Luna Jacal
historic place
At the base of Pena Mountain in Big Bend National Park, Texas, stands Luna Jacal. This historic dwelling was the home of Gilberto Luna, a Mexican pioneer farmer. Built around 1890 or 1900, the jacal is an indigenous Tejano structure, a type of wattle and daub house. It features low sandstone and limestone walls, with forked poles supporting a roof originally made of ocotillo branches, earth, and stones. The house is built against a large boulder. Gilberto Luna raised a large family here, making a living by goatherding and farming along Alamo Creek. He irrigated his land with floodwater diverted from the nearby creek. Luna was a well-known and respected resident of the Big Bend area. Gilberto Luna lived in this jacal until his death in 1947, at the age of 108 or 109. Luna Jacal was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 8, 1974. This site represents an early pioneer settlement in the Big Bend, showcasing adaptation to the desert environment.