ROTAN, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) - On December 15, 1949, all 11 members of the Perez family were found “smoldering in the ashes” of their rented farmhouse about 10 miles northeast of Rotan. The victims ranged from an unnamed infant to 79-year-old Basilio Perez. For decades, they rested in unmarked graves until the 2010s, when the community came together to honor their memory.

Josh Martinez is one of the few people still around who can tell the Perez family's story, his parents pioneering the move to establish a commemorative plaque near the family's gravesite.

"I think it connects the past to the present. The Perez family were some of the early migrants who worked here, and they faced hard adversity and also tragedy. But their memory now stands as a symbol of respect, and I think that's just one

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