RIVER PIERCE FOUNDATION
PO Box 249, San Ygnacio, TX 78067 www.riverpierce.org

---

Organizations Filed Purposes: Preserve colonial character of historic San Ygnacio by restoring the Trevino-Uribe Rancho, a National Historic Landmark built in 1830, the Manuel Sanchez and Guadalupe Martinez residences (1874)and other historic structures, and providing educational programs.

River Pierce Foundation works to preserve and make known the colonial character of the historic village of San Ygnacio, Texas, a significant element of the farms, ranches, cities and towns that make up the Los Caminos del Rio Heritage Corridor of the Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas. Foundation programs and individual contributions from the private sector support the acquisition, preservation, and creative re-use of historic sites, with special emphasis on the early 19th century sandstone complex of the Trevino-Uribe Rancho, sited on a bluff overlooking the Rio Grande River. Designated a National Historic Landmark by the National Park System in 1998, and as one of the nation's most endangered historic sites by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the fortified complex is one of the few surviving artifacts of Spanish colonial architecture in South Texas.The River Pierce Foundation provides site access to structures in its care to students of architecture, historians ,an interested public, and sponsors educational programs, synposia, workshops and aertist residencies in local schools. The Foundation's founder, Michael Tracy, restored the important sandstone structures of the historic Zaragosa-Dominguez residence in 1984. Expressing concern for the historic character of the San Ygnacio plaza, the Foundation has undertaken the stabilization and restoration of San Ygancio National Register District, including the Trevino-Uribe Rancho (1830), National Historic Landmark since 2012), the Manuel SC!nchez residence (1874), the Guadalupe Martinez residence (1874) and adaptation of the former Lozano general store site for a visitors' center. The Foundation's restoration work is guided by a report it commissioned in 2003 to assess the condition of the Trevino-Uribe Rancho and Sanchez House that provided estimates for rehabilitation and selective restoration of sites. Understanding that the area is a destination of choice to ornithologists, River Pierce Foundation encourages the propagation of indigenous flora, with emphasis on the desert willow flor de mimbre, whose orchid-like flowers are attractive to hummingbirds. Aspects of this awareness are taught, along with other historical traditions of the region, in an annual heritage camp for local children, ages 9-16, that combines environmental awareness, archeology, anthropology, botany, and natural science. In 2017, the Foundation became of aware for the need to provide local accommodations and hospitality for visiting birders who come from all over the U.S. and abroad tracking the migration of the White-Collared Seed Eater and the Muscovy Duck. Three buildings adjacent to the Trevino-Uribe Rancho will be opened in 2019 as a bed and breakfasts, producing jobs for the local work force, and serving as convenience for visitors who come to tour River Pierce historic properties and come to San Ygancio to view migrating birds.The publication, "The River Pierce: Sacrifice II, 13.4.90: A Document of the Collaborative Action" (Rice University Press, 1990)reports on, in words and pictures,an international collaboration of artists and a symposium sponsored by the Foundation creatively exploring the bicultural history of the region. In 1998, the Foundation's video "Culture, Water, Money: The Passion of the Frontier," was produced for public television. The video explores the contamination of the Rio Grande River and was designated Best Economic Documentary by the New York International Film Video Festival. Annually the River Pierce Foundation staged a Christmas pageant in the the Trevino-Uribe Rancho to celebrate and revisit the Hispanic tradition of the Pastorela, a literary format dating back to medieval Spain telling the story of a group of shepherds who encounter and triumph over the Seven Deadly Sins on their way to greet the new-born Messiah of Bethlehem. In 2011, the Foundation established a library which contains exhibits about the restoration of the Trevino-Uribe Rancho, the pre-history and archeology of San Ygnacio, and daily life from San Ygnacio's founding in 1830 to mid-20th Century.

---

---

Data for this page was sourced from XML published by IRS (public 990 form dataset) from: https://s3.amazonaws.com/irs-form-990/201943179349308529_public.xml