kept his position until his exile in 1830. He is listed as a "Masonic Hero" by the Grand Lodge of Texas. Some sources state that Zavala was disgraced for revealing ritual secrets. Legacy Zavala remains a controversial figure in Mexico, with historians generally commending Zavala's liberalism, while denouncing his support of Texan independence as treason. Mexican historian Francisco Bulnes characterized Zavala as a traitor, while defending Zavala against the charge that he supported Texan independence for political or financial advantages, arguing that it was his opposition to centralism and especially to Santa Anna that proved the decisive factor. Biographer Francisco Sosa wrote that Zavala ceased to be Mexican when he became a representative for Harrisburg, and that "what he did after [voting for Texan independence] was but a consequence of that step taken in a moment of blindness caused by a political hatred which had hurled him into an abyss." The town of Zavala, Texas was named for him in Jasper County in 1834. The town no longer exists, but there is a village about 20 miles away in Angelina County named Zavalla (spelled differently) which is also named for Lorenzo de Zavala. In 1858, 22 years after Zavala's death, the Texas Legislature named Zavala County in his honor. Zavala County is in southern Texas, and sits roughly in a triangle formed by Del Rio, Laredo, and San Antonio. The county seat is Crystal City. Unfortunately, when the name was given, it was misspelled as "Zavalla" and the error was not officially corrected until 71 years later (1929). Currently, his name appears on many public buildings and schools, including the Texas State Library and Archives Commission in Austin. The National Hispanic Institute named its Lorenzo de Zavala Youth Legislative Session program (colloquially known as the "LDZ," now hosted at five universities across the U.S. and one in Panama) for him. Texas Historical Commission Sites In 1936, the Texas Historical Commission acknowledged the 1835 Harrisburg settlement of Lorenzo de Zavalla with a Texas Centennial Marker made of gray granite with a bronze inscription. In 1968, the Texas Historical Commission established a historical marker at the De Zavala Elementary School in Southeast Houston. The supplemental commemorative plaque preserves an inscription regarding the passage of Texas historical sites at the San Jacinto State Historic Landmark. Namesakes Schools Lorenzo de Zavala Elementary School, Baytown, Texas Lorenzo de Zavala Elementary School, San Marcos, Texas De