For centuries, the land now known as Boca Chica, Texas, was home to the Carrizo/Comecrudo Tribe of Texas—the Esto’k Gna, as they call themselves. They walked these shores long before borders were drawn, long before Spanish boots ever touched this soil. The dunes, the river, the wind—these were not just landscapes to them. They were living, breathing spirits.
Today, that sacred land shakes with the thunder of rocket engines. The sky, once filled with birds and prayers, now burns with fire and steel. Boca Chica, once a quiet coastal home, has become Starbase, the launch site for Elon Musk’s SpaceX, and the Carrizo/Comecrudo are fighting not to be erased from history once again.
A Land Taken, A People Ignored
Boca Chica wasn’t always a battleground between progress and preservation. It was a peaceful place, a remote stretch of coastline near Brownsville where people lived quietly, honoring the land and their ancestors. But in 2014, SpaceX arrived, promising the future of space exploration. What they didn’t mention was that this “future” would come at the cost of the people who were already here.
At first, the company bought out homes, offering money to residents who would leave quietly. Some took the deal. Others didn’t. Those who remained quickly realized they were no longer wanted.
• Beaches, once open to all, were now closed for “safety reasons.”
• Roads were shut down at a moment’s notice.
• Text messages from SpaceX notified residents that their own land was off-limits.
What was once a public space, shared by the people and the natural world, had become a private launch pad for billionaires.
The Carrizo/Comecrudo refused to be silent.
Living Under the Shadow of Starbase
For those still in Boca Chica, life has become a series of disruptions:
• Explosions from rocket tests rattle their homes. The earth itself trembles, cracking walls and breaking windows.
• The beaches they once fished and gathered on are now off-limits. Sacred sites have been bulldozed in the name of progress.
• Wildlife is disappearing. Ocelots, sea turtles, and birds that once thrived here are being driven away by constant industrial activity.
And for what? For rockets that may or may not ever reach Mars?
Juan Mancias, leader of the Carrizo/Comecrudo Tribe, has watched this all unfold. He has spoken out, filed lawsuits, protested, and refused to let his people be erased once again.
“We were here before Texas, before Mexico, before Spain,” Mancias says. “This land belongs to our people, to our ancestors. They don’t get to take that away just because they have money.”
But money speaks louder than history.
The Price of Progress
SpaceX has not just built Starbase—they are trying to build a city. In December 2024, Musk’s company filed paperwork to turn the area into an official municipality: Starbase, Texas. If approved, the land that once belonged to the Carrizo/Comecrudo and local residents will officially belong to a corporation, not the people.
For many, this is the final insult—a billionaire taking not just their homes, but their very identity.
The tribe has fought back. They have sued SpaceX for environmental violations, fought for recognition of sacred sites, and called out the Texas government for allowing this destruction to continue.
But fighting billionaires is not easy.
Texas regulators have sided with SpaceX. Government agencies have fast-tracked permits. Even environmental laws have been bent or ignored to allow the company to continue expanding.
And the Carrizo/Comecrudo? They are left fighting for scraps of what was once their entire world.
Will They Survive This Too?
The Carrizo/Comecrudo have survived colonization, forced removal, and centuries of being ignored. They have fought to keep their culture alive against impossible odds.
And now, they are fighting SpaceX—the latest empire to claim their land.
Some say it is a losing battle.
But the tribe has never been one to surrender. They are still here. They are still fighting. They refuse to be erased.
They have a simple question for the world:
Do we really need to destroy the past just to reach the future?
Because if we are willing to erase an entire people in the name of “progress,” what does that say about the future we are building?
The Carrizo/Comecrudo are waiting for an answer.
Buddy’s Take: Billionaires, Rockets, and the People Nobody Asked
Well folks, here we are again, watching the great American tradition of land-grabbing happen in real-time, but this time with more rocket fuel and text message evictions.
Let’s break this down: A bunch of Indigenous people live in Boca Chica, Texas. They’ve been there long before Texas even had a name—just minding their business, honoring their ancestors, and keeping the place nice and quiet. Then one day, Elon Musk rolls in like an old-timey railroad baron, points at their land, and says, “Mine now.”
And just like that, the beaches close, the roads shut down, and the sky fills with more explosions than a Michael Bay movie. The locals? Oh, they get a friendly text from SpaceX letting them know their home is now a launch site, and if they don’t like it, they can leave.
You can’t make this stuff up.
Welcome to Starbase: Population… Billionaires Only
Musk and his crew aren’t just stopping at rockets. Oh no, that would be too easy. Now, they’re trying to turn the whole area into a city. That’s right—Starbase, Texas.
Sounds cool, right? Like something out of a sci-fi novel? Except in this version, the corporation owns the town, controls the land, and decides who gets to stay. Spoiler alert: It’s not the people who’ve been living there for centuries.
Now, don’t get me wrong—I love a good space adventure. I grew up watching Star Trek and dreaming of a future where humanity explores the stars together, not kicks people out of their homes to build a billionaire’s playground.
Progress at What Cost?
Here’s the kicker: The Carrizo/Comecrudo aren’t against space travel. They just don’t think progress should mean bulldozing their history.
And you know what? They’ve got a point.
We’re always told “We need to reach for the stars!” But maybe—just maybe—we should make sure we don’t destroy the people on the ground while we’re doing it.
So next time someone tells you SpaceX is “paving the way for the future,” ask them:
“Yeah, but who are they paving over?”
Because if history tells us anything, it’s that when billionaires come knocking, it’s never their land that gets bulldozed.
