The Plaza, "The Beating Heart of the City" Part 1
Welcome to the Rio Grande City (RGC) Plaza! Since RGC was founded in 1760 the plaza has been the focal point of all business and pleasure, the plaza contains everything the community needs to survive except a Wal-Mart. When RGC was founded in 1760 the founder of the town Don Juan de Montaño set the community up following all the rules pertaining to the Law of the Indies on the regulations of the plaza size. Montaño set up immediately to create a presidio which is now the current location of the hospital and police station. The presidio would protect his new town which at the time was named La Valle Grande, or the big valley. RGC was what it later became to be known after the coming of the U.S. Government and they changed the name of the community. Montaño's descendants still remain in RGC and serve on many boards, and committees that they help, to contribute to the community their ancestor built. Many people believe that Montaño's location for the church was a miracle though, because legend has it that Montaño's son, Cristobal, found a crucifix on the site and told his father and his father set out to immediately build the church on the site, but not before burying the crucifix in the current location of the plaza. The patron saint of RGC, St. Francis, was the patron saint of Montaño and supposedly the name in Spanish was engraved in the back of the crucifix. The post office built in 1923 was built on the site of the Chavez Mansion. The Chavez's had come to the city with the Montaño's and established the colony and the Chavez's had their household built on the site of where the Montaño had collapsed off his horse due to dehydration. The home was plowed down in 1923 after surviving centuries and the Post Office was built in the site. The Library was built in the once lushful gardens the Chavez's had grown their crops from. The different sides of the plaza have been remodeled constantly and done to look as original as they once were to increase authenticity. More history of the Plaza coming soon!
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