2026 Reunion Planning under way
March 22nd 2026 2PM
Greetings Familia!
It is that time again to be able to get together and visit with many family members.
We are beginning our meetings for our 2026 Gregorio and Ana Esparza Family Reunion, which is scheduled for the weekend of July 10th thru July 12th, 2026 (main event, as usual, being all day Saturday, July 11th).
Our next family reunion meeting is scheduled for Sunday, March 22, 2026 at 2 pm at the Cafe Chris in Pleasanton TX.
If you want to volunteer and help plan this 2026 reunion please join us. Let's make it easy for everyone and volunteer! Please spread the word to other family members. We will concentrate on the committee assignments at this first meeting.
Erlinda Huizar
Terri Guzman
Co-Chairs
2026 Gregorio and Ana Esparza Family Reunion
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LATEST NEWS
Dawn at the Alamo 2025
Maria Isabel Esparza Huizar Shawl
March 6, 2025, Dawn At The Alamo marked the 189th anniversary of the Battle of the Alamo – that’s one year for each known Alamo Defender. We appreciate the attendance of our family members at this significant event to Remember the Alamo and our ancestor Gregorio Esparza, Alamo defender.
Maria Isabel Esparza Huizar Shawl
Maria Isabel Esparza Huizar Shawl
The Huizar and Esparza families are excited to share their story about their Great Grandmother Isabel Esparza Huizar.
The Smithsonian National Museum of American History of the American Latino in Washington D.C. asked to display Isabel’s shawl that has been in the family for years.
Brothers on Opposing sides
Brothers on Opposing sides
Francisco Esparza, a member of the Mexican army, asked Santa Anna to bury one of the Tejanos. It was his brother, Gregorio, who died defending the Alamo.
Hispanic Heritage GMA
The Alamo - The Esparza Brothers
Brothers on Opposing sides
ABC News’ Mireya Villarreal goes behind the scenes at one of the most historic battlefields in the country – The Alamo.
The Alamo - The Esparza Brothers
The Alamo - The Esparza Brothers
The Alamo - The Esparza Brothers
As we continue to honor and celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, we remember the Esparza brothers who both played a significant role in the Alamo's history. Senior Curator, Historian, and Lecturer of Alamo History Ernesto Rodriguez tells the compelling story of the Esparza brothers, Gregorio and Fransisco Esparza.
Alamo Defender Descendant
The Alamo - The Esparza Brothers
The Alamo - The Esparza Brothers
or one Mexican-American studying Texas History in school back in the 1960s and 70s, he learned something that wasn’t in the history books.
ABOUT GREGORIO ESPARZA
Jose Gregorio Esparza (1802–1836)
Jose Maria (Gregorio) Esparza was born in San Antonio on February 25, 1802, Gregorio was a native Texan and a citizen of San Antonio de Béxar. He fought during the Siege of Bexar from December 5–9, 1835, an early campaign of the Texas Revolution.
Gregorio and his family sought refuge at the Alamo Mission, where they prepared for the Battle of the Alamo from February 23 to March 6, 1836 against the Mexican Army. During the battle, he manned a cannon positioned at the southeast corner of the Alamo and eventually was killed after being shot in the chest and stabbed in the side with a sword.
His wife, Ana, his sons Enrique, Manuel, and Francisco, and his stepdaughter María de Jesús survived the battle. His brother, Francisco Esparza—a Mexican soldier who was not present during the fighting—received permission from Antonio López de Santa Anna to retrieve Gregorio’s body.
Gregorio Esparza is recognized as the only known Alamo Defender to have received a Christian burial. After the battle, Santa Anna gave Ana two silver coins and a blanket, allowing the family to return to their home in San Antonio.
The family later relocated to Atascosa County, where they established San Augustine Church, the first Catholic church in the county. Today, Gregorio’s family is officially recognized as non-combatant survivors of the Battle of the Alamo.
Visit to Alamo for more
Gary Zaboly commissioned portrait