EDINBURG, Texas (ValleyCentral) — In 1933 a doctor in San Diego, Texas buried about 500 gold coins under his house to be inherited by his daughter Gloria and her husband.
When Dr. Garcia’s daughter Gloria was about to marry Hector Lopez in 1950, Dr. García told Hector and Gloria about the gold. He said he had kept it for Gloria, so she could take care of her brother.
For many years, Hector crawled under the house in search of the gold but never found it.
Upon Dr. García’s death in 1964, Gloria and Hector assumed ownership of the San Diego house. In 1976 they sold the house to a man named Alejandro López.
The story of the gold takes a dramatic turn in 2002 when Alejandro found a leaky sewer line and called on the town plumber to fix it.
A lengthy court case to establish ownership ensued and it was determined the doctor’s daughter Gloria Lopez and her husband Hector were the rightful owners of the coins.
Today, those coins are a part of an exhibit at the Museum of South Texas History called “Dr. Garcia’s Treasure.”
The exhibit shares the story of the legal proceedings that determined ownership of the coins and the broader story that shaped Dr. Garcia, Gloria, and Hector as significant actors in the history of South Texas. And how a $275 million donation by the couple has helped students across South Texas go to college.
“Our exhibit, “Dr. Garcia’s Gold”, actually brings those two stories together. The fantastic, dramatic, bright shiny, story of the gold and this beautiful gift to send kids to college,” said Francisco Guajardo, museum CEO.
To see this exhibit, the museum is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
