Development at McAllen disc golf course may threaten prehistoric burial site
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According to one archaeologist, prehistoric human remains were found at the disc golf course in McAllen.
Now the historical burial site is being threatened by the potential rezoning of the area to allow a tech company, Zoho, to build a campus on the land.
An archaeological dig from decades ago found pre-Columbian human remains of someone who lived in the area, perhaps a thousand years ago.
In McAllen and all along the Valley, a region that hugs the Rio Grande Delta, where people lived, hunted, gathered and moved, according to evidence. It's also where they buried their dead.
"That location had a burial site that was uncovered in '67 by workers that were digging a septic tank," archaeologist Rolando Garza said.
Garza says the discovery was here along the banks of Lake Conception at the disc golf course. They found human remains buried with some artifacts.
Artifacts that were common among the people, who archaeologists call the Brownsville-Barril complex culture, who used to inhabit this area.
A display at the Museum of South Texas History shows those people using shell tools and shell ornaments.
Garza says the culture occupied the banks of the Arroyo Colorado.
"There is a big potential for...more burials, because it's a cemetery site. You don't just get one isolated burial at a cemetery site. So it's more potential for more burials out there," Garza said.
The banks of the Arroyo and the Rio Grande have changed over the centuries, possibly leaving remains in unexpected places.
While the city has been informed of this new information, they say they will not comment on this proposal until city commissioners consider it on July 24.
"What do you want them to do with this information? One, if this property does get transferred, I would like them to have a good archaeological investigation to try and uncover any information," Garza said.
Garza says what was found here, and along the former banks of the Valley's Delta, is not well studied and there's an opportunity to learn more.
"This is probably one of the most understudied regions in Texas," Garza said.
Prehistoric human remains at the site of a place that may be significantly transformed.
The McAllen Planning and Zoning Board heard this proposal last week and decided not to approve the request to rezone. There are other critics of redevelopment who talk about the importance of this area for recreation.
McAllen's commissioners, which supersede planning and zoning, will have the final say at their meeting next Monday.
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