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The Varal is located in Zapata County on lands that were originally Spanish Land Grants. Luis Volpe, the great grandfather of the present owners, immigrated from Italy in the late 1800's. He and his brother Miguel purchased approximately 19,000 acres of land including the 1,364-acre tract of land known as Varal Ranch. This land has been in the family for over four generations and was used for raising cattle for over 100 years.

In the mid 1980's, Salvador Volpe, owner-manager of the ranch for most of the last century, realized that wildlife management was more promising than the cattle business. Eventually, deer and other game took a front seat to cattle. Today, the ranch teems with quail, javelinas, and trophy deer.h (the Varal) is located in Zapata County on porciones 33 and 34. Porciones