Cementerio del Barrio de los Lipanes

Big Bend Conservation Alliance (in collaboration with the Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas & MASS Design), 2023-24

As an interpretation consultant for Cementerio del Barrio de los Lipanes—a sacred Lipan Apache burial mound in Presidio, Texas that was returned to the tribe in 2021—I supported lead researcher and writer, Dr. Nakaya Flotte, in developing interpretive text panels to guide visitors through the site's history and meaning.

“For generations, the cemetery has served as the final resting place for Jumano Peoples and the Lipan Apache, who settled in the region in the 1700s after being forcibly displaced from their ancestral homelands. The site endured repeated disruptions as jurisdiction shifted between Mexico and the United States, and the Lipan Apache were driven from their lands by 19th-century U.S. removal policies. Despite being recognized by the State of Texas in 2009, the Tribe remains federally unrecognized, limiting access to critical federal resources.” — MASS Design

Photo: MASS Design

Photo: Big Bend Conservation Alliance