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The rise of the Porfirio Diaz dictatorship (1876-1911) and the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920) led to an increase in violence and poverty in Mexico. These factors forced many Mexicans to move north as migrant workers. During this period, New Braunfels grew as an industrial center in Central Texas. The town's location near natural resources, rail lines and roadways made it an ideal manufacturing site.
In 1907, Hippolyt Dittlinger opened a lime company to make quick lime, a mixture used to create cement, iron and steel. Soon after, the plant began building housing units for key employees. The company later established Dittlinger Village, a segregated community to provide Anglo and migrant Mexican workers with low-cost housing. Known as "La Calera" (The Limekiln), the Mexican settlement appealed to migrant workers in search of year-round work and grew into a small rural center. The plant built public spaces to further attract migrants and their families, including a schoolhouse and a recreation center. The school building also served as a church, staffed with priests from a local parish.
Dittlinger sold his company in 1934, yet his namesake village continued on until the late 1960s. The village provided migrant workers with a chance at creating a home with their families. A unique culture grew out of the village as people connected, celebrated, and supported one another. Their work also helped grow New Braunfels. Economically and socially, the story of "La Calera" represents a significant aspect of New Braunfels' Hispanic heritage. |
