Local advocates claim indigenous burial sites are threatened by Barisi Village project

Local advocates in the Corpus Christi community are raising concerns over the proposed Barisi Village development.

Sandra “Love” Sanchez, co-founder of the Indigenous Peoples of the Coastal Bend, said the project is slated to be built on indigenous burial grounds, one considered among the largest cemeteries in Texas.

The land, known historically as Cayo del Oso, stretches along Oso Bay near Ennis Joslin Road. Archaeologists have documented the site as a major burial ground for the Karankawa, Apache, Comanche, Tonkawa, and Coahuiltecan tribes. According to the Texas Historical Commission, sites like Cayo del Oso hold significant cultural value and fall under consultation guidelines when state or federal permits are involved.

“This area was burial sites for the Karankawa people. They buri