one of the most important public entrances to the waters of the lake.

It’s at the boat ramp that visitors see a warning sign about crossing into the Mexican side of the lake.

Back in May 2010, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) issued a warning about Mexican “pirates” robbing American fishermen.

The lake is a smuggling corridor and on the Mexican side, is one of the most dangerous places along the border.

The Forbidden City

International Boundary markers at Falcon Dam. (Sergio Chapa/Borderzine.com)

International Boundary markers at Falcon Dam. (Sergio Chapa/Borderzine.com)

The western shore on the Mexican side of Falcon Lake marks an important boundary: the dividing line between the Gulf Cartel and the Zetas.

Some of the bloodiest conflicts of the drug war took place in nearby communities like Ciudad Mier and Nueva Ciudad Guerrero.

Beheadings and intense gun battles between the rival cartels only took the back seat to those between the cartels and the Mexican military.

The soldiers and marines won their battles by using military helicopters, many of which were reported flying over the American side of the border.

Daily gun battles took its toll on tourism on the Mexican side of the lake, in particular the ghost town of Guerrero Viejo.

The ruins of Guerrero Viejo, Tamaulipas. (Sergio Chapa/Borderzine.com)

The ruins of Guerrero Viejo, Tamaulipas. (Sergio Chapa/Borderzine.com)

Originally settled in 1750, Guerrero Viejo found itself under water after the construction of the dam.

Residents moved and founded Nueva Ciudad Guerrero on a series of hills just west of the dam.

During drought years, the ruins of Guerrero Viejo became a tourist attraction drawing visitors from both sides of the border.

But law enforcement officials report that the town is now a “hornet’s nest” behind enemy lines in an area under control by the ruthless Zetas.

The ruins of Guerrero Viejo, Tamaulipas. (Sergio Chapa/Borderzine.com)

The ruins of Guerrero Viejo, Tamaulipas. (Sergio Chapa/Borderzine.com)

Guerrero Viejo has become a forbidden city, a place along the border where angels fear to tread.

The Hartley Case

Lupita and I did not travel to Guerrero Viejo for security reasons but I had visited the town with friends during another drought year back in 2006.

Back then the lake levels were so low that trees had started to grow inside the ruins of the town.

The church at the ruins of Guerrero Viejo, Tamaulipas. (Sergio Chapa/Borderzine.com)

The church at the ruins of Guerrero Viejo, Tamaulipas. (Sergio Chapa/Borderzine.com)

It was those ruins that brought an American couple, David and Tiffany Hartley, to the Mexican side of the lake on September 30th, 2010.

The couple had lived in Reynosa where David worked as maquiladora manager but moved to McAllen.

Taking a pair of jet skis, the couple rode across the lake to Guerrero Viejo where they allegedly came across gunmen on boats.

The gunmen shot and killed David Hartley. Watching his body fall into the water, Tiffany Hartley escaped to report what happened.

A high-level investigation was launched on both sides but it took a gruesome turn when the lead investigator in Mexico was found beheaded.

Mexican authorities made several arrests but left many questions unanswered.

The body of David Hartley was never found.

Zapata Highway

Back on the American side of the border, Lupita and I were impressed by the Zapata Highway.

The hilly roadway is undergoing expansion from one lane in each direction to two lanes between Roma and Laredo.

Although there is traditionally little commerce or travel between Laredo and the Rio Grande Valley, the expanded roadway promises to change that.

We passed through several rural communities such as Lopeño and Chihuahua.

Construction has created a mess in the towns but promises to bring more travelers through the area.

Just miles away is the peaceful lakeside City of Zapata, the county seat of Zapata County.

The city is a contrast to the historic cities of Rio Grande City and Roma.

Although Zapata has a beautiful pink granite courthouse, there is no historic city center.

The town is lined with simple shopping centers, RV parks and hotels along Falcon Lake.

Life moves at a slower pace in Zapata where the Mexican drug war seems hundreds of miles away rather than just across the lake.

Zapata did not experience the rapid growth like the cities of the Rio Grande Valley but residents are okay with that. They like the town the way it is.

But new exploration of oil and natural gas have created a small-scale economic boom.

Locals have taken jobs to lay pipelines while workers from the Valley and Laredo rent homes, RVs or hotel rooms during the week and return home on the weekends.

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