This cemetery was officially established in 1907 to serve the Mexican community of Kyle during a period when burial grounds were typically segregated. Cemetery trustees John Reys, Blas Mendez and Rafael Esquivel purchased 1.36 acres out of the J. Pharass survey from Thomas and Lou Smith. The deed notes that a “Mexican cemetery” already existed on the land. The earliest grave marker, that of infant José Martinez, is dated Nov. 11, 1881. In 1920, the cemetery was expanded when the cemetery trustees purchased an additional acre from Vicente Gonzalez and sons, Vicente Jr. and Porfirio. In recognition of Vicente Gonzalez, the trustees named the cemetery after the saint whose name he bore. Of the more than 400 marked burials here, the longest living person is perhaps Anacleto “Cleto” Arrietta. When he died in 1941, he was likely over one hundred years old. A number of graves mark tragedies. Paz Gomez, age 17, passed away from Spanish Flu a month after her child was born. A devastating 1936 flood claimed nine young victims from the Garza and Gonzalez families, represented by nine small metal crosses. Veterans buried here include Purple Heart recipient PFC John Barrientes (1923-2003) and PFC Tomas Mendez (1919-1982), both US Army WWII, and CPL Pantaleon Selvera (1935-1958), USMC. There are four Woodmen of the World grave markers, Leon Mendez (1887-1951), Robert Tenorio (1897-1971), Francisco Rodriguez (1898-1963) and Eusebio Mendez (1899-1957). San Vicente Cemetery serves as a record of Kyle’s early Hispanic population whose myriad contributions continue to shape the city. As is customary in Hispanic communities, the graves are often decorated with meaningful objects and the most represented religion is Catholicism. Several generations of the Blas Mendez family have been custodians of the cemetery since its inception. (Historic Texas Cemetery 2021)