Izaguirre Ranch, settled in Whitewright, a rural area 60 miles north of Dallas, has a black metal gate adorned with rearing horses. It’s a symbol that social media users have speculated is somehow connected to a controversial site in Mexico.
Online posts suggest the symbol that adorns the ranch in Texas resembles the gate of Rancho Izaguirre, in Teuchitlan, Jalisco, which Mexican authorities say was a training site for a cartel.
Perla Villarreal, the owner of the property in North Texas, told The Dallas Morning News that she was being targeted on social media because of the similarities between the two properties. Online users have linked her ranch to events in Jalisco and drug cartels, despite her declarations of not being involved.
“There was someone who wrote to me, ‘I hope they do the worst to you and your family, that they treat you worse than animals.’ But why?” Villarreal said.
Here’s what we know about the site in Mexico and its ties to Texas.
What happened at the Rancho Izaguirre in Mexico?
In March, a group of volunteers named Guerreros Buscadores de Jalisco — Warrior Searches of Jalisco — followed an anonymous tip that led them to a site where there were signs of an extermination camp and a crematorium. The group is dedicated to searching for clandestine graves in hopes of finding remains of their missing loved ones.
The site was at Rancho Izaguirre near the village of Teuchitlan, about 37 miles west of Guadalajara, Mexico.
On March 5, authorities in Jalisco found 200 pairs of shoes and other personal belongings.
The site is believed to be associated with the New Generation Jalisco Cartel. At first, authorities said it was a crematorium, but later government officials said it was a training camp for cartel members.
The civil group said they found three underground cremation ovens at the site. Bone fragments and charred human remains were discovered.
Wednesday night, April 23, two members of the civil group were killed by gunmen, the group and authorities said Thursday.
Mexican authorities raided the ranch last September, which led to 10 arrests and the rescue of two hostages. One body wrapped in plastic was found then, but the full extent of the site was not uncovered.
The site was allegedly used as a training facility for cartel activities, according to Omar Garcia Harfuch, Mexico’s Security and Citizen Protection minister.
In 2024, there were nearly 120,000 “forcibly disappeared” people in the state of Jalisco, making it the state with the most disappearances in the country, according to Red Lupa, an organization that focuses on missing persons and forced disappearances.
Why is it relevant to Texas?
When Rancho Izaguirre in Mexico was discovered, people on social media posted photos and even the location of the Izaguirre Ranch in Texas, arguing without evidence of an alleged link to the property in Mexico.
The owner of Izaguirre Ranch is Perla Villarreal. The steel entrance to her property has the name on top, along with two horses facing each other and a forest background. The sign in Texas is similar to the one in Jalisco.
The gate at the entrance of the ranch in Mexico also has two horses facing each other and the name at the top. The difference is the forest background, which resembles Villarreal’s property.
“The gate was made just two or three years ago,” Villarreal said. “It’s called Izaguirre because my husband and children are Izaguirre, and it has horses because my husband has always loved them.”
Villarreal says it’s a coincidence. But people on social media started harassing her in videos and comments.
She received threats against her and her family on their private messages on her TikTok account.
The News visited Izaguirre Ranch and had an in-depth conversation with Perla Villarreal and her husband, Severo Izaguirre, in which they discussed the struggles to build their estate over the years.
The News confirmed the information the couple provided about their gradual growth and property ownership over public property and other state records.
